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8/11/2019 AD ACB ADP Guidelines 3.1
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AD Logo
"The American Council of the Blind, through its Audio Description Project, believes it is
critical for knowledgeable users of description to establish these guidelines best
practices for audio description as it occurs in a broad range of formats!
televisionfilmDDsdownloads, performing arts, visual art and other areas# $nl% in this
wa% can we be certain of receiving a consistent, high&'ualit% product, developed in a
professional environment#(
Kim Charlson, Vice-President, American Council of the Blind
Chair, Audio Description Project Committee
August 200
The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large
matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
- Letter !" #ar$ %&ain to 'eorge Bainton, (cto!er )*, )+++
)
AMER!A" !#$"!% # TE (%")*+A$)# )E+!R,T#" ,R#E!T
AUDIO DESCRIPTION GUIDELINESand BEST PRACTICES
September 2010 A Wor In Pro!re""#er"$on %&1 'oe( Sn)der* Ed$tor
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AMER!A" !#$"!% # TE (%")*+
A$)# )E+!R,T#" ,R#E!T
AUDIO DESCRIPTION GUIDELINES
and BEST PRACTICES
September 2010 A Wor In Pro!re""
#er"$on %&1 'oe( Sn)der* Ed$tor
TA(%E # !#"TE"T+
,reface .
)efinitions ...
!ore +/ills ...
,erforming Arts .....
Theater ..
)ance .
#0era .
Media............................
1isual Art 2 E3hibitions
2
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A00endi3 A 4 Storm Read$n!A) scri0t e3cer0t 2 web lin/ ..
A00endi3 (4 %MA locomoting 5ocabulary ..
A00endi3 ! 4 D+"t A) scri0t e3cer0t 2 web lin/
A00endi3 )4 Co(or o, Parad$"e A) scri0t e3cer0t 2 web lin/ .
Appendi . )'uipment providers *+live( description///////
")E6..
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,REA!E
%hese 'uidelines1Best Practices hae !een gathered 1 deeloped and are an ongoing
&or$-in-progress !" the ACB3s Audio Description Project chaired !"
ACB3s Vice President Kim Charlson4 %he &ord 5gathered6 is used since
the &or$ here is not, !" and large, ne&7 it is a 5reie& of the literature,6 a
culling of material that eists in documents that are &idel" aaila!le4
'enerall", those documents are not the result of scientific research4 But
the" reflect and in turn these 'uidelines1Best Practices are !ased on
man" "ears of eperience &ith audio description in a &ide range of
contets4
%he 'uidelines1Best Practices are intended to !e oerarching in nature, i4e4, the" are
&ritten to appl" to audio description generall" no matter the su!ject !eing
descri!ed or the particular format or genre in &hich description is used4
%here are, of course, significant differences in descri!ing media as
opposed to deeloping a tour for a museum ehi!ition4 Conse8uentl",
&e hae deeloped su!-sets of these 'uidelines1Best Practices that
focus on Performing Arts, #edia, and Visual Art4
An initial draft of this document &as reie&ed !" the pu!lic on a &i$idot4org &e! page
throughout 9une 200 and &as discussed in depth at the Audio
Description Project Conference in (rlando, :lorida, 9ul" ;-+, 2004 %his
ersion of these 'uidelines1Best Practices &as reie&ed !" a 'uidelines
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Committee including Kim Charlson, ACB3s Vice-President and =ead
Li!rarian, the Per$ins >chool for the Blind? :red Brac$, &e!master,
&&&4ac!4org1adp?%hom Lohman formerl" of the Descri!ed and
Captioned #edia Program? @ic$ Boggs of e >ee %V? Br"an 'ould of
'B=? Lisa =elen =offman, Audio-Description Consultant, %rainer and
Patron of Audio-Description >erices of L== Consulting? De!orah Le&is,
C(, Arts Access o&, founding mem!er, Audio Description Coalition?
ina Leent, Art ducation for the Blind, #etropolitan #useum of Art?
Christopher 'ra", immediate past president of the American Council of
the Blind? and 9oel >n"der, Director, Audio Description Project and &ill
no& !e posted on the &e! for further input from an"one interested ia a
&i$idot4org page4 %he committee &ill monitor and reie& all contri!utions
and our goal is to hae a final ersion made pu!lic !" mid-20)04
:inall", &e &ant to credit &ith a large measure of appreciation the original source
material on &hich this document is !ased4 %he material includes7
- Art ducation for the Blind3s 5#a$ing Visual Art Accessi!le to People ho Are Blind
and Visuall" mpaired6
- Audio Description Coalition >tandards and Code of Conduct Ethe ADC Code of
Conduct is reprinted, &ith permission, at the end of this document
*
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- 5Audio Description %echni8ues6 !" 9oe Clar$ ECanada
- 5Audio Description7 %he Visual #ade Ver!al6 !" 9oel >n"der from %he Didactics of
Audio Visual %ranslation, edited !" 9orge DiaF Cintas, 9ohn Benjamins
Pu!lishing, London, ngland and on-line course for :ractured
Gniersit"
- Descri!ed and Captioned #edia Program 5Description Ke"6 Edeeloped !" DC#P and
the American :oundation of the Blind
- %C Endependent %eleision Commission 'uidance on Audio Description EG4K4
- ational Captioning nstitute Descri!ed #edia 5>t"le 'uide6
;
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)E"T#"+
Audio Description EAD
Audio Description EAD is a tool for people &ho are !lind or hae lo& ision that
proides access to the isual aspects of theater, media, and isual artH
and an" actiit" &here images are a critical element4 Gsing &ords that
are succinct, iid, and imaginatie, descri!ers cone" isual information
that is either inaccessi!le or onl" partiall" accessi!le to a segment of the
population4 n addition, description ma" also !enefit people &ho prefer to
ac8uire information primaril" !" auditor" means and those &ho are
limitedH!" proimit" or technolog", for instanceHto accessing audio of
an eent or production4
%he Audio Description Gser 1 Patron
%he principal patrons of audio description are people &ho happen to !e !lind or hae
lo& ision4 ho are 5the !lind6I %he" are notJthe !lind4J %he" are indiiduals --
house&ies, scientists, artists, !usiness people 444 or, of course, an" of us &ho happen
to deelop ision loss4
People &ho listen to audio description are uni8ue indiiduals liing &ith some degree of
ision loss as the result of a &ide range of causes4 #ost at one point
had all or some of their sight and no& the" ma" hae onl" peripheral
ision, the" ma" see onl" shapes, light and dar$, colors, moement,
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shado&s, !lurs, or 5!lo!s6 -- or hae Jtunnel ision4J #ost users of
description are not totall" !lind? indeed, onl" )-2 of the legall" !lind are
congenitall" !lind E!lind from !irth? others are adentitiousl" !lind or
deeloped total !lindness later in life4 (nl" )0 $no& Braille4
%he American :oundation for the Blind reports that 2*42 million Americans hae ision
lossEi4e4, hae trou!le seeing een &ith correction or are !lind4 hile
description &as deeloped for people &ho are !lind or isuall" impaired,
man" others ma" also !enefit from description3s concise, o!jectie
5translation6 of the $e" isual components of arious art genres and
social settings4 Audio Description is an 5Assistie %echnolog"6? it is
meant to enhance, not replace the user3s o&n po&ers of o!seration4
Audio Descri!erEs 1 Descri!er Es
%he person responsi!le for deeloping the description to !e oiced4 As Canadian &riter
9oe Clar$ ma$es clear, descri!ers and oicers sere the audience and
the production, not themseles4 =e eplains7 5Mou3re not proiding
descriptions to sho& off "our oca!ular" or to highlight "our !eautiful
oice4 Mou &or$ for the production and the audience4 A certain self-
effacement is re8uired46 Bac$ground in the medium or genre !eing
descri!ed can also !e helpful4
Voicer Eor Voice %alent
+
http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15&DocumentID=4398http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15&DocumentID=4398http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15&DocumentID=4398http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=15&DocumentID=43988/11/2019 AD ACB ADP Guidelines 3.1
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%he person &ho oices the description Ein some cases, often in the performing arts, the
descri!er also is the oicer4
%he Consultant Es
%he Consultant is a person &ho is !lind or isuall" impaired, an indiidual &ho has
eperience in the use of audio description, and &ho has the a!ilit" to
anal"Fe the descriptions4 %he Consultant3s role is to as$ 8uestions and
assist in the creation of descriptions so that a sufficient amount of
information a!out the isual details is included in concise and accurate
descriptions4 %he Consultant offers &ritten suggestions for description
delier" so that the" flo& and doetail &ith an" eisting spo$en portion of
the su!ject !eing descri!ed4
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!#RE +7%%+
%his section is intended as an oer-arching set of guidelines, applica!le to audio
description in &hateer setting, genre or format it occurs4 Later sections
proide more specific techni8ues for the follo&ing areas7
- Performing Arts E%heater, Dance, (pera
- #edia
- Visual Art 1 hi!itions
%= BA>C>
%he audio descri!er is part journalist, faithfull" rela"ing the facts7
=(
ho is in the imageI hat do the" loo$ li$eI
- Age
(ne doesn3t see someone3s age unless the indiidual !eing descri!ed is
&earing a !utton that proclaims, 53m ;0N6 hat does he1she loo$ li$eI
%hose are the characteristics to cite, the things "ou see that prompt "ou
to thin$ that the indiidual is a certain age4 n some description formats,
of course, time is of the essence, and short-cuts include7 n her late
forties? in his sities? pre-teen? teenage4
- =air1Build1Clothing
Cropped !ro&n hair? long !lond hair? red-headed &oman? slim? tall?
