What is Audio Description?
Definition: Audio description is a form of narration used to provide information surrounding key visual elements in media work for the benefit of blind and visually impaired consumers.
In reality: Audio Description is an extra audio track that is woven into the quiet moments of a video where a describer adds additional information which is omitted from the dialogue. This can include but not limited to location changes, storytelling conventions eg. fight and dance scenes, flashbacks, and dream sequences, and the character’s facial expressions, and entrances/exits.
How will Audio Description benefit my next project?
- Accessibility!!! In the U.K. alone, the Royal National Institute for the Blind believes there are approximately 2 million people who live with sight loss. Combining this with the saturated content creation market, audio description can help you stand out from the crowd and connect with a loyal and highly engaged consumer base.
- Increased engagement from primarily “Auditory Learners” who make up around 30% of the population. These people retain more information by listening rather than reading.
- Allows your content to be consumed ‘on the go’ – while travelling, exercising etc and can increase viewing figures.
Who can use Audio Description services?
Originally developed to increase accessibility for the visually impaired community, audio description can also be used to help…
- Anyone who needs to be ‘eyes free’ and would like to step away from the screen. Audio description adds an audiobook quality to programmes allowing people to move around the home while still fully comprehending the story or training module.
- Audio description can pinpoint emotional and social cues providing additional support for people on the autistic spectrum to identify these cues in real-life scenarios.
- Children’s language development by increasing their vocabulary and utilising other senses to keep them fully engaged throughout the programme.