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As a double alum of George Mason College and former member of the Inexperienced Machine pep band, one in all my favourite components of going to basketball video games was attending to play the GMU combat music (Onward to Victory) and singing together with hundreds of different followers within the enviornment. I discovered the music and lyrics by studying them in massive print, although it took me a number of video games to be taught the choreography for the combat music— low imaginative and prescient made it difficult to see the opposite band members dancing round me.
Once I admitted this to one in all my mates at lunch at some point, they filmed a video of themselves singing the combat music and described their actions, in order that manner I may watch their actions on a display screen nearer to my face. It was so thrilling to have the ability to not solely be taught the choreography for myself, however to make use of this info to show different college students the combat music earlier than their first sport day.
Years later, Inexperienced Machine launched a video of band director Doc Nix instructing college students the GMU combat music, and I began interested by my pal’s video and the way useful the extra description was in serving to me be taught the music. To make college spirit extra accessible and inclusive for college kids with visible impairments, I created an “unofficial” audio described model of the unique video with Doc Nix that gives extra detailed descriptions of choreography in order that blind college students and college students with low imaginative and prescient can exhibit their patriot satisfaction. Listed below are my suggestions for methods to create audio description for faculty combat music movies, from a pupil with low imaginative and prescient.
All in favour of watching the video first? Test it out on YouDescribe— Be taught the Combat Music with Doc Nix (student-created audio description)
BACKGROUND: WHAT IS AUDIO DESCRIPTION?
Audio description, typically known as descriptive audio or described video, is an extra narration observe designed with nonvisual entry in thoughts, offering particulars for all key visible components of a video in order that audiences with visible impairments (inclusive of blind/low imaginative and prescient) can totally take part and have interaction with content material. Audio description is delivered throughout pure pauses in dialogue or music and may help viewers higher perceive what’s going on. Most audio description content material posted on-line is “open”, that means that it doesn’t require any particular tools or headphones to take heed to the extra description observe.
TYPES OF AUDIO DESCRIPTION: INLINE AND EXTENDED
There are two varieties of audio description, together with inline description and prolonged description. Movies can make the most of one or each of those types at completely different factors.
Inline description performs concurrently with the video, offering description throughout pure pauses in dialogue or music in order that the video is just not interrupted. This fashion is good for describing motion (e.g. elevating fingers) or for offering descriptions for movies which have little to no spoken content material in any other case.
Prolonged audio description pauses the video to learn the outline, and resumes video playback as soon as the outline for a scene is completed. This works nicely for movies that require detailed description for dancing or choreography, throughout fast scene modifications, or to keep away from speaking over singing/talking in the course of the video.
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AUDIO DESCRIPTION VS VIDEO DESCRIPTION
On this context, video descriptions present a text-based description of visible components in a video, appearing as a transcript or abstract that the viewer can learn both with massive print, a display screen reader, or a braille show. The viewer could use the text-based description to offer extra context for what they’re watching or to assist fill in blanks after watching a video, finally answering the query “what did I simply watch?” Video descriptions can be a useful instrument for making movies simpler to find on social media or with SEO.
The first distinction between audio description and video descriptions on this context is that audio descriptions describe the whole lot happening aside from what’s communicated by sound or verbal description; the main target is on what isn’t being mentioned or heard. For video descriptions, the audio could also be talked about in terms of describing music selection or writing a transcript of spoken content material, however the main focus continues to be on describing visible components of the video.
WHICH IS BETTER: AUDIO DESCRIPTION OR VIDEO DESCRIPTIONS?
In relation to watching movies and understanding what is going on in actual time, audio description offers viewers with essentially the most “immersive” expertise, as they don’t have to look away from the video or in any other case change how they’re watching it to listen to the outline. Textual content-based video descriptions then again are positioned in a caption or separate file, in order that they require the viewer to look away from the video they’re watching to deal with studying. That mentioned, video descriptions could be useful for offering a abstract of what’s occurring in a video, or present a replica of the lyrics or motion notes for particular strains within the music.
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Choosing the fitting video for audio description
Many schools and universities publish a video of somebody singing the college combat music whereas additionally exhibiting any motion or choreography that corresponds with completely different lyrics— this can be shared by way of the athletic division, music division, admissions, or with a pupil group. At George Mason College, the Inexperienced Machine pep band posted a video known as “Be taught the Combat Music with Doc Nix,” which teaches viewers the combat music lyrics and choreography, in addition to exhibiting footage of the music and different chants being carried out at a basketball sport.
This video is a unbelievable candidate for including audio description as a result of it incorporates a model of the combat music at a slower tempo and has choices for each inline and prolonged description. If the video had simply been somebody clapping as they sang the combat music, it wouldn’t want audio description as a result of there wouldn’t be any motion to explain that somebody would miss out on in the event that they have been simply listening to the video.