)0
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stoc$"? dressed in a &hite pantsuit? &earing a !lue floral dress? in a
!right red s&eater? the tuedoed 5Bond46
- @elationship
#other, father, son, !rother-in-la&, etc4H!ut ta$e care to onl" specif" if it is $no&n4
- Characters 1 People
Descri!e indiiduals !" using the most significant ph"sical characteristics4
dentif" ethnicit"1race as it is $no&n and ital to the comprehension of content4 f it is,
then all main characters3 s$in colors must !e descri!edHlight-s$inned,
dar$-s$inned, olie-s$inned4 ECiting the race onl" of non-&hite
indiiduals esta!lishes 5&hite6 as a default and is unaccepta!le4
=A%
%o a certain etent the descri!er3s choices of &hat to descri!e are !ased on an
understanding of !lindness and lo& ision7
- 'o from the general to the specificHstart generall", creating a contet, then moe to
details to enhance understanding and appreciation4 Proide isual
perspectie as appropriate and as time allo&s4 %he initial information
presented a!out a scene &ill create a foundation in the minds of the
audience mem!ers?
))
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- Gse of colorHthe %C >tandards eplain7 5#ost isuall" impaired people hae at
some time seen colours and either retained the isual memor" of colour
or can remem!er the significance and impact of a particular colour4 /
People &ho are !lind from !irth or from an earl" age cannot Osee3 colours
!ut the" do understand the significance of a particular colour !" its
association4 %he" ma" not Osee3 green, !ut the colour of flo&er stal$s,
leaes and grass, &hich people can touch and smell does mean
something46 hen as$ed a!out the perception of color, a congenitall"
!lind audio description user in (regon recommended reading #ar"
(3eill3s 5=ailstones and =ali!ut Bones,6 a children3s classic of poetr"
and color4
- nclusion of directional informationH&hether on a screen, a stage, or in front of an
ehi!ition, some AD users &ill 5see6 if "ou tell them whereto loo$4 n
addition, directional 5pointers6 can help AD users organiFe the
information the" hear, i4e4, going from top to !ottom, right to left,
cloc$&ise, etc4
- Descri!e &hat is most essential for the ie&er to $no& in order to understand and
appreciate the image !eing descri!ed4
hat3s happeningI hat actions are most important for a clear understanding and
appreciation of the imageEsI
Descri!e epressie gestures and moement Eresist an" temptation to cone" &hat
"ou ma" feel is inferred !" them, such as an emotional state4
)2
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%he oft-referenced 5first rule of description6 is to 5Descri!e &hat "ou see6 or
4M4>444M4>4 . 5=A% M(G > > =A% M(G >AM6
hat is the critical isual information that is inaccessi!le to people &ho are !lind or
hae lo& isionI >ome hae alread" !een noted7 $e" plot elements,
people, places, actions, o!jects, un$no&n sound sources not mentioned
in the dialogue or made o!ious !" &hat one hears4
ample7 #ention &ho ans&ers the phoneHnot that the phone is ringing4 t3s not
necessar" to descri!e o!ious sound cues4 At times, the source of a
sound ma" not !e clearHa description ma" !e appropriate4 ndeed, let
contet !e one of the deciding factors in &hether to descri!e sounds4
:or instance, if the scene is set in an underground cae and a telephone
rings, it &ould li$el" !e important to include 5a telephone rings6 in the
description, as the mere fact that the phone is ringing in such a
seemingl" odd locale &ould not t"picall" !e contetuall" releant, and
ma" !e jarring or confusing to the ie&er if left undescri!ed4
- >pecificit" creates images in the minds3 e"e to a far greater degree than a general
reference4 t is more interesting to hear of the items in a mound of clutter
if time permits than to sa", 5%he attic is cluttered46 n other &ords, !e
specific &hen time allo&s4 f at all possi!le, don3t crunch separate
eents1images into a single item and proide detail &hen descri!ing
media li$e a photograph4 :or eample7 A series of images7 a tidal
&ae seen from a!oe and !elo& sea leel? a shar$, its teeth !ared,
)
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eers in a s&ift )+0o to the right? an octopus shoots a dar$ mist at a
predator !efore !eing snatched a&a"4 f an image is a photographHis
it color or !lac$-and-&hiteIH&hat siFeI s the &oman in the photo
simpl" smiling or is she &earing a !road grinI ho& man"I E* men, ;
airplanes positionI E=e comes up !ehind her4 A car turns left4
- Less s #ore4 Description cannot and need not cone" eer" isual image on displa"4
Qualit" audio description is not a running commentar"4 Listeners should
!e allo&ed to hear actors3 oices, sound effects, music, am!iance in a
museumHor eperience silence throughout the description4 Descri!ers
need to differentiate !et&een imager" that has a purel" decoratie
purpose, and that &hich is releant to the unfolding action or greater
contet of the production4 At the same time, the descri!er3s judgment is
critical7 description should facilitate understanding as &ell as cone" an
appreciation of the image4
%he %C >tandards cautions that 5=o&eer tempting it is to use colourful imager" and
elegant turns of phrase, clarit" is the main aim of audio description4 As a
rule, too much description can !e ehausting or een irritating4 %he
Rimage !eing descri!edS should !e allo&ed to !reathe from time to time,
allo&ing Rit and itsS atmosphere to come through %he descri!er must learn
to &eed out &hat is not essential46
)
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And 9oe Clar$ adds Ein spea$ing of description for media, 5Descri!e &hen necessar",
!ut do not necessaril" descri!e46
As$ "ourself7 5hat is most critical to an understanding *he points to his head and
appreciation *his hand is on his heart of that isual imageI6
%hin$7 Can isualiFe &hat3s happening &ithout !ecoming confusedI
:eel7 Did correctl" cone" the emotion of the sceneI
=1=@
- %ime of da" Eis it light or dar$I Cloud" or sunn"I and location4
:or eample7 %he sun sits lo& oer the horiFon4 Es it a sunset or is the sun risingI
(ften &e donTt $no& if itTs a sunset or sunrise . for eample in a nature
program &here + seconds of !urning red s$" is used as !-roll4 n this
eample, the image needs to !e descri!ed E!riefl" &ithout
characteriFing it further4 A full moon4 A cloc$7 700 a4m4 A cit" par$4 A
2-stor" !ric$ to&nhouse4 Gnder a &ide portico4 (n a raised platform
near a gaFe!o4
=(
- Be clear, concise, conersational7 Gse 5eer"da"6 terms4 Descri!e a technical term,
thenname it, e4g4, 5she !ends at the $nees, a pliU6? limit the use of slang
or jargon unless appropriate to the content1image !eing descri!ed4
Descri!ers are &riting for a !road audience4 tTs adisa!le to use the
)*
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language in the program as "our guide to oca!ular", sentence structure
and pacing4 Consider the materialHand use language that is consistent
&ith its content, $eeping in mind that correct language structure and
s"ntaHa sort of 5spo$en grammar6Hare important elements of an"
description4
- Point of Vie& and arratie %ense Delier description in present tense, in actie oice
Ee4g4, 5%ed !rea$s the &indo&,6 is prefera!le to, 5%he &indo& &as !ro$en
!" %ed46 Gse third-person narratie st"le to sho& neutralit" and
noninterference4
- Consider "our audience4
f "ou $no& that "our audience is primaril" "oung people, use simple language structure
in "our descriptions4 >imilarl", match oca!ular" to the material !eing
descri!ed4
- 5e >ee6
Aoid telling "our guests that 5&e see6 or notice or ie&Hit3s a gien4 n general, the
use of terms li$e 5a ie& of6 or 5comes into ie&6 should !e aoided4
%hese are understoodHit is a gien that &hat is !eing descri!ed is &ithin
the ie& of the audience, and using such terms ro!s precious seconds
from the aaila!le 58uiet parts6 during &hich description can !e inserted4
);
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- Var" Ver! Choices
=o& man" different &ords can "ou use to descri!e someone moing
along a side&al$I h" sa" J&al$J &hen "ou can more iidl" descri!e
the action, as appropriate, &ith Jsasha",J Jstroll,J Js$ip,J Jstum!le,J or
JsaunterJI
- Definite1ndefinite Articles
Gse 5a6 instead of 5the6Ha s&ord, instead of the s&ord, unless there3s onl" one s&ord4
f the s&ord has alread" !een introduced, it !ecomes 5the6 s&ord4
- Pronouns
Gse pronouns onl" &hen it is clear to &hom or &hat the pronoun refers4
- #ultiple #eanings
dentif" &ords that hae multiple meanings? !e sure that the intended meaning is
cone"ed4
- nterpretie R%LS Ader!s1'erunds7 -l" &ords and -ing &ords7 >uspiciousl", furiousl",
nerousl"4 As$ "ourself7 5hat is it that "ou see that prompts "ou to
thin$ that he1she loo$s suspicious, furious, or nerousI nstead7 5raises
her e"e!ro&s6, 5clenches her fists6, 5t&ists a nap$in64 5-l"6 &ords should
!e used sparingl", onl" if timing leaes no other option4 :or instance,
there are cases &ith 5hurriedl"6 or 58uic$l"6 might !e used appropriatel"
)
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in a descri!ed passage4 Gse 5-ing6 &ords in phrases, not as continuing
present tense, e4g4, 5>tomping up the stairs, he/6 instead of, 5=e is
stomping up the stairs46
- (!jectiit"
%he !est audio descri!ers o!jectiel" recount the isual aspects of an image4
-ubjectiveor 8ualitative judgmentsor comment get in the &a"Hthe"
constitute an interpretation on the part of the descri!er and are
unnecessar" and un&anted4
.et listeners conjure their own interpretations!ased on a commentar" that is as
o!jectie as possi!le4
>o &e do not sa" J=e is furiousJ or J>he is upset4 5 @ather, J=eTs clenching his fistJ
or J>he is cr"ing4 5 @ather than 5t3s a dream46 or 5>he dies46, the
o!jectie descri!er might sa"7 5%hrough a &hite mist, 9oan runs through
a field46 or, 5=is head lolls !ac$ and his e"es close46 Descri!ers must
differentiate !et&een emotion or reasoning E&hich re8uires an
interpretation on the part of the o!serer and theph%sical
characteristics of emotionor reasoning E&hich are more concrete and
allo& description users to conjure their o&n interpretations and prepare
their description &ith this important distinction in mind4 :or instance,
instead of 59ohan li$es the chocolate mil$,6 sa", 59ohan sips the
chocolate mil$, then lic$s his lips4
)+
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- #etaphor1>imile
Descri!e shapes, siFes, and other essential attri!utes of images !" comparison to
o!jects or items1areas that are familiar to the intended audience4
:or eample, is the ashington #onument *** feet tall or is it higher than fift"
elephants stac$ed one on top of the otherI (r almost as high as t&o
foot!all fields are long4 %hus, &e tr" to cone" our descriptions &ith a
