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Audio description for blind and low-vision audiences.

Audio description narrates what is happening on screen for viewers who cannot see it, written to fit the gaps between dialogue, voiced, and mixed so it sits inside the program rather than on top of it.

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Dialogue“I never said that.”
Gap3s, no dialogue, no meaningful sound.
DescriptionShe sets the letter down and looks away.

Description placed in the silence between lines.

Describing what the picture is doing.

An extra narration track carrying what a sighted viewer takes for granted. Done well, it is close to invisible.

  • Who is there

    Who entered the room, named once the character is established.

  • What faces mean

    What the expression on a face means.

  • Where we are

    Where the scene has moved to.

  • On-screen text

    Text on screen that carries plot information, read aloud.

Writing to the gaps.

Description only goes where there is no dialogue and no sound that carries meaning. In a three-second gap you cannot describe a room, a costume and a face, so you choose what the story needs, for ninety minutes. We describe what is there, not motive, match the program's register, never reveal what the sighted viewer has not yet seen, and read plot-bearing on-screen text.

Dialogue
Gap
Description

Description placed in the silence between lines.

Recording and placing the track.

The mix is where audio description succeeds or fails.

  1. 01CastA describer distinct from the cast, neutral, never editorializing.
  2. 02RecordOne describer, consistent across the whole title.
  3. 03MixBalanced with the main mix, clear across quiet and loud scenes.

How it's delivered.

A separate description track, a pre-mixed described version, or both, to your platform's requirement. Description scripts come as a text deliverable where you need them for compliance records.

Frequently
Asked Questions.

What is audio description?
Audio description is a narration track that describes on-screen visual information, actions, expressions, scene changes and on-screen text, for viewers who are blind or have low vision. It is written to fit the natural gaps between dialogue so it does not compete with the program.
Is audio description legally required?
Requirements vary by territory and platform, and several major markets and streaming services mandate it for some or all content. Tell us where you are publishing and we will work to the applicable specification; we do not offer legal advice on your compliance obligations.
Can you describe content in languages other than English?
Yes. Description is written and voiced in the target language by native speakers, not translated from an English description, the gaps available differ once dialogue is dubbed, so the script has to be written against the localized version.
How is it delivered?
As a separate description track, a pre-mixed described version, or both, according to your platform's specification. Description scripts can be delivered as text alongside where you need them for compliance records.

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