Audio Description Tips! (For Videos You Own)

Adapted from Described & Captioned Media Program's (DCMP) Description Tip Sheet Links to an external site. and Netflix Audio Description Style Guide v1.0 Links to an external site.

Overview

This is guidance for videos you own. Here are some strategies for improving the description.

Rule #1

It is always important to follow "rule #1" of description: "Describe what you see." It may be helpful, however, to remember some of these other tips from the DCMP Description Key.

Describe the most relevant and important actions in the scene. Avoid over describing, do not include visual images that are not vital to the understanding of the scene. Allow room for dialogue, sound effects, music, and intentional silence.

 

What to Describe 

Description of the Facts

Who

  • Description should prioritize an individual’s appearance to address their most significant physical characteristics, such as skin color, hair, build, height and wardrobe.
  • Only identify race or ethnicity if relevant to the content, and when doing so, including the races of others, as well.
  • Description should include known relationships when they have been revealed.
  • When plot-pertinent, include an age description such as the late thirties, fifties, teenage, etc.
  • Characters should remain unnamed until introduced through dialogue or plot-point, unless necessary for timing and clarification, as well as to identify characters in a large group.
  • Consistently identify people and characters by name or obvious physical attribute (if no name is provided).

 

What

  • Describe objectively, without interpretation, censorship, or comment.
  • Describe the visual elements that are the most essential to the viewer's ability to follow, understand, and appreciate the program's curricular content.
  • Describe from general (global) to specific (local). For example:
    1. Introduce the visual's learning goal (if a complex image or process is presented) of the visual or the describe what is seen in the scenario.
    2. Then focus on describing the specific section you need learners to focus on.
  • Describe additional details as time permits, but don't try to fill every last moment with description.
  • Describe shape, size, texture, or color as appropriate to the comprehension or appreciation of content.
  • Describe discernable attributes and expressive gestures, but don't interpret emotion or reasoning.

 

When/Where

  • Convey scene changes and the passage of time if it aids in the comprehension of the program.
  • If time permits, describe montages of images (moving or still) that often serve a supporting role.
  • When extended description (also called expanded description) is a technical and/or contractual option, provide this more in-depth description before the content rather than after.