$ind of 5inner ision6 that results in a linguisticall" iid eocation of the
image !eing descri!ed4 %here aren3t an" elephants or foot!all fields
thereH!ut "ou ma" eo$e them in order to cone" a particular image
Ethe height of the ashington #onument4 Mes, a contradiction of the
descri!er3s 5first rule6H>a" (nl" hat >eeH!ut it &or$s in certain
instances !ecause it eo$es the essense of &hat is !eing descri!ed4
Descriptie metaphors and similes are !est &hen the" are immediatel"
relata!le to the ie&er Eeer"da" o!jects and1or the image itself4
amples7 the small sna$e is as long and thic$ as a pencil Eor possi!l"
an earth&orm, the machine is siFe of a refrigerator, the puma is the siFe
of a large dog4
- La!els
>ince the ultimate goal is an image created in the minds of our constituents, avoid
labeling&ith an interpretation that is ineita!l" uni8ue to "ou, the
descri!er4
)
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ndeed, 5la!eling6 . 5naming6 is not describing4 La!els lead us to pigeon-hole and &e
tend to then dismiss the thing &e see4 :or eample, a !allet dancer
doesn3t simpl" 5pliU6 Esee discussion of 59argon6 in the #edia section4
=e or she !ends at the $nees4
- Censorship
ithin the constructs of 8ualit" description, descri!ers must cone" allof the isual
elements of the material !eing descri!ed4 Descri!ers must not censor
information for an" personal reason such as their o&n discomfort &ith
the material or a political !elief, i4e4, descri!ers must rela" o!jectiel" the
isual elements of nudit", seual acts, iolence, etc4 (ur constituents
hae the right to $no& the critical isual material that is eident to sighted
people and &e hae the o!ligation to cone" that material4 f a descri!er
feels that descri!ing particular material &ill ma$e him1her uncomforta!le,
s1he should not accept this assignment4
V(C'
e ma$e meaning &ith our oices4
>ome studies suggest that &ithin face-to-face spo$en interpersonal conersation the
majorit" of content is communicated non-er!all", either through gesture
and facial epression !ut also through a ariet" of speech and oral
interpretation fundamentals7
20
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Pronunciation - nunciation - Breath Control - Volume
Pause - nflection - Pace - %empo - Phrasing - %one
- Pronunciation
Prepare in adance and1or use transliterations to indicate pronunciation4
Learn the proper pronunciation of foreign names and &ords used in a
production4 arrators3 oices must !e distinguisha!le from other oices
in a production, !ut the" must not !e unnecessaril" distracting, as &ith
recogniFa!le cele!rit" oices or inappropriate accents4
- nunciation 1 ord @ate
>pea$ clearl" and at a rate that can !e understood4
'enerall", a rate of );0 &pm E&ords per minute is an accepta!le pace4 %r" spea$ing
descriptions to "ourself to ma$e sure the" flo& casuall"4
- Consonance
Vocal delier" should !e consonant &ith the nature of the material !eing descri!ed4 %he
oice should match the pace Eincluding &ord rate, noted a!oe, energ"
and olume of the material4 Allo& the performance to set the tone and
rh"thm of the description, remem!ering that the performance, not the
descri!er, should !e the focus4 9ust as the descri!er should not assume
a detached, lecturing or clinical tone, the descri!er should not attempt to
project him- or herself into the performance as another performer4
2)
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ample7 %he language and delier" to descri!e a fight scene &ould differ from that
used to descri!e a loe scene4
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A$)# )E+!R,T#" 8$)E%"E+2(E+T ,RA!T!E+
,ER#RM"8 ART+
%=A%@
- >uspension of Dis!elief
ith most performing arts, the descri!er should allo& listeners to participate in the
5&illing suspension of dis!elief6 !" descri!ing in terms of the stor" rather
than the theatrical eperience4 Aoid stage directionsHstage right,
house right, and do&nstage4
- 9argon
Aoid theatrical references or jargon, especiall" names for technical e8uipment and
deices, &hich &ould dra& listeners3 attention a&a" from their
inolement in the stor" E5!rea$ the fourth &all6 and ma" introduce
confusing, un$no&n terms4
ample7 >a" 59ohn Rcharacter3s nameS is ; feet tall &ith curl" !lac$ hair /6 instead of
5the actor pla"ing 9ohn is ; feet tall /46 5>usan runs from the $itchen6
rather than 5>usan eits the stage46 %he eception to the 5maintain the
illusion6 caution &ould !e &hen the st"le of the production is
presentational, calling attention to its theatricalit"4 Because the
production ma$es the audience a&are that it is 5&atching a pla",6 it3s
appropriate for the descri!er to do so as &ell4
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- um!er of Descri!ers
>ome organiFations utiliFe a pair of descri!ers to coer a performance4 :or instance,
the first descri!er descri!es the performance &hile the second descri!er
prepares, and sometime deliers, the pre-sho& notes Eand intermission
notes if applica!le and seres as !ac$up descri!er4 A !ac$up descri!er
is prepared to descri!e the eent if the original descri!er is not aaila!le
4
- aluation
'ie listeners a means of proiding the management &ith feed!ac$ on the description
!" announcing the process at the end of the description and1or proiding
a Braille1large print handout &here reception e8uipment is distri!uted4
- temporaneous Description
n addition to performing arts eents, lie description ma" !e proided for lie !roadcast
programs such as Presidential inaugurations, space launches, national
disaster ne&s coerage, etc4 ith no opportunit" for preie&s or pre-
sho& notes to proide !ac$ground information or preliminar" description
of certain general elements, consider using some silences to descri!e
the 5!ig picture6 rather than &hat is specificall" onscreen4 %hese
situations Elie description for a one-time eent or a lie !roadcasts
presents a uni8ue challenge since the descri!er often doesnTt $no& &hat
images &ill appear and cannot $no& &hen the pauses in dialogue &ill
happen or ho& long those pauses &ill !e4 %his t"pe of description is not
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for the faint-of-heart and can er" &ell ma$e the ie&ing eperience
&orse !" tal$ing oer important dialogue and1or offering incomplete or
a&$&ardl" &orded descriptions4 %hat said, &ith practice, an eperienced
descri!er can ma$e a lie, unscripted eent an accessi!le, seamless
ie&ing eperience for the description user4
- %o >cript or ot %o >cript
>ome performing arts description producers &ill hae a descri!er preie& a
performance Eas production schedules allo& enough times to allo& for
the deelopment of a description script4 (thers depend on one or t&o
preie&s &here notes are made and the descri!er proides description
in a more 5etemporaneous6 manner4 f time and schedules allo&, the
deelopment of a script permits the careful consideration of the arious
fundamentals of description outlined earlier in this document4 %he
descri!er using a script does not, of course, read the script &ithout
loo$ing at the lie performance? he1she must $no& the script &ell enough
to use the script as a prompt and !e free to descri!e etemporaneousl"
&hen 5change happens46
- >cheduling of Description
%"picall", audio description is offered at one to three performances throughout the run of
an etended series of performances, often one eening performance and
one matinee4 %his, of course, limits the AD users in their flei!ilit" in
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scheduling attendance at performing arts eents4 >ome organiFations
as$ for adance notice of t&o &ee$s or more in order to proide AD as a
special re8uest4 n an effort to put the AD user on a par &ith an" other
performing arts patron, certain producers &ill 5cast6 a descri!er &ho can
attend selected rehearsals, deelop an AD script and !e aaila!le at
eer" performance Esimilar to an understud"4 f no one desires the
serice, the descri!er is free to go4
:or touring productions, eperiments hae !een made &ith scripts that hae !een
produced in one locale that can !e shared &ith descri!ers in another cit"4
ncreasingl", certain long-running and1or touring productions hae
recorded description $e"ed to lighting cues and accessed ia PDAs
attached to seat!ac$s4 %he descriptions Eas &ell as captions and
simultaneous translation are aaila!le at an" performance4 deall", a
descri!er monitors the use of these s"stems so that ariations from the
original descri!ed performance can !e incorporated at an" particular
performance4
- 8uipment
ith the eception of recorded description noted earlier, audio description is deliered
&irelessl" ia microphones Eheadset or steno-mas$ st"le, transmitters,
and receiers &ith earpieces used !" AD patrons4 'enerall", the
transmissions are accomplished ia infra-red Eline-of-sight or :# radio
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s"stems4 :# s"stems can !e porta!le and are often shared !" multiple
theaters4 A full discussion of e8uipment at a enue is essential including7
location of receiers? a secure s"stem for distri!ution and return of
receiers Ee4g4, leaing an D or not? ho& to demonstrate the use of the
receier? &hat to do if there3s an e8uipment pro!lem, etc44 A list of
e8uipment proiders is included as an appendi to this document4 RKS
- 5>tepping (n Lines6
Descriptions are usuall" deliered during pauses !et&een lines of dialogue or 8uiet
moments, aoiding other critical sound elements4 But since it is more
important to ma$e a production understanda!le than to presere eer"
detail of the original soundtrac$, the descri!er &ill spea$ oer dialogue
and other audio &hen necessar"4 f a description continues oer
dialogue, 8uic$l" finish the sentence4 n most instances, a descri!er ma"
tal$ oer !ac$ground music or underscoring as &ell as the l"rics of a
repeated chorus of a song4
And, as noted earlier, it is appropriate to let pauses or 8uiet moments pass &ithout a
description4 Listeners &ant to hear the performance first and the
description second4 %he dialogue, the soundsHand een the silencesH
are telling the stor" and must !e eperienced4
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Gse caution in tal$ing oer a 5song pla"ed on the radio6 !ecause its recognition !" the
audience and1or the audience3s hearing its content ma" !e important to
setting a mood, recalling an era, ma$ing an emotional statement, etc4
ample7 sther is tal$ing non-stop a!out ma$ing a pie, !ut she is 8uietl" ta$ing a gun
from a dra&er4 %he descri!er ma" need to spea$ oer her dialogue
!ecause the audience &ill hear a gunshot !efore she stops tal$ing a!out
ma$ing the pie4
dentification
dentif" characters as the" hae !een identified in the production4 ntroduce them !"
