[adp-list] Description Quality
margaret hardy
katiemags at aol.com
Thu Jun 7 17:37:07 EDT 2012
tell me how it would work.
margaret hardy
katiemags at aol.com
-----Original Message-----
From: fred olver <goodfolks at charter.net>
To: ACB Audio Description Project Discussion List <adp-list at acb.org>
Sent: Thu, Jun 7, 2012 2:25 pm
Subject: Re: [adp-list] Description Quality
Why not, but also for Descriptive video in theaters, I expect it would
be alot cheaper.Fred Olver----- Original Message ----- From: "margaret
hardy" <katiemags at aol.com>To: <adp-list at acb.org>Sent: Thursday, June
07, 2012 4:23 PMSubject: Re: [adp-list] Description Quality> for live
theatre?>> margaret hardy> katiemags at aol.com>>> -----Original
Message-----> From: fred olver <goodfolks at charter.net>> To: ACB Audio
Description Project Discussion List <adp-list at acb.org>> Sent: Thu, Jun
7, 2012 1:38 pm> Subject: Re: [adp-list] Description Quality>>> Someone
ought to develop an app so Iphone users can receive audio > description
with their phones or Ipods/ipads.>> Fred Olver>> ----- Original Message
----->> From: Diane DiSalvo>> To: adp-list at acb.org>> Sent: Thursday,
June 07, 2012 2:32 PM>> Subject: Re: [adp-list] Description
Quality>>>>> Brilliantly stated, as usual, Rick. What you have
outlined here is and > has always been the goal of AudioVision, Inc.
That is to say the > providing of "quality description." As Margaret
said, we were able to > bring in blind patrons to review our process
back in the "old days" and > it was tremendously beneficial in
creating the formula we continue to > operate with today. I too
believe that this is the most important issue > concerning the
continued improvement and ultimate success of audio > description. If
those of us working in this field cannot ensure the > quality of what
we produce, we are merely spinning our wheels and doing > more of a
disservice to those we profess to serve.>> Thank you so much for your
"unique perspective."> Diane DiSalvo> Program Director> AudioVision,
Inc.>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------>
From: rjboggs at socal.rr.com> Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2012 11:24:27 -0700> To:
adp-list at acb.org> Subject: [adp-list] Description Quality>> Hello
all,> I'd like to share my somewhat unique perspective with you, in
particular > with those blind consumers on the list here. I say unique,
because > perhaps sadly, I happen to be the only totally blind
professional > producer of video description and the only producer of
video description > to hire blind professionals to review the
description work we do at my > company. So, I am certainly a
consumer. I am also a professional audio > engineer and voice over
artist with a resume of more than 25 years in > those fields of
work.>> There are so many issues concerning description, and many
more studies > need to be conducted. Description consumers are so
unaware of > description in general, where to find it, how it is
produced, what is > and is not possible to achieve through
description, how to access it when > it is offered, how to know when
and where it is offered, and on and on. > People can point to the
limited studies that have been attempted thus > far. We know that the
AFB study from the late 1990s suggested great > disparity between
blind consumers of description and their opinions > about what they
liked and what they wanted. In my own organization and > experience
producing description, we have continuously attempted to > collect as
much data as possible about consumer opinions related to >
description style and content. I have carefully analyzed all of the >
published "standards" for description as well. It seems there are
some > generally agreed upon principles. Everything else seems to be
stylistic > choices.> I am concerned that the technology related to
description production and > delivery is already and will continue to
be far ahead of the effort to > learn answers to some critical
questions that could best ensure that > blind consumers of description
are served effectively. The "quality" of > description will forever be
an arguable topic with various schools of > thought advocating their
own viewpoints. To imagine that there might > ever be an agreed upon
method by which we can measure the quality of > description might be
a very lofty idea and may be well out of reach in > reality. However,
the concern about the rising quantity of description > becoming a
priority that completely blots out any effort to ensure the > quality
of description offered is a very valid concern. Consumers > generally
have no idea about emerging technology that will soon make the >
production and delivery of description very easy for anyone to do.
While > this will surely increase exponentially the quantity of
description > available, it will also surely dramatically affect the
style or quality > of description available as well.> The real
question here is whether or not the current "leadership" or > leading
producers of description will make any attempt to address this >
issue, or will they simply be satisfied to get their share of the >
growing pie of description work in the marketplace? Anytime
non-disabled > individuals provide a "service" intended to benefit
people with > disabilities, there is a potential for a gap in
integrity or > accountability. Because the service being sold or
purchased feels like a > program to benefit the public, there is
possibly a built-in assumption > by consumers of the service and the
onlooking public that those > providing the service are serving the
disabled population in the most > effective way possible and that doing
so is in fact the goal of those > providing the service. That is a
natural dynamic when non-disabled > people design, operate, and deliver
services for disabled populations.>> So, I assert that the best way
to address the issue of the "quality" of > description, whatever that
might mean, is to ensure that blind > professionals are reviewing
description, are involved in producing > description, and that, in
general, those producing description in any form > ought to make every
effort to be directly accountable to the consumers > they serve.
While this may not result in any particular consistency in > style or
content of description, it will be the only measurable means to >
determine that every effort has been made to serve the consumer; that
> is, let the consumer determine how they are served.>> All sorts of
arguments can be made by producers of description as to why > this is
not practical, but I run perhaps the smallest of the very active >
description companies who regularly deliver description to government
> agencies, nonprofit organizations, and even television, DVD, and
movie > cinemas, and I have been able to ensure that every program is
reviewed > by professionals who are also blind consumers.> Since
consumers know very little about the service, as I already pointed >
out, they are likely to accept any idea that sounds reasonable that >
might explain why a description producer does not include any blind >
professional review process. I would suggest that no other producer of
> description would likely understand how they might incorporate some
form > of review by blind professionals, since they have no
experience doing > it. As a business person, I definitely appreciate
the perceived burden > that such accountability might seem to be.
Purely from a business > standpoint, any added expense to the
production process would be a cost > that must be minimized in order
to achieve maximum profitability. > Indeed, if blind consumers allow
cost and profit margin to be the > primary or sole considerations for
producers, then that will remain a > legitimate approach to producing
description. However, if the forces in > the marketplace were to
shift, and an emphasis on some measure of > quality, such as review by
a blind professional, were to become a major > concern for buyers of
description who might hear lots of feedback from > consumers of
description, that might be a "game changer" forgive the > over-used
pop phrase. If consumers were to apply enough pressure through >
public forums like social media, email petitions, and phone calls and
> letters to government agencies that fund description, networks that
> broadcast description, and theaters, museums, and other venues that
> offer description, asking, demanding, to know if blind
professionals > reviewed the description being offered, then, suddenly,
it makes more > sense for a producer to incorporate such
accountability, even if it does > put a small bend in the bottom line.
Consumers most often think like > consumers, but if blind consumers
want to have any impact on the kind of > description they get in the
near future, they really will have to think > more like business
people.>> Do we who produce description need to learn much more about
what our > description consumers want? Yes, we do. However, if
finding those > answers takes longer than the roll out of new
technology that will flood > the market with description that may not
even really serve consumers, > then studies may become an irrelevant
afterthought. Blind consumers are > still in a position to have an
impact before that horse leaves the barn. > Waiting until they are
completely unhappy with what passes for most > description will be
too late to do much about it.>> So, that is my somewhat unique
perspective on what I consider to be the > most important topic or
issue concerning description today.>> I certainly cannot be accused of
trying to be popular.>> Rick Boggs>> www.audioeyesllc.com>
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