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 Louise Fryer, from Utopian Voices.
In this ADLAB PRO video I will give an overview
of innovations in the AD for live events.
This is Unit 10 in Module 3.
AD is always evolving, especially in live events,
an area not covered by official guidelines.
There have been two innovations in the way AD for live events
is received and delivered.
One making it more technical and the other less.
Both are in response to perceived deficits in traditional AD.
The problems. Research shows that blind people find headsets
can be uncomfortable, difficult to use and socially isolating
and carry with them a sense of stigma.
Headsets also contravene one of the principles of Universal Design, UD.
“to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible,
without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”
One innovation has been to replace AD headsets
with a mobile phone app such as Mobile Connect.
This is a streaming service so people with sight loss
can use their own smartphones as receivers with their own headphones,
and do not need any additional hardware.
In terms of technical set up, the modulator is replaced
by a WiFi access point,
so the infra-red signal is replaced by WiFi.
This avoids the need for a “line of sight”,
making seating positions more flexible.
These apps are still experimental
and there are issues with delay and battery life.
These are expected to improve in the future.
The opposite innovation involves doing away with headphones
and making the AD open so that everyone hears it.
This is a strategy employed in what is called Integrated AD.
Integrated AD incorporates five elements:
Is inclusive, open and heard by all,
subjective or non-neutral in terms of word choice and delivery,
is considered from the start, is created collaboratively,
its aims and method of creation are similar
to those of Accessible Filmmaking.
The AD for live events traditionally starts
with the describer going to watch the finished production
with the aim of delivering it for one or two performances in a run.
In integrated AD the access is considered
from the very beginning of the creation process.
The AD might be delivered by the cast or a character
or mixed into the soundtrack.
It is written by the describer but with input from the performers.
Recording the AD is innovative in some countries such as the UK.
It is recorded live, during a performance
so that the vocal delivery has the right pace and expression
and so that a live AD is still offered for people who prefer it.
There’s a trade off between having the AD available
at every performance and the AD being fixed
with no opportunity to improvise or reflect changes in the performance
or the reaction of the audience.
Articles in the reading list contain accounts
of unusual applications of AD in live events.
This was a video about innovations.
Unit 10 of Module 3 with me Louise Fryer.
I hope you found it useful.
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 person 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.