name onl" after the"3e !een introduced in the dialogue and consistentl"
identif" people1characters !" name4 Gse a character3s name onl" &hen
sighted audience mem!ers $no& the name4 hen an un$no&n
character appears, refer to the person !" a ph"sical characteristic used
in his1her initial description until his1her name is reealed4 (nce
eer"one $no&s the character3s proper name, tie the name to the
ph"sical description at the first opportunit" E59ohn, the redheaded man6
and after&ards use onl" the character3s name4 EA 5cast of characters6 list
ma" hae !een included in the program1pre-sho& notes? this information
&ill allo& listeners to !e on a par &ith sighted audience mem!ers4
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Be certain to descri!e entrances and eitsH&ho and &hereHespeciall" &hen there3s
nothing audi!le to indicate someone has joined or left the scene4
ote7 t ma" !e helpful to create a list of the esta!lished names for each character for
reference during the description4 A list of commonl" paired couples ma"
also !e useful in pla"s &ith difficult character names4 >ome AD users
hae suggested that once the material has identified a character, the
descri!er could match the character3s name &ith the actor3s oice !"
mentioning the character3s name just !efore s1he spea$s4 Although the
descri!er usuall" doesn3t need to repeat the oice identification, this
might !e necessar" after a character has !een silent or a!sent for a long
time or if seeral oices are similar and it3s important to $no& eactl"
&ho is sa"ing &hat at a particular point4
%iming
%heatrical surprises should, ideall", come at the same time for all audience mem!ers4 f
characters3 appearances or actions, hidden identities, costumes, sight
gags, sound effects, etc4 happen as a surprise to sighted audience
mem!ers, don3t spoil the surprise for listeners !" descri!ing Eand
reealing them in adance4
ample7 f a character is in disguise, he !ecomes 5the man6 rather than 59ohn &ears a
disguise46 Gse a neutral term 5the figure in red6 &hen characters are
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disguising their gender4 f the action that accompanies a sound effect &ill
result in a reaction from the audience, treat this as if descri!ing a sight
gag4 %ime the description to allo& listeners to react at the same time as
sighted audience mem!ers4
ample7 f the audience sees something happening that might 5&arn them6 of the
possi!ilit" of, sa", a loud noise, !e sure to descri!e that action4 :or
instance, 5Pat6 loads a rifle, so &e $no& that there3s a possi!ilit" s1he &ill
fire it4
ith eperience, descri!ers learn to gauge &hen laughter and applause hae pea$ed
and !egun to die do&n4 f possi!le, hold description until the audience
!egins to 8uiet4 f not, spea$ loudl" &hen descri!ing oer loud laughter,
music or applause4
hen an effect &ill !e repeated, tr" to descri!e it the first time in a &a" that allo&s a
5shorthand6 reference later4
ample7 n a pla" &here characters igorousl" smo$e cigarettes to underscore their
tension, descri!e the first instance as, 5#ar" and 9ohn light cigarettes,
inhale and ehale deepl"46 (n later occurrences, as listeners understand
the pattern of their !ehaior, simpl" sa", 5>mo$ing again46
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>ounds
Descri!e the source of sounds that ma" not !e immediatel" recogniFa!le &ithin the
program !ut are pertinent to understanding and appreciation of the
content4
nclude an" sound effects in the timing of descriptions, e4g4, he turns a&a" from her and
she pulls out a reoler4 RBA'S =e falls oer a des$ RCLA%%@S4
Gsuall" a sound effect, or the eent leading up to it, is descri!ed just !efore it happens7
5%he !urglar drops his sac$46 R%=GDS >ometimes it can !e een more effectie after the
action4 6aing their arms the" run to&ards the platform4446 RChuff chuff444
the sound of a train pulling a&a"S 5%he train is pulling out of the station46
- Pre->ho& and ntermission otes
PurposeH%he purpose of pre-sho& notes is to prepare the patron !" including
descriptions that the descri!er &ill not hae time to gie during the
performance4 n addition to the credits on the pla"!ill, the pre-sho& notes
coer descriptions of the sets, &ith their entrances, eits, leels,
placement of furniture, etc4? the ph"sical characteristics of the characters,
the roles the" pla", their costumes, an" gestures or mannerisms the" use
repeatedl"? dance moement? recurring staging techni8ues? and an"
props that are significant4 All of these descriptions should !e succinct,
tightl" organiFed and not eceed )0.)* minutes4 #ost descri!ers
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prepare scripted pre-sho& notes to !e sure that the"3re coering
eer"thing in a coherent and timel" manner4 Productions &ith
intermissions proide a second opportunit" to proide additional
information4
Terminolog%H%he pre-sho& notes are also the place to define an" terminolog" that
might !e used in the performance4 n a period piece, terms of clothing or
architecture might !e eplained4 Gnusual props can !e defined4 %he
remaining time !efore the curtain can !e filled &ith the director3s notes,
articles a!out the pla"&right, the actors3 !iographies, the appearance of
the audience, etc4
$rderHListeners are tr"ing to a!sor! and remem!er a great deal of er!al information4
Descri!e settings and costumes in the order the" appear4 As much as
possi!le, descri!e each setting in the same order Eleft to right and top to
!ottom, for eample4
Descri!e the set in an orderl" manner Ee4g4, left to right and limit description to the
most essential elements4 Descri!e fied !ac$ground elements first, then add furniture
or large props4 f the set is a!stract, the appropriate use of simile ma" help the listener
determine the shapes and dimensions of the elements &ithout confusing the
comparisons &ith the realit" on stage4
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'enerall", note characters first, then the set Eit ma" !e unclear to reference the first
scene in 9oe3s liing room if 9oe has "et to !e introduced4 Be sure to include the
relationships !et&een the characters as appropriate4
CharacteristicsHDescri!e an" characteristic actions Ee4g4, 5!ites her nails,6 5ta$es
s&igs from a hip flas$ of &his$e"46
-%nopsesH%here ma" !e a s"nopsis in the pla"!ill4 9ust as this information is helpful to
sighted audience mem!ers, sharing this information &ith listeners during
pre-sho& notes ma" aid their appreciation of the performance and the
description4 (ther information Edirector3s notes, !ac$ground information,
credits must !e prioritiFed for pre-sho& or intermission4 n the eent that
the aaila!le time does not allo& for the reading of important material,
mention this so that the listener can read it or hae it read later4
The TheaterHf there3s a dela" in the start of the performance or during a scene change
or an emergenc" in the audience, descri!e &hat the sighted audience
can seeHa large group has just arried and is !eing seated, the curtain
is caught on a piece of scener", stagehands changing the set, etc44
n a lie setting, to the etent that notices are displa"ed for the general pu!lic, it is
appropriate to alert AD users of upcoming sound effects as the" could
affect serice animals accompan"ing a patron4
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/ntermissionsHn productions &ith intermissions and a great deal of information to
coer in pre-sho& notes, consider limiting the pre-sho& notes to oerall
production information Ecredits, etc4 and the first act3s details Esettings,
costumes, characters, etc44 %hen, return during the final minutes of
intermission &ith notes to descri!e the second act3s details, important
reminders from the pre-sho& notes, and, if time allo&s, share additional
information from the pla"!ill4
ote7 At the end of the pre-sho& notes and at the end of the first act, tell listeners that
during intermission &hat "ou &ill share &ith them so the" ma" decide if
the" &ant to return in time to hear that information4 Assuming that some
of the listeners &ill not hear the full intermission notes, repeat the
essential information during the second act &heneer possi!le4 f the
ne& information for the second act is er" !rief, listeners ma" appreciate
its inclusion at the end of the pre-sho& notes or &hile the house lights
are dimming for the second act4
>ee Appendi A for a portion of the descri!ers3 script for one of Access %heater3s 5>torm
@eading46 %o ie& the ecerpt &ith description, go to7
http711&&&4audiodescri!e4com1samples1
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DAC
- hat %o nclude
The -tor%0ssentiall", all choreograph" can !e considered to cone" 5a stor"6, e4g4,
a choreographer3s concept4 Close consideration of the ideas !ehind
the danceHas determined !" the oerall structure of the moementsH
&ill allo& a descri!er to cone" a compelling image, rather than !eing
trapped in the repetition of a series of steps4 And, of course, the sound
of the moements, sound effects and the musical score E&hich can
often include silence must !e presered for the dance audience to
appreciate and enjo"4 ith dance description, it3s important to find the
5stor"6 it tells7 &hat main idea does the dancing communicate to the
ie&er, &hat is the essence of the danceI hat information &ould !e
most important to allo& a !lind audience mem!er to eperience the
