Audio Description for Blind People
Audio Description for blind people is known by many names: Audio Description, Descriptive Video, Video Description, Visual Description, and D.V.S.
What do you need it for, you might ask?
Well, if you can see, you probably don’t! But if you’re blind or have poor vision, Audio Description is a game changer. It allows a blind person to enjoy a movie or TV show just like anyone else.
How does it work? Is it an art or a science? Who is offering this feature?
Descriptions are offered by a narrator of important action, characters, and imagery. A good writer of Audio Description will paint a robust picture of what’s happening in the video so that a blind person and “see” the movie in their minds. This is usually done during breaks in the audio, but occasionally will cover some dialogue if the image is more crucial than the words.
“The well-trained describer is an incredibly astute eyewitness.”
From: Joel Snyder. The Visual Made Verbal: A Comprehensive Training Manual and Guide to the History and Applications of Audio Description.Audio Description is both an art and a science. Choosing what and what not to describe and in how much detail are crucial to the format. Descriptions of people are important as are the way they move. Colors matter even though the listener is blind.
Once the description script is written, a voice over talent will record the script. And finally a sound editor will edit the descriptions mix of the movie or TV show.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, iTunes, and many other streaming services are now offering this to their viewers. Cinemas also offer Video Description with a device that you can take into theater.
So it’s catching on.
Don’t be left behind!