Hire a British Audio Description Narrator for your A.D. project
Working from my purpose built, professional home studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina, I can provide A.D. remotely for television, film, corporate video, museum audio and other projects, in a genuine British (or accented Australian) delivery.
I bring to A.D. my decades of voiceover and long form narration experience – including my ability to work fast and with extreme accuracy, often to tight deadlines.
Let me help bring your Audio Description project to life…
Check out the demo reel below, then scroll down to read more and get in touch.
WHAT IS AUDIO DESCRIPTION?
It’s often said that a picture paints a thousand words, and it’s amazing how much the visual content of film and TV relies on what’s on screen to help tell the story - from who’s just entered the room… to what they’re texting on their mobile phone… to the visual joke, or the thing you can clearly see coming (which is about to change the character’s life in ways they can’t even imagine, or with hilarious consequences…)
Now imagine what that same television or movie experience is like for those who are blind, visually impaired or have “low sight”. When all that’s left is dialogue, atmospheric sound and incidental music, the story unfolding on the screen can be challenging to follow at best, and incomprehensible at worst.
A.D. = PAINTING PICTURES WITH WORDS
Audio Description or “A.D.” is a technique used to help people who are blind or have low vision understand the visual content on the screen. Think of it as the blind and low sight equivalent of subtitles for the deaf or hard of hearing, but in sound form. A narrator describes the visual elements, including actions, characters, settings, and other relevant details. A.D. fills in the gaps left by the visuals, providing a complete and immersive experience for the “listening viewer”.
Audio Description is important for blind and low vision people because it allows them to fully participate in visual media, including movies, TV shows, YouTube videos, corporate and training videos, and even live events, where an in-person Describer onsite can help them follow the action of a sporting event, live show, business conference or product launch. Apple recently began adding an Audio Description track for their live streaming events, for example.
A.D. = D.E.I.
The applications are wide: wherever there’s visual content, A.D. can help make it more accessible for those who can’t see it. Broadcasters have been ahead of the curve in implementing Audio Description – partly because equality legislation in some countries is beginning to require a percentage of material to include it – and you can expect to see much more audio described content in the future, just as you’ve come to expect material to be subtitled or have Closed Captions (even live broadcasts!)
But it’s not just TV stations and streamers who can serve their audiences better with Audio Description: organisations of any sort which are looking to improve their D.E.I. (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) provisions would be wise to consider adding A.D. to their toolkits.
Without Audio Description, blind and low vision people may miss important visual details, and struggle to follow the plot or understand the context of what they're watching.
A.D. IS FOR EVERYONE!
As well as enabling blind and low vision people to enjoy the same content as sighted people, Audio Description has at least a couple of “off label” benefits too.
A.D. can enhance the overall viewing experience for sighted people, by providing additional information and details that they may have missed. And when a show carries A.D. it becomes possible to enjoy it purely in audio form – so you can catch up on your favourite TV shows in the car, podcast-style, without being distracted by the visuals while you’re driving. Or you can listen when you’re cooking or working out and can’t pay full attention to what’s happening on the screen!
Why should you choose a human for your A.D. Narration?
Producers creating Audio Description for projects face a number of challenges, from fast turnarounds for broadcast, to fitting in the descriptions around the existing audio elements. After all, A.D. can’t ever get in the way of existing speech, which can leave some very tight spaces to squeeze the descriptive elements into…
One tempting solution to this might be to use an A.I. voice or “synthetic voice” to create the A.D. track. After all, you can tell an A.I. voice exactly how long to speak for and it will do just that. It can also work faster and at a potentially lower cost than a human narrator. But although using A.I. for A.D. might sound like an obvious choice, using a human voice for Audio Description is a much better solution than a synthetic voice for several reasons:
Firstly, a human voice is better at conveying emotions and subtleties hidden in the description text, which an A.I. will almost certainly miss. When there are limited words in the first place due to time constraints, drawing out everything the Describer intended from a carefully written script is crucial. An A.I. voice may be able to accurately read the script in the time available, but it can’t capture the tone or inflection of a human narrator. This results in a much less engaging and less immersive experience for the listening viewer.
Secondly, a human voice can adapt to different styles of audio description, depending on the content and the audience. A human narrator can adjust their pace and tone to match the mood of the scene or the intended audience; speed up and slow down or insert pauses for effect; avoid talking over important bits of audio that aren’t speech but are still important cues; and even change their tone to show that they share in a joke. A synthetic voice, on the other hand, is limited to a single style or tone, which may not be appropriate for all types of content and can never provide this level of nuance.
Finally, a human voice is more relatable and personable than a synthetic voice. The warmth and personality of good human narration can create a connection with the listener and make them feel more included and valued. This is especially important for people who are blind or low vision, as they may already feel isolated or excluded from visual media.
Conveying emotions, adapting to different styles, and creating a more personal connection with the listener are all important reasons to use a human narrator for Audio Description.
Pushback…
Blind and low sighted viewers are now actively pushing back against the use of A.I. voices in Audio Description. They argue that they’re forced to listen to robotic voices all day on their screen readers and other assistive devices, so the last thing they want when they come home is to hear another synthetic voice when they’re trying to “Netflix and chill”!
By consciously choosing to use a human voice for an A.D. project, producers clearly signal to their audience that they care about everyone’s experience – not just those who can both hear and see it.
Why work with me for your Audio Description Narration?
When you need any narration job done well, you need to work with a professional – someone who understands the technology and takes it in their stride; who works with a high level of accuracy and makes the minimum of mistakes; and who can not just read the text, but engage with it and perform it to connect with your audience.
I’ve been engaging with audiences for over thirty years, spending over 25 years in broadcasting with the BBC, ITV and NPR, and the last decade and a half as a full time Voiceover Artist and Narrator for documentaries and audiobooks. I’m probably the best “sight reader” you’ll ever meet, and my clients know me as a “one take wonder” who can achieve great results in a fraction of the time it takes most talent - including the engineering and editing aspects of the job.
As well as providing Audio Description narration in my native British English, my years with my Australian ex-partner and his family provided an immersive experience of the Australian accent, so I’m equally comfortable narrating in Australian English. By way of example, here are Australian English versions of two of the clips from my demo.
Whether you need British English or Australian English for your Audio Description project, you can trust that you’re working with a top shelf voice talent who works quickly and accurately to deliver your project on time and ready to go. Scroll down to the Contact Form below to get in touch and let’s work together!
Mike Cooper
Mike Cooper is a British voice talent who swapped big city life in London for log cabin life in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
Mike is recognisable from his many years on air with the BBC World Service, and as the narrator of countless television documentaries and a growing library of audiobooks. A disruptive influence in school, Mike's first break in narration came at age six, when his teacher realised he could tell the afternoon story better than her (and she could get a nap by way of a bonus!)
When he's not in his home studio, you'll find Mike enjoying hobby farm life and tending to a small herd of charming pet goats, an adorable mini horse called Annie, and a hornless unicorn called Melodie (among others…)