1
00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,680
This is an ADLAB PRO video.

2
00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:06,080
ADLAB PRO is a project funded
by the European Union.

3
00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:08,200
This video is made available
to you

4
00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:09,960
on a Creative Commons licence.

5
00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,000
-Hello. I’m Aline Remael,
from the University of Antwerp,

6
00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,520
and in this ADLAB PRO video
I will explain

7
00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,680
what the main characteristics are
of audiovisual texts.

8
00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,560
This is Unit 1,
"Audiovisual texts"

9
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:28,720
in Module 1,
AD, General Introduction.

10
00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:33,360
Intuitively you know
what an audiovisual text is.

11
00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:38,160
You have all watched feature films,
documentaries, series, talk shows

12
00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:43,040
and other such productions
in the cinema, on TV or online.

13
00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,360
Audiovisual texts, better known
as audiovisual productions

14
00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:51,560
in some disciplines,
are texts that make use of words,

15
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,240
images and sounds
to tell their story.

16
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,000
They are composed
of different modes,

17
00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:01,440
sometimes referred to
as sign systems,

18
00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,920
and are therefore
essentially multimodal.

19
00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,680
Moreover, they also use different
communication channels.

20
00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:14,280
The different modes that constitute
audiovisual texts are:

21
00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,960
the visual non-verbal mode
or images,

22
00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:21,680
the visual-verbal mode
or text on screen,

23
00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:26,160
the aural non-verbal mode
or sounds and music,

24
00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,760
the aural-verbal mode
or speech.

25
00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:34,160
Which mode is dominant and how
the modes interact with each other

26
00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,160
to tell the story in any specific
audiovisual text

27
00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,880
will vary greatly
and is connected to the genre

28
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,320
to which a production belongs.

29
00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,520
A disaster movie will make use
of striking sound effects,

30
00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,120
whereas a romantic comedy will
rely more on dialogue and music.

31
00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,680
The different modes are transmitted
through two channels:

32
00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:00,280
the visual channel
or the images,

33
00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,480
and the auditory channel
or the sound track.

34
00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:06,560
The visual channel conveys:

35
00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:10,160
the visual non-verbal mode
or the images

36
00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:12,680
and action filmed
by the camera

37
00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,560
as well as the visual-verbal mode
or text on screen,

38
00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:18,680
such as text balloons.

39
00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:24,120
The visual channel also conveys
how all of this is filmed.

40
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,720
The auditory channel conveys:
speech, in other words,

41
00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,600
dialogues, voice-over
or interviews, for instance,

42
00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:34,760
sounds and sound effects,

43
00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,400
going from birds singing
to violent explosions,

44
00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:41,200
and, music,
which is often crucial

45
00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,080
to set the atmosphere
of a scene.

46
00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:48,960
However, other types of productions
that can be audio-described,

47
00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:53,560
besides filmic ones, often have
audiovisual components too.

48
00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:58,400
Obvious examples are live events
such as opera and theatre

49
00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,800
but also exhibitions
and museums

50
00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:04,240
may have audiovisual
and multimodal features.

51
00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:06,800
Why do I need to know this?
You may ask.

52
00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:11,000
It is important for audio-describers
to be aware of all this

53
00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,240
because the audio description
for people with sight loss

54
00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,600
is added to these already
complex productions

55
00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,800
and the core AD audience
has access only

56
00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:26,600
to the information conveyed
through the auditory channel.

57
00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,040
Let’s look at some stills
from the opening scene

58
00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,600
of the film classic
<i>The Snows of Kilimanjaro</i>,

59
00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,960
from 1952 directed by Henry King.

60
00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,640
The opening shot shows
a snow-capped mountain

61
00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:45,560
and the voice-over
of a male narrator identifies it

62
00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,560
as Kilimanjaro, the mountain
of the film’s title,

63
00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:53,440
also giving details
about its altitude,

64
00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:58,200
combining visual non-verbal
and aural-verbal modes.

65
00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,200
A subsequent shot shows large,

66
00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:05,160
as yet unidentified birds
flying overhead.

67
00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,960
Their flight is accompanied
by menacing violin music.

68
00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,360
The aural-verbal mode
has been replaced

69
00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,040
by the aural non-verbal mode.

70
00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:21,000
Different shots of the birds then
alternate with close-up shots

71
00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,280
of the face of a man
whose eyes are moving.

72
00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,400
He is watching the birds.

73
00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,880
On the sound track
the menacing music continues.

74
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,360
The voice-over identifies
the mountain

75
00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,760
shown by the images
as Kilimanjaro.

76
00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:40,920
The music with the shots
of the birds

77
00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:43,680
suggests that they hold a threat.

78
00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,080
The continuation
of this music

79
00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:50,120
over the images of the face
of the man watching them,

80
00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,120
also links this threat
to the man.

81
00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:55,920
The visual and aural modes
of the film

82
00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:00,920
convey meaning in themselves
and through their interaction.

83
00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:05,120
Audiences who have access only
to some of the modes,

84
00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:07,280
for instance, the aural one,

85
00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,880
miss part of the story
if there is no AD.

86
00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:13,400
Well, that’s it for now.

87
00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:15,360
I hope that you have learnt
quite a bit

88
00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,640
about the functioning
of audiovisual texts.

89
00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:23,200
A classic you may like to read is:
“Film Art. An Introduction”,

90
00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,320
by Bordwell and Thompson.

91
00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:30,560
-The preparation
of this presentation

92
00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:34,440
was supported by ADLAB PRO.
Audio Description:

93
00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,160
A Laboratory for the Development
of a New Professional Profile

94
00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:42,560
financed by the European Union
under the Erasmus+ Programme,

95
00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,920
Key Action 2,
Strategic Partnerships.

96
00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:47,200
Project number:

97
00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,760
2016-1-IT02

98
00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:55,640
KA203-024311.

99
00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,520
The information and views
set out in this presentation

100
00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,640
are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect

101
00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,800
the official opinion
of the European Union.

102
00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,240
Neither the European Union
institutions and bodies

103
00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:11,840
nor any persona acting
on their behalf

104
00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:13,760
may be held responsible
for the use

105
00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,680
which may be made of
the information contained therein.

106
00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:18,800
This was an ADLAB PRO video.

107
00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,520
ADLAB PRO partners are:
University of Trieste,

108
00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,600
Universitat Autònoma
de Barcelona,

109
00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,680
University of Antwerp,
Adam Mickiewicz University,

110
00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,760
RTV Slovenia,
Utopian Voices,

111
00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,040
Soundfocus and Royal National
Institute of Blind People.

112
00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:40,080
ADLAB PRO was funded
by the European Union.

113
00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,840
This video was made available
to you

114
00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:43,920
on a Creative Commons licence.