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This is an ADLAB PRO video.

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ADLAB PRO is a project funded
by the European Union.

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This video is made available
to you

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on a Creative Commons licence.

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-Hello. I’m Nina Reviers,
from the University of Antwerp,

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and in this
ADLAB PRO video

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I will discuss
Audio Description guidelines.

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This is Unit 7 in Module 1
"AD: General Introduction".

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In this video I will address
the following questions:

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What types of AD guidelines exist?

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Why are AD guidelines important?

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What topcis do
AD guidelines cover?

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What are the differences
between guidelines?

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A guideline is a document
that includes a recommended

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course of action
for a product or service.

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AD guidelines,
more in particular,

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aim to streamline
the creation process

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of an audio described product
and offer advice

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on AD scripting strategies based
on sound practice and research.

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There exist different types
of AD guidelines,

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depending on three factors.

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First, the country in and for which
they were developed.

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Most countries or regions
that offer AD,

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have some kind of local guideline
in the local language.

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Second, the type of AD they cover.

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Most guidelines
have been developed for film,

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but some countries also have
guidelines for theatre AD,

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museum or web accessibility,
for instance.

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Finally, the purpose and scope
of AD guidelines differs.

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Some guidelines have been developed
by broadcasters

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or companies to be used
as a style guide

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for employees and freelancers,
think of Netflix, for instance.

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Some guidelines have been developed
by non-profit organisations,

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such as
the US Description Key

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or in collaboration
with research institutions,

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such as the ADLAB guidelines.

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But why are guidelines important?

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Guidelines support good quality.

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They set a standard that helps
students and professionals

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to develop their skills
and that provides

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production companies
and user organisations with tools

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for training
and quality assessment.

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AD guidelines are rarely binding,
but in some countries

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they are officially recognised
by public or regulatory bodies

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and linked to laws
and regulations,

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which significantly increases
their impact.

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Most AD guidelines focus on
AD scripting and cover topics,

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such as the following:

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What to describe: How to select
and prioritise information?

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When to describe:

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audio description should make
effective use

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of the space available,
but at the same time

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leave enough room for the film’s
atmosphere to shine through.

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How to find a balance?

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How to describe in terms
of linguistic choices,

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lexis, syntax,
tense and cohesion.

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How to describe
in terms of voicing,

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intonation, narration speed
and voice type.

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In addition, guidelines discuss
specifically thorny issues such as:

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Subjectivity, film techniques,

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the use of colour
and describing ethnicity,

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and how to deal with sounds
and text on screen.

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Let’s look at two examples.

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In 2014, the EU-funded project
ADLAB

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published the first European-wide
guidelines for Audio Description.

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The aim of the project was
to develop guidelines

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for AD scriptwriting
that had a sound

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scientific grounding
and that were not prescriptive,

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but offered strategies,

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described their effects
in different contexts

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and provided insights
into when they are appropriate.

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The ADLAB guidelines are
freely available online

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on the project website
adlabproject.eu.

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Another widely used AD guideline
was published in 2000 by Ofcom,

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the UK’s communications
regulator.

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They are entitled “Guidance
On Standards for Audio Description”.

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Even though this guideline
was developed

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for the provision of AD
in the UK,

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the Ofcom guidelines were
and to some extent still are

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a standard for Europe.

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While most guidelines, such as the
two examples we just discussed,

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cover similar topics, there are
differences among guidelines

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in terms of
the general approach,

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for, instance,
prescriptive or strategic.

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Or in terms of
the proposed strategies

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to deal with specific issues.

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One such thorny issue,

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by way of example,
is that of subjectivity.

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The guidelines of the American
Council for the Blind,

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for instance,
advise to describe what you see

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in an objective way

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and, in relation to gestures
and movements in particular,

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they say to “resist
any temptation to convey

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what you may feel
is inferred by them,

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such as an emotional state.”

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Ofcom’s “Guidance On Standards
for Audio Description”

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adopts a similar approach:

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And I quote:
“A few well-chosen words

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can enhance a scene
considerably,

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but they must not reflect
the personal view of the describer."

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The ADLAB guidelines,
on the other hand,

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try to offer a more nuanced
approach that acknowledges

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the benefit of more subjective
strategies for certain contexts.

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They say, and I quote:

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“There are a range
of possible strategies

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for describing
a narrative event

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with different gradations
in the explicitness of description.

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Generally speaking
they imply a choice

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between "objectively" describing
what you see on screen,

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a strategy located
at one end of the scale,

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naming what can be seen
more accurately,

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located somewhere
in the middle of the scale,

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or explaining
what the visual element means

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located at the other end
of the scale.

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The ADLAB guidelines provide
the following example:

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“A flashback” versus “Back in 1930”.

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“Her eyes open wide”
versus “She is amazed”.

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Or a combination of these:

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“Her eyes open wide
in amazement.”

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Audio Description is an innovative
field that is continuously evolving,

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as a result guidelines and best
practices keep evolving as well.

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It is therefore important
as a describer

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to keep up to date
with the newest developments!

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-The preparation of this presentation

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was supported by ADLAB PRO.
Audio Description:

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A Laboratory for the Development
of a New Professional Profile

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financed by the European Union

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under the Erasmus+ Programme,

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Key Action 2,

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Strategic Partnerships.

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Project number:

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2016-1-IT02

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KA203-024311.

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The information and views
set out in this presentation

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are those of the authors
and do not necessarily reflect

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the official opinion
of the European Union.

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Neither the European Union
institutions and bodies

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nor any persona acting
on their behalf

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may be held responsible
for the use

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which may be made of
the information contained therein.

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This was an ADLAB PRO video.

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ADLAB PRO partners are:

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University of Trieste,

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Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,

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University of Antwerp,

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Adam Mickiewicz University,

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RTV Slovenia,

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Utopian Voices,

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Soundfocus and Royal National
Institute of Blind People.

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ADLAB PRO was funded
by the European Union.

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This video was made available
to you

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on a Creative Commons licence.