The creative potential of audio description

Audio description (AD) is often perceived as a functional necessity – a service that allows blind and visually impaired audiences to access visual media like film, television, and theatre by providing spoken narration of the visual elements.

However, audio description can be a powerful creative tool, enhancing the experience for all audiences and enriching the artistic integrity of the work itself. In a recent webinar on the use of alt text and AD, Dr Louise Fryer explained how thinking creatively about AD from the outset can lead to more engaging, informative, and truly accessible experiences.

Channels of meaning

Every film (or moving image) tells its story through a tapestry of sound, visuals, and language. Dr. Fryer identifies three key channels of meaning in film texts: sound, on-screen text, and image.

Sound encompasses narration, dialogue, ambient noises (like birdsong or traffic), and music. While some sounds are self-explanatory—like a doorbell or screeching tires—others require interpretation. For example, a screech could indicate danger, comedy, or urgency depending on what we see alongside it.

On-screen text includes titles, credits, captions, and subtitled speech, all of which need to be conveyed in AD. And then there’s the image—arguably the richest channel. Sighted viewers instantly grasp who’s in a scene, what they’re doing, where and when it’s set, the mood, and even visual style. But what happens when this context is invisible?

Sound can include

• Speech (narration and/or dialogue)
• Sound effects (SFX), recorded ambient (eg. traffic, footsteps, birdsong)
• Music as part of the action eg. Someone seen playing the guitar or putting on a record)
• Or added post-production to provide atmosphere, possibly with lyrics that are relevant to your film

Sound can do a lot of the audio describers work for them; it may be self-explanatory and is usually influenced by what we see. For example, a screech of tyres may be obvious but the potential implication – eg. whether there is a threat to life – needs describing.

What do sighted people get?

• People who feature in the scene
• Action – what is going on
• Location – where it is
• Time period – day or night, historical setting, season
• Facial expressions
• Visual style. Eg. comedy, handheld camera work, live action, B&W or colour

The limits of traditional AD

Traditionally, Audio Description faces significant constraints. It is often restricted to the gaps between dialogue or important sound effects, forcing describers to condense vital visual information into limited timeframes. This can lead to information overload and potentially disrupt the immersive quality of the piece.

Extended Audio Description —where the main audio pauses to insert additional description—tries to overcome this but can also feel jarring. It risks overwhelming the listener or compromising the film’s flow. This has prompted creatives to explore more elegant solutions, such as Audio Introductions.

Audio Introductions: Setting the scene with style

Audio Introductions (or AIs) offer a prime example of creative Audio Description. These spoken introductions, delivered before the main content begins, allow for a more detailed setting of the scene, introduction of characters (including their age, gender, visible disability, and indications of race and ethnicity), running time and functional information such as cast and production credits or visual style. It also allows for the provision of privileged information such as historical background or the artist’s inspiration. AIs can significantly enhance understanding and appreciation from the outset.

For instance, in the documentary Women Making History, an AI covers on-screen text that only appears briefly. By giving audiences a chance to hear and absorb it beforehand, the introduction ensures nothing is lost.

NB. It is important that Audio description is thought about at the beginning of the process and not considered as an ‘add-on’ at the end of a project.

Think about Audio Description from the beginning of your project

Accessible Filmmaking (AFM), is an approach that integrates accessibility considerations throughout the entire production process, involving collaboration between the describer and the rest of the creative team. not just as an afterthought. Accessible filmmaking unlocks numerous creative opportunities for Audio Description.

Dr Louise Fryer and Pablo Romero-Fresco have championed this approach and created a useful accessible filmmaking guide for the BFI. 

Pre-production scripting

Think carefully about scripting. By using more character and location names and adding these into the narration and voice-overs, it can be really helpful. Presenters can be encouraged to use more descriptive language, essentially “treating it as if it were radio”. Importantly, Accessible Filmmaking advises against using deixis (which are words and phrases whose meanings are dependent on contextual or visual information – words like “here” or “that” whose meaning relies on visual context. Where is ‘here’ if you can’t see it?

Production choices also impact Audio Description

Brighter cinematography can be easier for some visually impaired individuals to perceive. Avoiding filming in front of visually rich backgrounds that require extensive description (like posters, street signs or buildings that need lots of description). Crucially, recording ample wildtrack (ambient sound) can enhance the richness of the audio experience for everyone.

Post-production editing and sound design have implications for accessibility

When editing, think about establishing shots, transitions and cutaways. Fast cutting can make a film more dynamic for sighted viewers but challenging for blind audiences to follow. Similarly, the use of non-diegetic sound (sound not originating from within the scene, like added in library music) should be carefully considered as it’s not so informative to a blind person. Diegetic sound – sound that is part of the production (e.g., birdsong, traffic noise) provides more concrete, valuable sensory information.

Giving Voice to AD

We also need to consider the creative potential in Audio Description voicing. Instead of relying on a single, neutral voice, filmmakers can consider using multiple voices or even involving the director or artist to voice the description, potentially in the first person. Layers of interpretation and intimacy can be added to the experience by considering the voice, age or accent of the describer.

Questions to think about/considerations:

• Will the director or artist be involved in the development of the AD script?
• Will the director or sound editor be involved in the recording/mixing of the AD script?
• Will it all be left to the access professional?
• Will they consult with/involve AD users?

Ingredients for accessible content:

• Build in access from start
• Budgeting for access (often involves time and money)
• Collaboration between artists, directors, access professionals, users

Collaboration is key

Collaboration is a cornerstone of creative Audio Description. Engaging audio describers early in the process, including them in discussions with the creative team, and even involving Audio Description users, can lead to richer and more insightful descriptions. This collaborative spirit ensures that Audio Description becomes an integral part of the artistic vision, rather than a separate add-on.

By embracing approaches like Audio Introductions and Accessible Filmmaking, and by fostering collaboration and creative thinking throughout the production process, Audio Description can become a powerful artistic tool that enhances accessibility and enriches the experience for all audiences.

Creative Case Studies

Edie Edmundson: Loaded Object Theatre

Edie Edmundson champions puppetry as a powerful tool to “transport audiences into uncharted waters.” In The Whale’s Tale, accessibility was embedded in the script, the songs, and even the rehearsal process, with an access consultant present from the start. It’s a shining example of how AD can be seamlessly integrated.

Blind Photography: Telling Stories Without Sight

For blind artists like Kurt Weston, photography becomes a process of storytelling rather than image-making. In his work Losing the Light, Weston visually expresses the experience of visual obstruction—smearing glass cleaner across a scanner and placing his face and hand on the glass to simulate the effort of trying to “wipe away” blindness. The accompanying alt text becomes as essential as the image itself, describing smears of foam and the contours of his profile—evocative for both blind and sighted audiences.