performance as full" as possi!le, to help him follo& the meaning of the
choreograph"I
1ow and 2hatHhich elements comprised the structure and themes of the
choreograph", and &hat &ords &ould most succinctl" cone" those ideas
Hthe 5ho&6 as opposed to the 5&hat6I %here is a significant difference
!et&een sa"ing &hat someone is doing and descri!ing ho& the" do it4
Description is often a!out &hat a moer is doing4 But to cone" as much
information in as fe& &ords as possi!le, the" often need to descri!e ho&
the moer is accomplishing the action4 hat sort of path&a" in space
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does the moer follo&I =o& does the shape or 5attitude6 of their !od"
cone" character or contetI hat d"namic 8ualities of the moement
flaor its meaningI
:or eample, one piece might !e mostl" 5a!out6 spatial patterns and se8uences of
group clustering and scattering? the dancers3 specific moements ma" !e
less important, and their indiidual characteristics Egender, hair color,
!od" shape, etc4 ma" not matter at all &ith respect to the content !eing
epressed4 n another piece, &here each dancer pla"s a uni8ue
character, those particulars, along &ith arious moement com!inations
and !od" attitude, can !e meaningful factors4
Be -electiveHAs &ith an" genre Etheater, media, opera, isual images in danceH
multiple moes in seeral shapes and on aried leelsHcan occur in
8uic$ succession and een simultaneousl"4 Dancers do not al&a"s
perform in unisonN Again, a description that attempts to cone"
eer"thing &ill cone" nothing &ell4 %he specifics of each moe are
less important than the oerall patterns created !" their com!inations
thus creating a st"le EtapI, AfricanI modernI, concept Ea particular
ideaI or 5the ision,6 if "ou &ill, of the choreographer4
- Kno&ing Dance
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>ome !eliee that it is helpful for the descri!er to understand the foundation of the
dance st"les !eing ie&ed or immerse him1herself in the oca!ular" of
5the dance46 %a$e careH
a a descri!er need not hae deep $no&ledge or een enjo" eer" su!ject he1she
descri!esHmost important is $een o!seration of the moement and
moement patterns and a oca!ular" that allo&s its er!al epression
in clear and iid terms?
! jargon or la!eling are 5short cuts6Hit3s 8uic$er and easier to sa" 5pliU6 than 5a
!ending of the legs at the $nees46 But its first use must accompan" the
actual description to accommodate listeners &ho hae no prior
$no&ledge of !allet terminolog", for instance4 t ma" !e that in a lie,
performing arts contet, pre-sho& notes can !e used to introduce
certain oca!ular" for selected moements and then those &ords could
!e used during performance? the descri!er ma$es a judgment &ith
respect to &hat language is &ithin the realm of 5general $no&ledge6,
e4g4, choreograph", ensem!le, and the use of these &ords &ill help
couch descriptions &ithin the genre?
c in the &ords of Paul Valer"7 5>eeing is forgetting the name of &hat one sees6 As
noted earlier under 5Core >$ills,6 la!elsHfor moements, terms, jargon
Hta$e us a step a&a" from trul" loo$ing at the particular image or
moement7 it3s a pliU, "es, !ut &hat3s the nature of this particular pliUIN4
%he score
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Consider ho& the range of moements interacts &ith an" accompan"ing score4 Be
certain to time description to empathiFe &ith choreographic intent, e4g4,
an increasingl" furious s&irl that is in consonance &ith the crescendo of
a drum, culminating &ith a loud crac$N =o& disappointing it &ould !e if
the descri!er &ere spea$ing 5oer6 the artists3 carefull" crafted ending4
Breit"
Gse as fe& &ords as possi!le, iid &ord, &ords that eo$e specific and clear images4
s it a jumpI =o& highI A s&irlI A t&irlI Are arms and legs a$im!o
Edefine or simpl" pointed to the side li$e the lim!s of a tree Euse of
simileI
@esist the temptation to assume that, &ithout dialogue Ein man", !ut not !" an" means
all dance pieces, "ou hae more time &ithin &hich to descri!eN tra
er!iage inaria!l" complicates and confuses4 But occasionall"
description of sound has its place &hen its origin could !e a m"ster" Ea
slap on the ground or a $nee, a hoot, etc44
f the dance performance includes a music score, allo& the listener to enjo" it7 constant
step-!"-step description can !ecome tedious and een o!scure the emotie meaning of
the dance4 A summar", !ased on careful ie&ing of the choreograph", is appropriate
Ee4g4, %he fair" is transformed into a dragon &ith glittering green scales4 >he hoers
a!oe the forest of thorns at >leeping Beaut"3s palace, circling her cla&-li$e hands as if
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casting a spell4
>cenic elements
Again, as &ith other formats, dancersT appearance and costumes, scenic elements
and props, also can inform the oerall and the particular effect of the
performance and must !e noted according to the descri!er3s judgment4
#usicals
#usical theater offers particular challenges and opportunitiesHl"rics must !e
respected !ut the pauses !et&een refrains or repeat choruses proide
precious seconds &ithin &hich description ma" !e inserted4
:or eample, 5%he Chaa Ballet6 in 3iddler on the 4oof proides an opportunit" to
highlight moement characteristics of indiiduals and plot elements
Eeach daughter leaing her famil" that reinforces an understanding of
character and the narratie4 Be certain that the isual images that
cone" these important points are descri!ed &ith iid language and
specific image-eo$ing &ords and metaphors4
%ouch
As &ith an" performing art eperience, descri!ers do &ell to !orro& the 5please touch6
attitude of the !est museum educators &ho incorporate tactile and other
sense eperience &ithin access programs4 Pre-sho& !ac$stage
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communicating mood, theme and choreographic structure, &hile leaing
aural space for the impact of the musical score4 e inite "ou to test the
description !" haing it read aloud to "ou4 %o &hat etent does hearing
the dance allo& "ou to seeI
%o ie& the ecerpt &ith description, go to7 %BD
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(P@A
>urtitles
(pera, een &hen sung in nglish, re8uires that someone read the surtitles projected
a!oe the stage4 'enerall" t&o descri!ers, a male and a female, are
emplo"ed--one to read the translations, the other to descri!e4 %he
contrast in oices allo&s the listener to discriminate !et&een the t&o
functions4 %he process is something li$e using t&o sign language
interpreters to shado&-sign dialogue in a pla"4 A splitter on an infra-red
transmitter that can accommodate t&o microphones is often helpful? for
:# transmission, the splitter and a plug-in transmitter ma" !e re8uired4
%he surtitle oicer need not identif" the soloist &ho is singing Eindeed, that &ould !e
distracting and unnecessar" !ut he1she should use su!tle shifts in ocal
tone to cone" shifts !et&een character4 >ince the tet on the screen
can change 8uic$l", the surtitle reader, steering the li!retto through the
performance, generall" has 5right of &a"6N nsem!le singing can
present a uni8ue challenge7 #oFart included man" scenes in &hich
eer"one simultaneousl" sings / a different tetN Although there are
surtitles, the" are confusing een to the sighted audience since the" ma"
or ma" not identif" &ho is singing &hat4 n this contet, it is helpful to
identif" &hich characters are singing and allo& listeners to rel" on a pre-
sho& plot summar" Esee !elo&4(ne solution to the oerall pro!lem of
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reading the copious amount of language represented !" the surtitles Ethe
entire li!rettoN is to a!ridge the tet, leaing out all !ut the most essential
dialogue4 An adance cop" of the surtitles is etremel" helpful in this
regard4
@espect the #usic
As has !een stated &ith respect to description in general7 our constituenc" uses our
serice as a tool to achiee an endHgreater access to the arts, in
particular4 %he users of description are in an arts setting to e5perience
the art form--not to hear the descri!er4 Description is in serice to the art
form and to the user and to the client &ho ma" emplo" the descri!er4
>imilarl", arts attendees come to the opera to hear the music, especiall" the singing,
and eperience the opera3s isual spectacle4 t3s critical then that the
descri!er respect arias and strie to limit description to orchestral
passages4 %he reader, of course, still has to cone" the tet4 n
nineteenth-centur" opera, aria tets are relatiel" short and entail much
repetition? the reader3s role can !e minimall" disruptie in those cases4
@epetitie phrases or pauses can !e used to proide description or
cone" tet4 t3s helpful, though, to &ait a fe& moments to allo& singers
to Jesta!lishJ a chorus or recitatie Esung dialogue generall" in the
rh"thm of ordinar" speech &ith series of &ords on the same note4 B"
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contrast, for agner and later composers, much opera leaes no sharp
distinction !et&een arias and recitatie
Kno&ledge of the 'enre
As discussed in earlier sections, an understanding of a particular genre can !e helpful,
particularl" &ith respect to oerall flo& and st"les or traditions4 An oer-
emphasis on jargon can !e counter-productie4 ith opera, ho&eer,
there are special reasons to spend time !ecoming familiar &ith the
production3s score and li!retto4 Kno&ing the score Ein opera, as &ell as
