AD
Audio description
is an acoustic image description that gives blind and visually impaired people access to the medium of film. In order to capture visual impressions as far as possible, plot elements are described in dialogue breaks. Close attention is paid to the scenery, gestures, facial expressions and camera work, and the main protagonists are briefly characterised.
The language is concise and precise, the choice of words adapted to the atmosphere. The sound level is also taken into account, which is another important stylistic element and from which the plot is revealed to the visually impaired person. Where possible, sounds and music are always left blank in order to preserve the film as a complete work. Working out the sound level in advance and leaving self-explanatory sounds blank is an elementary part of the creation process.
‘The inspector, in his mid-40s, has a full build, short brown hair and an alert gaze’
Script
The script goes through several filters before final approval to ensure that the content is described correctly. Details that are not apparent from the script are clarified in consultation with the director and production.
Editorial
The final editing is carried out with affected, visually impaired employees and editors, focussing on linguistic and content accuracy.
Recording
The recording in the sound studio is always supervised by the editors who were directly involved in the creation of the script. In collaboration with the sound director, the audio description is placed precisely and care is taken to ensure that the original soundtrack remains unchanged.
HoH
HoH Subtitles
Subtitles for deaf and hearing-impaired people. They receive an additional description of the film soundtrack, which conveys important elements of the film. First and foremost, spoken words, sounds and music are translated into written words.
VO
Voiceover
Voiceover (or VO for short) is a studio technique in which the sound recording of a voice is superimposed over another sound recording or a film sequence. E.g. narrators in documentary films, speakers, the voice of an actor to show what is going through his head, telephone conversations where you cannot see the person on the other end of the line, adverts.
Dialogue and voice-overs are also part of the audio description for foreign-language films. The rule is: foreign-language scenes for which a German translation is provided in the picture are recorded. Depending on requirements, a second or even several voices are used for this purpose.
EN 
DE