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Best Practices for the
Audio Description of Live Events
Accessible Media Inc. (AMI)
Robert Pearson
March 4th, 20159:00am PT
30th CSUN ConferenceSan Diego
Accessible Media Inc. (AMI)
Make accessible media for all Canadians
• Overview
Accessible Media Inc. (AMI)
• A not-for-profit
• Three broadcast channels, website
• Mandated as must-carry services for all providers
• 20+ years of making media accessible
Accessible Media Inc. (AMI)
• AMI-audio; magazines, books, local and original programs
• AMI-tv; open described, closed captioned TV
• AMI.ca http://www.ami.ca/
• AMI-télé http://www.amitele.ca/
• DV Guide http://www.ami.ca/dvguide/
• Scholarship, Research Panel, DV Best Practices
Financial Model
• Per subscriber
– AMI-audio: $0.04
– AMI-tv: $0.20
– AMI-télé: $0.28
• AMI-télé paid in Francophone markets, but distributed nationally
• Not-for-profit, everything invested back
• Largest costs are for acquiring and describing Canadian broadcast content
In Canada, it’s Described Video
• Described video (DV) is a narrated description of a program's main visual elements, such as settings, costumes, or body language
• Works best for pre-recorded programs, such as dramas and documentaries
• Described video uses a separate audio track
Description Roadmap
Timeline
• April 2011 to June 2012
– Described Video Working Group
• June 2012 to June 2013
– Post-Production Described Video Best Practices
• January 2014 to June 2014
– Live Described Video Best Practices
• 2015: Embedded, Multi-lingual, Digital
Post-Production DV Examples
AMI YouTube Channel
• DV PSA Rainforest
• DV PSA Hospital
• AMI Old House
• AMI Diner
• Murdoch Mysteries
Industry adopted Described Video Best Practices
+
Internally developed guidelines based upon the unique experiences of each producer
=
Consistent and good quality DV in Canada
Post-Production DV Best Practices
Post-Production DV Best Practices
Artistic Guidelines
1. Individual/Physical Characteristics2. Scene Transitions3. Visual Effects4. Non-verbal Sounds/Communications5. Titles, Subtitles , Credits, Text on
Screen, Signing6. Style and Tone
Technical Guidelines
1. Channels2. Loudness & peak levels3. Soundtrack vs. DV mix levels4. Equalization5. Sync6. Recording quality7. Output parameters
Live Event Description
Background
• Less than a thousand hours of live description ever broadcast by all networks in Canada
• New frontier in terms of the development of best practices.
• MLB, Paralympic Games, Royal Wedding, a reality show and an election.
Live Event Description
Requirements
• Knowledge, background and experience
• Recruitment, research and rehearsal are necessary to ensure that a live describer can speak in context with a program as it is being delivered.
Characteristics: Live DV event
Definition
• A process of listening, watching and narrating while determining where the description is added as the event takes place.
• A described performance that is done live has no opportunity for revision.
• A performance is live if the turnaround to going to air is less than a day and they will either be considered live-to-tape or live-to-air.
Live DV Best Practices
Logistical
1. Research
2. Physical Location
3. Producer, Describer Relationship
4. Characteristics of a Live Event
5. Handling the Unexpected
• Royal Wedding
• Blue Jays Baseball
Live DV Best Practices
Technical and Artistic Guidelines
• Role of the Describer
1. Primary descriptions – Descriptions that are crucial to the understanding of a story.
2. Secondary descriptions – Descriptions that are defined as being important but not essential to the understanding of a story.
3. Tertiary descriptions – Stylistic descriptions that are encouraged when time allows.
Best Practices Downloads
• Go to AMI.ca, select Media Accessibility
• Post-Production v. 2 and Live v. 1
• Next versions: to be published by May 2015
• http://www.ami.ca/media-accessibility/Pages/Described-Video-Best-Practices.aspx
AMI-player
• Launched October 30th, 2014
• Providing an Accessible Broadcast Experience (ABE)
• Structurally accessible with accessible content
• AMI Original Programming
Described Video TV Guide
Contact
• http://www.ami.ca
• Twitter: @a11ymedia
• Facebook: Accessible Media Inc.
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/accessiblemedia/
