Screen Representation Through Audio Description
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Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, there was very little Black representation on screen. Whether television or film, the opportunities to see multi-dimensional characters of colour were few and far in between. The late 80s and 90s brought more representation from Black filmmakers like Spike Lee, John Singleton and Julie Dash. More recently, Shonda Rhimes, Ava Duvernay and Jordan Peele continue to tell our stories on big and small screens.
Meanwhile, there is a segment of the population that has historically and continually been excluded, in a multitude of ways, from seeing ourselves on screen: Black people and People of Colour with disabilities. Those who use wheelchairs or others with mobility challenges are physically excluded from spaces if they are inaccessible. For those who are Deaf or Blind, the lack of films that include captions and descriptions limit their ability to fully engage with the content, and there's even less access for those who are Deafblind.
What is audio description?
Audio description is the method by which people who are Blind or have low vision independently access visual content like film, television or live theatre. The concept of describing is the same; provide concise description of scenes lacking dialogue, sound design or music that enables a person to non-visually understand what is taking place on screen or stage. While the history of audio description varies in each country, current practices are said to originate in the United States with Dr Margaret Pfanstiehl and her husband Cody Pfanstiehl.
One important detail that is often forgotten when discussing this history is that Dr Pfanstiehl was blind. An admissible fact that should set the tone when we think about access. It is vital that those who are going to use the tools lead the conversation about solutions, and participate in the production process.
Say What You See
Writing audio description requires adhering to a set of rules dictated by the content. Some of these rules include:
Narration must fit into the scenes where there is no dialogue, sound design or important music that should be heard by the consumer.
Never explain the plot or tell the consumer how they should feel. Rather, provide the details that enable them to understand the story as it is being revealed.
Make sure not to over describe, especially including descriptions of things that could be understood audibly. There is never a need to say the phone rings if it does so audibly.
A common approach to writing audio descriptions is to "say what you see". But seeing is perceiving, it's subjective and our experiences greatly impact how we see the world. Writers unfamiliar with cultural references in a film can easily mis-reference or overlook their importance and value to the story. Audio description writers need to acknowledge their own limitations, challenge their biases and seek out appropriate assistance in order to better inform consumers.
A "Colour Blind" Approach to Audio Description?
For years, this form of accessibility, through its adopted guidelines, has systematically erased Black people, Indigenous people and People of Colour from screen and stage. By calling for the inclusion of race, ethnicity or colour only when it is deemed relevant to the plot, my access as a Blind person to characters of colour on screen, is filtered through this "colour blind" approach to audio description.
Of course, I can detect accents or deduce from other aspects of a character's speech including phrasing, vocal tone and vernacular, but these are all assumptions whilst for sighted consumers the information is clearly on screen and accessible.
More content distributors are realising the colour blind approach is not about respecting culture but ultimately erasing people of colour from film. Current guidelines such as this AD Style Guide from Netflix, recognises that today's content is much more reflective of "the diversity of human experience."
A far more comprehensive approach to description, Netflix requires consideration of “both the needs of the plot and the importance of representation. Description should be factual and prioritise an individual’s visual attributes to address their most significant identity traits, such as hair texture, skin colour, eye colour, build, height, age description (such as late thirties, fifties, teenager), and traits related to visible disabilities. Description should also be done consistently for all main and relevant supporting characters that are being described (i.e., do not single out a character because of a specific trait, describe everyone equally) and using a person-first approach (e.g., a swimmer with one leg instead of a one-legged swimmer).
Voice Matters!
Similar to the process of casting actors, consideration should be taken to make sure the voice of the narrator matches the overall tone of the film. An animated film for children would not be well served using a deep authoritative voice, but rather one that is more approachable, comforting and friendly.
The AD narrator is not a character in the film, their role is to provide the information and get out of the way to allow the consumer to engage with the film as it was intended, and without disruption to their experience.
Personally, I find it disruptive when films about or immersed in Black People’s and People of Colour’s experiences or communities are narrated by those who are historically responsible for the enslavement, colonisation or imperialism of those people.
Over the past five years, more AD producers are striving for an authentic experience for AD consumers. Hiring more narrators of colour to voice films by and/or about Black People and People of Colour is one means of honouring and respecting the film's cultural aesthetic. However, the lack of industry wide adoption, by not incorporating this as an AD guideline, means the marginalisation will continue.
Intersectional Disability
Disability is said to be the largest worldwide "minority" group, and viewed as a separate demographic category, yet many fail to acknowledge its intersections with other identities.
Disability representation in the media is reported to be less than 3 %. The overwhelming majority traditionally focuses on white men. Black People and People of Colour who are disabled are at least twice marginalised, lacking both on screen representation and in the inclusion and telling of our stories.
Similar to the entertainment industry itself, white people make up the majority of those creating audio descriptions today. Progress is slow, and more needs to be done. For example, when writers only describe the characters of colour, it is implied that white is the norm and therefore does not require description. And still, white AD narrators continue to receive assignments to voice films despite their lack of relationship to the culture.
Insisting on both the identification of the major characters in a film and the inclusion of BIPOC narrators is therefore not solely about access, but about representation, too. It is a direct challenge of, and move towards abolishing, white supremacy.
I am certain that if filmmakers were more aware of the importance of audio description and were more involved in its production process, audio description would be more reflective of a film's vision.
I don't believe Ryan Coogler would decide to cast a white British voice for the AD narrator of Black Panther. Yet, AD consumers were guided through Wakanda by the voice reminiscent of the coloniser. Issa Rae, who famously said she's "rooting for everybody Black", wouldn't hire a white woman to describe her HBO series Insecure. But apparently, the decision wasn't hers. To my dismay, I highly doubt Rae and Coogler are aware that Black and Blind viewers in particular, are getting a "white washed" version of their work. But it is their job to be more aware.
Until appropriate steps are made to include identities such as colour, gender and disability, Blind people will continue to be denied the full experience as was intended by films’ creators. We must therefore continue to advocate for the inclusion of more Black People and People of Colour’s voices for a more equitable and authentic film experience.