life and in !ase!allN &ill help the descri!er $no& in adance &hen there
ma" !e aaila!le passages for insertion of description or the reading of
surtitles4 Also, the insertion of description into short passages of
instrumental music.sometimes onl" a couple of measures.could re8uire
that the descri!er 5count !eats6 and prepare a description that doesn3t
oerflo& into the singing and the reader3s translation4
A t"pical eample Eand one solution noting the importance of coordinating action &ith
!rief instrumental passages inoles 6adame Butterfl%# n a scene
during &hich Butterfl" sho&s her scant possessions to her hus!and-to-
!e the American na" officer Pin$erton, she names each o!ject, and
sho&s Pin$erton an o!long pac$age, &hich she does not un&rap !ut
places near her household shrine4 %he pac$age contains the dagger &ith
&hich her father committed seppu$u Ehonora!le suicide and &hich
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Butterfl" &ill use similarl" at the end of the opera4 %he descri!er has
eactl" si !eats of orchestra music to descri!e that pac$age and &here
it ends up Ewithoutundue emphasisN4 >olutions include simpl"
descri!ing the &rapped pac$age &ithout relocating it until the
intermission notes for Act 4 =o&eer, since sighted opera patrons
al&a"s receie a plot s"nopsis in their printed programs, there is no
suspense as to &hat happens netHthis &ill !e true for patrons using
description if the s"nopsis has !een read aloud4 f so, the descri!er
might simpl" sa", 5Butterfl" sho&s the &rapped dagger46 en so, to
retain the mood and the opera3s dramatic elements, it ma" !e !est to
proceed as though the listener does not $no& the plot, a solution that is
more in $eeping &ith AD guidelines for spo$en drama4
:inall", most opera productions hae relatiel" fe& technical or dress rehearsals and a
limited num!er of performances4 %hus, descri!ers ma" hae fe&er
opportunities to preie& the &or$ !efore the descri!ed performance4 %o
augment the fe& rehearsals and performances aaila!le for preie&ing,
loo$ for eer" opportunit" to !ecome familiar &ith the opera and timing
critical to preparing description7 read the li!retto, listen1read the score,
&atch a ideo of another production of the same operaH$eep in mind,
ho&eer, that the descri!er3s o!ligation is to cone" the images
inoled in the particular production !eing presented4 %a$e care to
focus on the production at hand Eat e"eI4 As &ith other genres, it ma"
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!e possi!le to &or$ &ith a production compan" to increase familiarit" of
costumes, set pieces and een directorial elements4 %he compan" ma"
hae access or education staff that can assist4 ndeed, it ma" !e
possi!le to attend a sit7probe Ea seated rehearsal &hich !rings together
singers &ith the orchestraHadjustments to the score for the particular
production &ill !e eident at this rehearsal and &ill inform the descri!er
regarding time frames aaila!le for description4
Pre-sho& notes
As &ith spo$en drama, pre-sho& notes proide an opportunit" to proide description
and information aaila!le to sighted patrons in a more relaed time
frame4 :or opera, the plot s"nopsis from the printed program is readH
this information is aaila!le to all patrons and is in no &a" 5special6
material for AD users4 %he reading of a plot s"nopsis, ho&eer, can
inole a fair amount of time7 it3s &ise to communicate in adance &ith
AD users so eer" effort is made to arrie &ell in adance of the start of
the opera4
Pronunciation
Pre-sho& notes should include the pronunciation of all character names or other
possi!l" unfamiliar &ords and names that appear in the tet or the
program Ee4g4, composer and conductor names4 An ecellent model for
pre-sho& notes is the format deeloped for #etropolitan (pera radio
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!roadcasts4 Pioneered !" #ilton Cross in the
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A$)# )E+!R,T#" 8$)E%"E+2(E+T ,RA!T!E+
ME)A
Please note7 t is highl" recommend that descri!ers of JmediaJ also read the guidelines
that pertain to theatre and opera Ea!oe4 #an" of those same situations one finds in
the performing arts are portra"ed on the Jsmall screenJ and the Jsiler screen4J
'eneral7
- Audio description for film, !roadcast teleision and DVD is scripted and recorded on an
audio trac$ that is either mied &ith or is separate from the material3s
soundtrac$4 %"picall", description is mied &ith the original program
audio prior to !roadcast or on a DVD and included as a separate audio
trac$4 %his allo&s the original soundtrac$ to !e duc$ed in and out to
accommodate description that ma" step on the occasional line of dialog
or musical score4 (ften, in a moie theater, the description &ill eist on a
distinct trac$ so that its olume can !e controlled separatel"4 Descri!ers
&rite complete, accurate descriptions that generall" &ill fit precisel" R9>S
during the aaila!le pauses !et&een dialogue or critical sound elements4
- @ead the script aloud at the rate it &ill !e read for recording to erif" its timing4
- Allo& listeners to appreciate the media3s score &ithout interjecting descriptions4 (nl"
interrupt for ital, timel" information that must !e descri!ed during the
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music4 t3s important for descri!ers to !e mindful of the film3s oerall
aural structure Eincluding its sound effects, &ell !e"ond simpl" the
dialogue Esee dialogue, discussed !elo&4
- As &ith other genres, the narrator3s oice should !e 5in consonance6 &ith, should
complement the materialHit should !e distinct from the oices of the
characters and1or the program3s narrator and mied to sound as natural
to the &or$ as possi!le4 %he description seres the production and
should !lend into it4
- >ometimes a descri!er &ill descri!e &hat3s a!out to appear !ecause there is no pause
aaila!le for description &hen it does appear Eforeshadowing4 n this
&a" the descri!er also 5prepares6 the listener for &hat is a!out to
happen4 :or instance, the current image Ea &aterfall and its sound ma"
not !e 5in s"nc6 &ith the description7 5A A>CA@ racetrac$ &ith a doFen
cars circling the trac$46 t ma" !e that a line could !e preceded,
on occasion, &ith 5net6 or 5in a moment46 %his alerts ie&ers &ith lo& ision that the
racetrac$ isn3t onscreen at present4
- >imilarl", on occasion there is no silent opportunit" to descri!e something essential to
listeners3 understanding &hile that specific isual image is on the screen4
%he descri!er ma" need to omit a less significant description of &hat3s
onscreen in order to interject the critical description4
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dentification
As &ith other art forms, characters in film and ideo ma" !e introduced !ut unnamed
until identified &ithin the film4 Gse a significant ph"sical characteristic to
descri!e 1 identif" the characters4 n the case of non-dramatic or
educational material, particularl" &or$ that is designed for "oung
ie&ers, it mat !e accepta!le to identif" indiiduals as time allo&s and in
$eeping &ith curricular o!jecties4
ote7 %he relationships !et&een characters ma" not !e apparent, !ut in dramatic
productions, in particular, cone"ing information a!out these
relationships is the filmma$er3s responsi!ilit"Hnot the descri!er3s4 @efer
to these relationships onl" after the" hae !een reealed &ithin the
contet of the media4
Dialogue
f a description is essential and a pause is minimal, the descri!er ma" hae to step on
the first s"lla!le or t&o of dialogue or narration4 %his often occurs &hen
the 5net oice6 must !e identified so listeners &ill understand the
spea$er3s antage point4 t is accepta!le to 5coer6 dialogue &hen the
original soundtrac$ !egins &ith dialogue that is, in the contet of the
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oerall production, relatiel" inconse8uential E5Gh /6, 5r /, 5=mm /6
etc44 %his is especiall" true of educational1training productions &here
appreciation1enjo"ment of content E&hile still important is secondar" to
the stated learning goals of the program4
>cene Changes
>cene changes can !e confusing particularl" &hen the soundtrac$ does not indicate a
change4 >implicit" is al&a"s a guide7 5n the !edroom,6 5At the police
station,6 etc4 Actions, characters, and details can !e confusing if &e
don3t $no& &here &e are4 hen there3s a change of place, start the
description &ith the location E5general to the specific64
ample7 5n their !edroom, 9ohn and #ar" em!race tightl" and $iss on the lips46 %he
preceding scene too$ place &ith the &hole famil" gathered around the
dining ta!le and nothing on the soundtrac$ indicates &e3e changed
locale4
(n occasion descri!ers use the &ord 5no&6 or 5net6 to indicate a change of scene4
Because there &ill !e man" opportunities that seem to call for the use
this &ord, use it onl" &hen a!solutel" necessar"H its use should be
limited4
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As time permits, descri!e montages of images, !ut !e succinct and clear4 >imilarl", a
series of still images, such as those often used during a documentar"
interie&, can !e summariFed !" highlighting seeral significant images
!eing discussed !" the person or people !eing interie&ed &hen the
images are releant to the content4
Passage of %ime
hen descri!ing certain passages of time, such as flash!ac$s or dream se8uences,
