Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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I write audio descriptions for TV and I’d love to hear from you (self.Blind)
submitted by im-just-here-to-nut
Hi friends! I write audio descriptions for TV shows. I’d be very interested in hearing from visually impaired folks who use audio descriptions to enjoy TV, especially if there are gripes or suggestions that you’d want someone writing these descriptions to pay attention to.
I appreciate your help!
I appreciate your help!
Wolfocorn20 5 points 1y ago
i'm soooooooo enormesly graitfull for the work you and everyone els who is involved with it does.
aA few more older cartoons with audiodiscription are always welcome.
Keep up the amazing work :)
aA few more older cartoons with audiodiscription are always welcome.
Keep up the amazing work :)
im-just-here-to-nut [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Thank you! I would definitely write to the streaming companies or copyright holders about specific shows you want ADs written for. There’s a big push in the industry to do make back catalogues accessible, so you might be surprised at how quickly they get new stuff to you.
The_Alchemyst 5 points 1y ago
Hulu and YouTube need to step up their game
steevo 5 points 1y ago
You are AWESOME and a lifesaver! Just need more shows and movies with audio enabled, esp some older ones.
THANK YOU
THANK YOU
im-just-here-to-nut [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Thanks! I feel like it’s good work. I would recommend reaching out to the streaming service or copyright holder about specific works you want written. There is a big push happening now to work through older shows, so if you express interest that will help the companies out!
Fireteddy21 1 points 1y ago
How exactly do you contact these companies in a way that it will get through to them? I’ve been wanting Disney to go back and get Star Wars: Rebels described on Disney+ (especially since they are bringing a lot of the animated characters into live action shows now,) but I’m not sure how to get enough support or even where to start.
Rw0004 5 points 1y ago
I know this wasn’t the intention for your post, but you might be able to answer a question for me - My son has been desperate to watch ‘Hook’ for years but it has never had AD. Do you know who instigates something like that being added?
dreaminghope9 4 points 1y ago
I can sort of answer your question, as I work in AD in an admin capacity.
Basically, someone who owns or is licensing the rights to a movie has to get the AD created. That might be the production company, in which case the AD would be on the DVD and digital sales and rentals, or it might be a streaming service like Netflix, or it might be a television station. Unfortunately, if one of the latter two create the AD, it tends to stay with them, so if the movie is then shown on a different station, it won't have AD, and the AD track created by Netflix won't go to Disney Plus, etc.
Unfortunately, that doesn't give you a lot of options. You can try reaching out to your preferred streaming service that carries it and ask for it to be described or see what you can find for the accessibility division of the company that owns the copyright and reach out to them.
Sorry for the not great news!
Basically, someone who owns or is licensing the rights to a movie has to get the AD created. That might be the production company, in which case the AD would be on the DVD and digital sales and rentals, or it might be a streaming service like Netflix, or it might be a television station. Unfortunately, if one of the latter two create the AD, it tends to stay with them, so if the movie is then shown on a different station, it won't have AD, and the AD track created by Netflix won't go to Disney Plus, etc.
Unfortunately, that doesn't give you a lot of options. You can try reaching out to your preferred streaming service that carries it and ask for it to be described or see what you can find for the accessibility division of the company that owns the copyright and reach out to them.
Sorry for the not great news!
Rw0004 3 points 1y ago
That’s a really useful insight, thank you. I’ve seen Netflix on occasion add their own AD I think maybe it was them that did it for Jurassic Park as that was another my little one wanted to see after seeing Jurassic world etc and it originally wasn’t available and then was added.
I do usually circumvent it by buying a blu ray but it’s so hit or miss with these older titles as I don’t believe they were legally obligated to provide the accessibility back in the 90’s were they.
I feel like if enough people got together they could create and share AD tracks for a lot of the nostalgia films to bypass the studios and streaming services. Maybe an AudioVault type website but for films with no licensed AD tracks
I do usually circumvent it by buying a blu ray but it’s so hit or miss with these older titles as I don’t believe they were legally obligated to provide the accessibility back in the 90’s were they.
I feel like if enough people got together they could create and share AD tracks for a lot of the nostalgia films to bypass the studios and streaming services. Maybe an AudioVault type website but for films with no licensed AD tracks
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
Would that be legal though?
Rw0004 1 points 1y ago
Not entirely sure. If you were using the original audio then might be a bit of a legal issue but if you were ONLY recording the AD itself which you’d play in tandem with the standard audio I can’t imagine there would be any issue with it
djquik1 1 points 1y ago
Was it released in 1991? I found it on audiovault.net
applebutters7462947 4 points 1y ago
I'd love to know how you go about getting a job in audio description.
dreaminghope9 3 points 1y ago
What are you interested in? Writing, narrating, live description? The way in varies...
applebutters7462947 2 points 1y ago
Any of it! I just love audio description and have wanted to do it professionally ever since I learned the guidelines in grad school. I just don't know how you break in, where you look for jobs, etc.
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
[deleted]
So_Motarded 3 points 1y ago
Hello! I myself am sighted, but often watch shows with AD on because I'm a hobbyist AD writer myself. One thing that has been bothering me lately (ever since I read an article pointing it out) is how seldom a character's race is included in their description. I think this is important to point out, because representation isn't limited to sighted folks.
Netflix, for example, has put so much effort into increasing the diversity of their casts in recent years. But that effort is somewhat wasted if it never gets mentioned in the description. In The Witcher, for example: every character described as "black haired" was white, and every character described as "dark haired" was black. (Other Netflix shows probably do this too, but it was the first example i thought of). It bothered me once I started noticing it.
Also, question for you: what training or certifications do you have? What has been the most helpful for you to learn more?
Thanks for doing this!!
Netflix, for example, has put so much effort into increasing the diversity of their casts in recent years. But that effort is somewhat wasted if it never gets mentioned in the description. In The Witcher, for example: every character described as "black haired" was white, and every character described as "dark haired" was black. (Other Netflix shows probably do this too, but it was the first example i thought of). It bothered me once I started noticing it.
Also, question for you: what training or certifications do you have? What has been the most helpful for you to learn more?
Thanks for doing this!!
rumster 3 points 1y ago
Thank you for your service.
TXblindman 3 points 1y ago
Seriously appreciate what you do man. Thank you. Most obvious thing is to try to write around the dialogue so there’s no description going on while there’s dialogue unless it can be fit between sentences.
spider_lord 1 points 1y ago
I've noticed this happening more often. But usually from what I can tell the background dialogue has never been important to the plot whereas the description is.
im-just-here-to-nut [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Thanks for this! I appreciate it. My boss is *very* particular about dodging dialogue. I have a specific question for you: if there is a character on screen and they make a facial expression, would you rather hear the AD say “they furrow their brow and frown” or “they look sad”? The guides aren’t always clear on that point.
TechnicalPragmatist 1 points 1y ago
Some blind people don’t understand facial expressions so if you said furrowed their brows they may not know what that is.
TXblindman 1 points 1y ago
Personally I’d prefer the higher level of detail from the first one, some completely blind people may not know what someone who looks sad looks like.
BIIANSU 2 points 1y ago
I haven't any questions. But, I just wanted to say that your username made me chuckle.
ukifrit 0 points 1y ago
don't you have input from a blind person on your audiodescriptions?
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