Cinema may be a visual medium, but with accessibility features like audio description and hearing impaired audio tracks, movies can be enjoyed by everyone.
What is Audio Description?
Audio description (AD) is a narrated track that provides aural information about key visual elements in a film. Most of the time this entails describing the key actions taking place on screen. AD can also include facial expressions, scene changes, and on-screen text that would otherwise be missed by visually impaired patrons.
The goal is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their visual abilities, can enjoy the full cinematic experience. It ensures visually impaired individuals can follow along with the plot, understand the context, and enjoy the film. By providing this service, cinemas are fostering an inclusive environment that respects and acknowledges the needs of all moviegoers.
How is Audio Description Produced?
Producing audio description is a meticulous process. A scriptwriter creates a detailed script that describes the visual elements of the film. This script is then recorded by a professional narrator.
One of the critical aspects of audio description is its timing. The description is carefully timed to fit into the natural pauses in dialogue and other important audio elements. This precision ensures that the descriptive narration does not overlap with the film’s dialogue, allowing visually impaired viewers to receive the necessary information without missing out on the spoken words of the characters.
Unlike audio description for television or streaming platforms, where the description is often mixed into the main audio track, cinema audio description is packaged as a separate mono track on the DCP.
Dedicated Systems
In cinemas, the audio description track is transmitted through a dedicated system. Patrons who require this service can request a headset, which will play the audio description track in sync with the film. This separation ensures that the main audio track remains unchanged for other audience members, maintaining the integrity of the cinematic experience for everyone.
Hearing Impaired Track: A Specialized Downmix
In addition to audio description, DCPs can also offer a hearing impaired track. This track is a downmix of the film’s audio that emphasizes the center channel, which predominantly contains the dialogue. By boosting the dialogue, this track makes it easier for hearing impaired patrons to follow the conversations in the film, providing a clearer and more comprehensible audio experience.