descri!e the isual cues that let the audience $no& there is a flash!ac$4
(nce the conention is esta!lished, it can sere as a 5shorthand6, saing
time if it reoccurs Eusuall" this isual conention is accompanied !" an
auditor" cue4 :or "ounger audiences, it is sometimes impractical to use
descri!ing conentions that one might use for adults4 n some cases, it is
necessar" to eplicitl" tell the audience &hat is happening rather than
descri!ing the action Ee4g4, flash!ac$ or dream se8uence4
Address time shifts Eflash !ac$s or isions of the future in relation to the
character, i4e4, tailor the description to the characters4 :or instance,
9oe3s hair is jet-!lac$, #ar"3s s$in is &rin$le-free4 (r, 5Lighting shifts to
pale am!er as 'eorge, as a "oung !o", sits at the famil" dinner ta!le46
Gse 5&hile6 and 5as6 to join t&o actions onl" if there is a connection !et&een them4
ample7 59ohn pic$s up the $nife as 9ill turns a&a"46
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Consistenc"
GtiliFing the same character names and1or oca!ular" throughout a production or series
of productions is essential4 :or instance, on a longer production, often
more than one description &riter &ill &or$ on its description script4 t3s
critical that the draft final script is reie&ed in its totalit" for consistenc"4
9argon
9ust as a descri!er for a lie performance should aoid theatrical jargon or references, a
film or ideo descri!er should aoid calling attention to the filmma$ing
process4 'enerall" it3s appropriate to aoid filmma$ing jargon and
reference to filmma$ing techni8ues, e4g4, 5panning6 or 5Fooms in46 As
&ith man" description guidelines, practice in this area aries7 some
descri!ers !eliee that 5close-up6 or 5fade to !lac$6 is a simple
description of &hat can !e seen? others cone" the images that are
highlighted !" the filmma$er &ithout noting the camera techni8ue, e4g4,
an arched e"e!ro&, a !ee hoers at a flo&er, etc4
Point of Vie&
Descri!e the point of ie& &hen appropriateH5from a!oe,6 5from space,6 5moing
a&a",6 5fl"ing lo& oer the sand" !each,6 etc4 t is understood that a
film1ideo1DVD is !eing ie&ed? repeated references to the screen are
unnecessar"4 Another often-a!used point of reference is 5the camera46
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Gnless there is a camera on the screen, it is improper to refer to 5the
camera6 as an orientational guidepost Ee4g4, the &hale 5lunges
for&ard,6Hit does not 5s&im to&ard the camera46
(ccasionall", the audience is directl" engaged, particularl" &ith children3s material or
educational productions4 An on-screen character might as$ the audience
to 5atch me and follo& along,6 or an instructor might as$, 5Can "ou see
&hat color the li8uid is turning in the !ea$erI6 n such cases, it is
important for the audience mem!ers to $no& that it is the" &ho are !eing
addressed Eas opposed to an on-screen character4 (ne &a" to
accomplish this is to refer to the audience as 5"ou46 Again , this is an
area &here practices differ and more discussion 1 research &ould !e
alua!le4
Logos 1 Credits
%reat logos as an" other image to !e descri!ed and read the compan" nameEs4
@eading disclaimers and credits at the !eginning and end of films, ideos and teleision
programs is an important function of audio description4 n addition, the
descri!er should read tet and su!titles4 'enerall", on first appearance,
tet or su!titles can !e introduced &ith a phrase such as, 5ords appear6
or 5>u!titles appear46 >u!se8uentl", tone of oice ma" !e emplo"ed to
dra& a distinction !et&een description of on-screen action and the
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reading of tet or su!titles4 Bear in mind that &hen using a description
conention such as 5&ords appear,6 it is important to presere the clause
Ee4g4, don3t sa" 5%he &ords, >aing Mour #one", appear6Hsa" 5ords
appear7 >aing Mour #one"64
>u!titles or on-screen tet intended to translate speech Edue to language differences,
speech impediments, or other factors should al&a"s !e included
er!atim in the description4 f necessar", the original dialog and1or
narration should !e duc$ed out to aoid unnecessar" confusion on the
part of the ie&er4
ote7 Because the descri!er can neer read as rapidl" as the onscreen credits appear
and disappear, the descri!er must 5edit6 this material and ma" include a
line such as 5(ther credits follo&46 - (ften, some or all of the opening
credits appear oer the !eginning of the action4 n this situation, attempt
to descri!e the action in s"nc &ith the material and read the credits
!efore or after their actual appearance4
>ome descri!ers &ish to include credits and contact information for the description
producing compan" and1or name the oice talent used4 Descri!ers must
!e guided !" the polic" of the film production compan" or the client
contracting for the description4 (ften time aaila!ilit" &ill !e 8uite limited or
descri!ers are !ound !" certain contractual limits4
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nhanced Description
:or DVDs, enhanced description can !e emplo"ed to proide additional detail ia a lin$
to a pop-up &indo& or een a lin$ to a &e!site4
>imilarl", DVDs allo& for ela!oration on elements that cannot !e ade8uatel" descri!ed
during the !od" of a production, a$in to pre-sho& or intermission notes
used in descri!ing performing arts presentations4
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A$)# )E+!R,T#" 8$)E%"E+2(E+T ,RA!T!E+
1+$A% ART 2 E6(T#"+
ote7 #uch of the material in this section is adapted from guidelines posted at
&&&4art!e"ondsight4organd Art ducation for the Blind3s EAB
landmar$ ); pu!lication 6aking isual Art Accessible to People 2ho
Are Blind and isuall% /mpaired#
Audio description for isual art cone"s isual images &ith language that often includes
tactile references Ee4g4, siFe and shape4 n a museum or at an
ehi!ition of an" sort, a er!al description also includes standard
information included on a la!el, such as the name of the artist,
nationalit", title of the art&or$, date, dimensions or scale of the &or$,
media and techni8ue4
#G>G# %(G@>
'eneral7
- Audio description, often as part of a touch tour, enhances the isitor3s tactile
eperience4 t can also proide access to a museum3s collection &hen
the &or$s of art are not aaila!le to touch4 hen a group of isitors
includes !lind, isuall" impaired, and sighted isitors, museum
professionals or docents can incorporate in-depth er!al description into
their regular tour4 f a classroom teacher conducts the tour, it is adisa!le
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for educators to isit the museum or historical site first to prepare the
audio description and follo& the principles outlined in this document4
- An audio descri!ed tour, &hether 5lie6 or recorded, is different from the t"pical audio
tour offered !" a museum for the general pu!lic4 B" adding descriptions
of significant isual elements, more time ma" !e re8uired to coer fe&er
elements and additional time should !e allocated for echange &ith
isitors4
- >ome museums create an additional audio guide for !lind and isuall" impaired
isitors or include etensie audio description of art&or$s in their
standard audio guide4 >ighted museum isitors report that the" !enefit
from this practice as &ell4 :ollo&ing a 5uniersal design6 concept, ehi!it
designers are increasingl" com!ining standard audio tours &ith audio
descriptions, an 5all-in-one6 or 5uniersal design6 concept4
- Depending on the nature of a particular space or the design of the ehi!it !eing
descri!ed, directional information ma" !e included ena!ling listeners to
naigate the space independentl"4
:or ducator or Docent-Led %ours
Audio description is used throughout an ehi!ition to descri!e displa"s, to respond to
particular 8uestions, and to encourage dialogue4 %he pace and leel of
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detail of description can !e adapted to indiiduals !ased on their degree
of sight loss and their prior eperience ma$ing art or loo$ing at art4
hen planning a tour, $eep in mind that audio description adds time4 %herefore, fe&er
&or$s ma" !e included on a tour4 A general rule of thum! is to use half
the num!er of &or$s "ou &ould use in a tour &ithout audio description4
>o itTs important to carefull" select the &or$s for "our tour4
Deelop audio description scripts for the o!jects on "our tour and reie& them &ith
isuall" impaired adisors for effectie language, clarit" and length of the
descriptions, and appropriate pace of the tour4 Audio description is also
an essential part of a touch tour or a tour that includes tactile diagrams or
tactile elements4 As audio description s$ills increase, these scripts &ill
sere as guidelines, rather than as a tet to !e memoriFed4
hen first meeting a group that includes people &ho are !lind or isuall" impaired,
!riefl" descri!e the lo!!" or meeting space4 %hen, so that "ou ma" adjust
"our tour to "our isitors needs, find out more a!out the t"pe and degree
of isual impairment4 As &ith all audiences, tr" to relate the indiidualTs
life eperiences to the content in the &or$ of art4 %hroughout "our tour,
include !rief descriptions of galler" spaces through &hich "ou pass and
museum architecture4 Mou might include the siFe of the space, t"pe of
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art, or other general information a!out the atmosphere or am!iance of
the museum4
