The Art of Audio Description
Audio description is a unique storytelling art form in both written and oral language. At first glance, audio description might seem simple. Just say what’s happening on stage, screen, or canvas, right? But truly effective AD is deeper than the literal play-by-play. It’s about transforming visual details into thoughtful words that evoke the same impact, nuance, and emotion as the piece being described. Done well, AD can make a visual world feel rich and immersive to a listener. One could call it poetry, such as haiku and/or ekphrastic. For readers less familiar with the latter term, the J. Paul Getty Museum clarifies its etymology: “In ancient Greece, the term ekphrasis was applied to the skill of describing a thing with vivid detail.”
Let’s look at the elements that make audio description a skillful craft unto itself:
Respect
Respecting both an artwork’s integrity and the audience’s experience of it is central to great audio description. Diverse genres of artistic mediums and cultural events encompass unique styles and tone. For instance, a historical drama might need descriptions rooted in period details, while a science fiction film could call for vernacular that reflects futuristic settings. Each word of AD should serve the purpose of conveying what the original creators intended. Rather than embellishing, censoring, projecting, or interpreting, the goal of AD is to open a window into the portrayed world. Quality AD trusts the audience’s ability to imagine and visualize the artwork via their mind’s eye, regardless of their functional eyesight.
Invisibility
Audio description is undetectable when done well. In a delicate balance, describers must be attuned to the smallest details while knowing when to fade into the background, letting the story take center stage. They’re not telling the story; they’re inviting the listener to experience it for themselves by filling in the non-verbal gaps. AD ought never impede or distract from the listener’s ability to engage with the artwork.
Precision
Audio description conveys the appropriate tone without dictating the listener’s perception. Audio describers say what they see, not what they assume (this is a tricky habit to break in the human condition). Physical expressions and gestures come loaded with nuance due to subtextual complexity, so restraint in AD is key. Imagine a film scene in which a character smiles. To avoid over-explaining or assigning an emotional interpretation, a describer might say, “Their smile [glistens/trembles/clenches],” rather than “They’re [excited/sad/angry].”
Timing
In theatre (and dance), audio description collaborates with the rehearsed tempo of a production—and must also respond in real time, thanks to the unpredictable and improvisational nature of live performances. AD fits into the quiet spaces between dialogue, music, and sound effects. A describer often has only a millisecond to describe an important detail. Great audio description mirrors the rhythm of a scene, and it enhances without over-saturating. Hence the likeness to haiku: brief and effective word choice always wins.