https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0374-7727
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ABSTRACT
The Enhancing Audio Description project explored the design of an alternative to traditional Audio Description for film and television for visually impaired audiences, by maximising the potential of sound design strategies for storytelling. The project’s methodology sits within the field of accessible filmmaking, advocating for the integration of accessibility strategies to creative workflows while also acknowledging their artistic potential. The present article explores the use of the Enhancing Audio Description (EAD) methods by a group of film students and recent graduates in the creation of a short film, while also discussing the process and end result in the context of the lack of inclusion of education on accessibility in filmmaking degrees. The authors discuss how a lack of teaching in the field of accessibility to film students results in a reinforcement of harmful stereotypes that exclude disabled audiences. A greater interest in accessibility sparked at university level might contribute towards a more inclusive film industry.
Acknowledgements
The Enhancing Audio Description project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/N003713/1). Special thanks to all the students, graduates and actors that participated in the project.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributors
Dr Mariana Lopez is a Senior Lecturer in Sound Production and Post Production in the Department of Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media at the University of York. In addition to lecturing in the field of sound, Mariana also leads the BSc in Film and Television Production. She has a background in music and sound design, having been awarded the BA degree in Arts with specialisation in Music and the MA degree in Post Production with specialisation in Sound Design. In 2013 she completed her PhD at the University of York on the importance of virtual acoustics to further our understanding of the York Mystery Plays. Before joining the University of York, Mariana worked at Anglia Ruskin University as a Senior Research Fellow. She was the principal investigator for the AHRC-funded project ‘Enhancing Audio Description.’
Dr Gavin Kearney graduated from Dublin Institute of Technology in 2002 with an Honors degree in Electronic Engineering and has since obtained MSc and PhD degrees in Audio Signal Processing from Trinity College Dublin. He joined the University of York as Lecturer in Sound Design in January 2011 and was appointed Associate Professor in Audio and Music Technology in 2016. He has written over 60 research articles and 2 patents on different facets of immersive and interactive audio, including real-time audio signal processing, Ambisonics, virtual and augmented reality and recording and audio post-production technique development.
Krisztián Hofstädter is a creative technologist living in East Anglia since 2005. His main expertise lies in music technology. In Hungary he was an orchestral percussionist and received a diploma in Cultural Organising. He has completed his BA (2009) and MA (2013) in Creative Music Technology and has started his PhD in Music (2015) at Anglia Ruskin University. His research develops Brain Computer Music Interfacing for meditation. Besides his studies Krisztián has been working as a university lecturer, composer and sound designer for games, films and theatre, music technician, live sound engineer, photographer, painter, video producer and event organiser.
Dr Gianluca Balla is a lecturer in Games Art, Animation and VFX, and a transmedia contents producer. He completed a Ph.D. in film directing and visual effects at the University of York and he is the founder of the production companies 'Whip Ma Whop Ma Film' and 'Transmedia Tale'. He wrote, produced and directed several shorts which have been screened in various International Film Festivals around the world. His comics are distributed by ComiXology. He has been a member of the selection committee for the Fiction category for The Globe International Silent Film Festival 2017. Gianluca holds a MA in Architectural Engineering.