t is important to $eep audio description distinct from information a!out the historical
contet4 f "our tour includes !oth sighted and isuall" impaired people,
present "our er!al description first4 %his creates e8ual opportunit" for
further discussion of historical contet, !iograph" of the artist, or other
information important for all audiences to understand the &or$4
(ne strateg" fre8uentl" used during school-aged group tours could !e used &ith all
groups7 elicit audience response through directed 8uestioning4 f "ou
hae an integrated class, &ith !oth sighted and isuall" impaired
students, include eer"one in the audio description process4 As$ sighted
students to descri!e elements in the &or$ through directed 8uestioning4
%his creates an engaging atmosphere and strengthens o!seration
s$ills4 At the end of each description, restate student responses and
summariFe o!serations4
'et feed!ac$4 After the description of the first &or$, as$ one of the tour participants if
the description is meeting their needs or if "ou need to ma$e an"
adjustments4 At the end of a tour for people &ith isual impairments,
ta$e the opportunit" to emphasiFe the organiFation3s accessi!ilit"
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features and programming4 Create a sense of &elcome and encourage
a future relationship &ith the organiFation4
t is important to ac$no&ledge that description is a relatiel" ne& access techni8ue for
museums4 As a conse8uence, spaces using description ma" need to
consider &a"s in &hich the" can pu!liciFe these efforts in the target
communit"Hthis ma" also include the deelopment of incenties to
encourage attendance addressing, in particular, the needs of people &ho
are !lind Eaccess to transportation, 0 unemplo"ment, etc44
:or Audio 'uides or Audio-descri!ed >elf-guided %ours
(nce "ou hae deeloped er!al-description scripts, adapt them to create an audio
guide that all isitors can use in the galleries independentl"4 :or the user
&ith isual impairments, incorporate er!al description &ith naigational
and orientation cues4 hen designing a tour, consider the effect of
fre8uent ph"sical changes in the galleries, such as chairs that are
moed, deinstallations, or construction4
#useum staff &ho distri!ute audio guides to isitors should proide a short orientation
on ho& to use the pla"er and guide4 %he pla"er should hae some t"pe
of nec$ strap so that a user has !oth hands free to use the !uttons, hold
a tactile, or use a cane or other assistie deice4
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Depending on the needs and resources of a particular organiFation, delier"
mechanisms &ill ar"4 >ome choices include7 audio cassette, CD, digital
&ands, or concealed triggering mechanisms4 %he last three mechanisms
are digital methods that allo& for la"ers of description and the option to
choose !et&een arious ehi!its4
'enerall", isuall" impaired isitors need orientation and naigational information that
can !e incorporated throughout the descri!ed tour4 >ome tours &ill $eep
this information on a separate trac$ or la"er of the tour allo&ing the
sighted user to s$ip such information4
Gsing cell-phone or digital &and s"stems or infrared or :#, s"stems Esimilar to those
used in a performing arts or moie theater setting, audio description
users can priatel" access descriptions4
:ocus on the >t"le
%he st"le of a &or$ of art refers to the features that identif" a &or$ as !eing !" a
particular artist or school, or of a moement, period, or geographical
region4 >t"le is the cumulatie result of man" characteristics, including
!rush&or$, use of tone and color, choice of different motifs, and the
treatment of the su!ject4 After the !asic information a!out su!ject,
composition, and mediums are cone"ed, the er!al description can
focus on ho& these man" elements contri!ute to the &hole4 n a tour that
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includes seeral &or$s of art, comparisons are an effectie &a" of
ma$ing st"listic features tangi!le4'eneral to the >pecific
>u!ject, :orm, and Color
%he !asic o!ject-la!el information is follo&ed !" an oerie& of the image, cone"ing
the general, oerall contet and then proceeding to specific items4
'enerall", a coherent description should proide isual information in a
se8uence, allo&ing a !lind person to assem!le, piece !" piece, an image
of a highl" comple &or$4 Descri!e the focusHthe su!jectHthat is, &hat
is represented in the &or$4 :or eample, J%his painting features a
rec"cled >aarin coffee can filled &ith a!out eighteen paint!rushes4J
et descri!e the composition or st"le e4g4, !rushstro$es, or stippling, for
eample4 ith respect to &or$s of art, include in this description the
color tones and the mood or atmosphere4 #an" people &ho hae lost
their sight hae a isual memor" of colors4
(rient the Vie&er &ith Directions
>pecific and concrete information is re8uired to indicate the location of o!jects or figures
in a &or$ of art4 >ometimes, a useful directional method is to refer to the
positions of the num!ers on a cloc$4 #ost !lind people are familiar &ith
this method of proiding direction4 :or eample, &ith respect to a
personTs face, the mouth is at si oTcloc$4 Also, &hen descri!ing a figure
depicted in a &or$ of art, remem!er that the image is the e8uialent of a
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mirror image4 @ight and left can !e er" am!iguous terms unless the"
are 8ualified4 Accordingl", "ou should descri!e the figure according to its
right or left, and al&a"s 8ualif" this description4 :or eample, J%he
&omanTs right hand holds a small go!let4J
Clear and precise language is crucial to an" good description4 After the general idea of
the &or$ is cone"ed, the description should !e more iid and
particulariFed4 Descri!e pertinent details, and focus on different parts of
the &or$4
Art Conentions
Art terms and pictorial conentions such as perspectie, focal point, picture plane,
foreground, and !ac$ground should al&a"s !e defined for "our audience4
%"picall", it is useful to introduce the definition or concept &hen the
discussion turns to that aspect of the &or$ of art4
ndicate here the Curators =ae nstalled a or$
'enerall", a &or$Ts placement in an institution reeals important information a!out its
meaning, as &ell as its relationship to other &or$s in the collection4 %ell
the listener &here the &or$ is located in the institution4 nclude in "our
discussion a description of the galler" or sculpture garden &here the
&or$ is installed, and mention the surrounding art&or$s4 Descri!e ho&
;
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the &or$ under discussion relates to these other &or$s, as &ell as to the
ie&er and the surrounding space4
@efer to (ther >enses as Analogues for Vision
%r" to translate a isual eperience into another sense4 (ther senses, such as touch or
hearing, ena!le description users to further construct highl" detailed
impressions of a &or$ on displa"4 :or instance, refer to the sense of
touch &hen descri!ing the surface of a sculpture4 A comparison !et&een
the rough-he&n teture of Auguste @odinTs Bal7ac E)+2- and the
glassli$e finish of Constantin BrancusiTs Bird in -pace Ec4 )2 can !e
er" instructie4 (r compare a 9apanese tea-ceremon" jar, &ith its
irregular shape and unfinished surface, &ith a highl" refined Chinese
&hite-porcelain statuette from the eighteenth centur"4 n !oth of these
ceramic &or$s, the degree of surface refinement is an integral part of the
&or$Ts formal alue, as &ell as of its meaning4
plain Concepts &ith Analogies
Certain $inds of isual phenomena, such as shado&s or clouds, ma" !e !est descri!ed
&ith a &ell-chosen analog" or metaphor4 %o construct a helpful analog",
choose o!jects or concepts from common eperience4 n a description of
Pa!lo PicassoTs Cubist painting 8irl with a 6andolin*3ann% Tellier
;*
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E))0, "ou might compare the image of the figure to a shattered &ine
!ottle &hose fragments hae !een reassem!led in different positions4
ncourage Gnderstanding through @eenactment
>ometimes, it ma" !e helpful to hae the ehi!it isitor e5perience the image, i4e4, the
listener could mimic a depicted figureTs pose4 >ince eer"one is a&are
of his or her o&n !od", this actiit" proides a concrete &a" of
understanding difficult poses depicted in a painting4 Additionall", !"
assuming the pose, the description user can directl" perceie important
formal characteristics of the &or$, such as s"mmetr" or as"mmetr"? open
or closed forms? implied action or repose? smooth, flo&ing lines or
angular ones? and the degree of engagement &ith the ie&er4
ncorporate >ound in Creatie a"s
>ound can sere an interpretie and descriptie purpose, particularl" as an auditor"
analogue for a &or$ of isual art4 A uni8uel" designed soundscape can
eo$e the eperience of a displa"4
Another &a" to use sound creatiel" is to proide on-site recordings of architectural
spaces4 :or instance, a listener could hear the !ustling sounds of >t4
PeterTs piaFFa in @ome as he or she approaches its depiction4
Allo& People to %ouch or$s of Art or Artifacts
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Proiding an opportunit" to touch three-dimensional &or$s gies isitors &ho are !lind
or isuall" impaired an immediate, personal eperience &ith an original
&or$ of art4 Direct touch is the !est &a" to eplore an o!ject4 :or
conseration reasons, ho&eer, some museums re8uire people to &ear
thin gl