This is an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO is a project funded by the European Union.
This video is made available to you
on a Creative Commons licence.
-Hello. I’m Gert Vercauteren
from the University of Antwerp in Belgium.
In this ADLAB PRO video I will tell you a bit more
about what some of the most important issues are
when it comes to creating an audio description.
This is Unit 8, "Central AD Issues",
in Module 1, "General Introduction".
A good starting point to determine what are considered
to be the most important issues in AD creation,
are the earliest documents published on this translation modality,
namely national guidelines
and early articles in translation journals.
Basically, all these documents agree
that there are four essential questions that have to be addressed:
A. What should be described?
B. When should it be described?
C. How should it be described?
And D. How much should be described?
Let us first briefly look at what should be described.
Ideally, that should be “everything there is to see on screen”.
But it goes without saying
that describing everything there is to see,
is simply impossible.
Moreover, you should describe much more!
A contradiction you say?
Not necessarily. Let me explain.
First of all, you have to describe the images.
This includes describing characters,
their actions and the setting,
this means the time and place, in which these actions take place.
In other words, you describe who does what, when and where.
Second, you also have to describe certain sounds.
Indeed, people with sight loss may have difficulties
identifying ambiguous sound effects
and as such, they should be explained.
In addition, describing sounds
also includes translating foreign dialogues
through audio subtitling, dubbing or voice-over.
Finally, text-on-screen such as logos,
opening and closing titles, text on signs in the film, etc.
have to be “read” or described too.
The second question, when should it be described,
refers to the moment when the description is heard.
Ideally, this is when the production is “completely silent”,
but that hardly ever occurs.
As such, the general guideline says
you should never describe over dialogues
since these are the first source of information
for people with sight loss,
and avoid describing over sound effects as much as possible,
particularly if the sound is relevant for the story.
The question of how to describe,
deals with the language and style of the description.
A few general rules of thumb, are that:
The description should sound natural,
since it is meant to be read out loud.
This means the language cannot be too complicated
and that sentences should be simple.
This does not mean that metaphors
or descriptive words enhancing the text,
should be avoided. On the contrary.
The describer should use a vivid and varied language,
that is clear and precise.
He should also make sure
that the description matches the style of the film or TV programme,
and that the wording and phrasing matches the audience.
The question of how much to describe,
has not been fully answered yet.
Existing guidelines say that you should “not describe too much”
because this may be exhausting,
or that “describing a lot just because the film allows
should be avoided”.
If you use software to create your AD,
you can set a value of about 17 characters per second
or 180 words per minute.
However, this is just an indication.
Here, your own judgement comes in
and you should try to gear your description
to the programme and the scene at hand.
A slow, panoramic shot may need less description,
an action-packed scene will need more.
Well, this is it for this video.
As you will have noticed, we barely scratched the surface
of what is important in AD, and there is a lot more to learn.
-The preparation of this presentation
was supported by ADLAB PRO. Audio Description:
A Laboratory for the Development of a New Professional Profile
financed by the European Union
under the Erasmus+ Programme,
Key Action 2,
Strategic Partnerships.
Project number:
2016-1-IT02
KA203-024311.
The information and views set out in this presentation
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the official opinion of the European Union.
Neither the European Union institutions and bodies
nor any persona acting on their behalf
may be held responsible for the use
which may be made of the information contained therein.
This was an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO partners are:
University of Trieste,
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,
University of Antwerp,
Adam Mickiewicz University,
RTV Slovenia,
Utopian Voices,
Soundfocus and Royal National Institute of Blind People.
ADLAB PRO was funded by the European Union.
This video was made available to you
on a Creative Commons licence.