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Producing audio description for college spirit movies
In relation to recording audio description for a school combat music or college cheers, there are a number of free instruments that can be utilized with present movies. Some choices embody:
- For creators recording their very own movies, narration could be integrated into the recording course of by offering detailed verbal descriptions of actions as they seem on the display screen. For instance, an teacher can share a set of steps or the title of particular actions as they carry out them in actual time, whereas avoiding phrases akin to “like this” or different imprecise location info.
- One possibility for including audio description to YouTube movies is the free YouDescribe net software, which provides choices for recording inline descriptions that play alongside the video, in addition to prolonged descriptions that enable creators to pause movies and go into extra element about what is going on. That is what I used to create the audio description for the George Mason video.
- For movies recorded on an iOS gadget, the Clips software can be utilized so as to add extra narration to movies and document audio description.
- When posting movies on platforms akin to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, a video description could be shared or linked within the video caption or description, in order that customers can learn the outline on their very own. Alternatively, a remark containing description could be pinned to the highest of a feed.
One other potential possibility is to attach with incapacity providers or accessible supplies workplace to seek out out if they’ve a service or workflow they use to offer audio description for college kids.
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Find out how to create audio description for faculty combat music and college spirit movies
Once I created the “unofficial” (not college sponsored) audio description observe for the combat music as a part of an task, I used the next workflow and got here up with this record of methods for others who need to create their very own audio description tracks. Watch my video on the YouDescribe web site at Be taught the Combat Music with Doc Nix (student-created audio description)
Step 1: Watch the video and take notes
Step one of making audio description for faculty combat music or college spirit movies is to observe the unique video a number of instances to seize notes and particulars about completely different visible components— I might pause the video after every line of the music to take notes in regards to the motion. For me, it helped that I already knew the choreography being carried out within the video, however I nonetheless had to determine how I might describe it and which facet completely different actions would begin on.
Step 2: Describe choreography and actions
Once I wrote my first draft of notes, I used phrases like “make energy pose” and “prolong arm in air” to explain a few of the actions made in the course of the combat music and accompanying cheers. I spotted that a few of these descriptions would want extra element to ensure that somebody to observe together with the choreography, particularly since pep bands members are anticipated to make use of their left hand/proper hand for particular components of the music. Some examples of how I up to date my notes embody:
- Lengthen left arm within the air whereas making a fist, then decrease it
- Doc touches his proper shoulder together with his left fist after which bends each elbows at a 90 diploma angle to imitate a energy pose
The video is structured in order that the primary half reveals Doc Nix offering verbal descriptions of the actions and the second half reveals him modeling the actions to a slower model of the combat music.
My notes from the primary a part of the video embody the next particulars:
- Doc raises his left arm within the air
- Doc touches the highest of the inexperienced diamond on the baton and the gold frames of his sun shades whereas smiling
- Doc extends his left hand whereas taking a look at his palm, with fingers unfold out
- Doc salutes the digicam, angles his elbow at a forty five diploma angle in entrance of him whereas making a fist, after which extends his arm straight up within the air earlier than bringing it again down
- Lengthen each arms again into the air Doc makes a saluting movement after which strikes his head whereas swaying from proper to left
- Doc touches his proper shoulder together with his left fist after which bends each elbows at a 90 diploma angle to imitate a energy pose
- Doc makes three punching gestures alternating his left, proper, after which left fists, extending the elbows at a forty five diploma angle in entrance of him
- Doc claps together with the rhythm
My notes from the second a part of the video that reveals the combat music lyrics embody the next particulars:
- Lengthen left arm within the air whereas making a fist, then decrease it
- Level to inexperienced and gold
- Lengthen arm whereas taking a look at palm, then decrease it
- Salute, decrease arm, after which prolong fist within the air
- Lengthen each arms within the air once more, then decrease them
- Make a salute, then transfer the top and torso from proper to left. Return to heart place.
- Contact proper shoulder with left fist, place left fist at 45 diploma angle subsequent to physique
- Make three punching actions, alternating left, proper, left
- Clap alongside to music
The second a part of the video was primarily centered on the timings of every motion, slightly than explaining what the motion appeared like.
Step 3: Be aware any on-screen textual content that isn’t learn out loud and descriptions of environment
If textual content is included on the display screen however nobody reads it out loud, it’s useful to learn this textual content out loud within the audio description or to say it in a video description. I didn’t learn the combat music lyrics out loud as a result of Doc Nix was saying them in actual time because the lyrics appeared on the display screen— I might have simply been repeating issues he already mentioned.
One other useful technique is to offer a short visible description of who’s within the video and the place the video is being filmed, which on this case was on a basketball court docket. I additionally included a brief description of Doc Nix’s clothes and talked about that he’s holding a tall baton topped with a inexperienced diamond, as he makes use of the baton as a prop later within the video.
Step 4: Experiment with inline and prolonged description
Once I first began recording audio description for the combat music, I wasn’t certain how usually I would want to make use of prolonged descriptions that require pausing the video— the purpose of the video is to be taught each the lyrics to the combat music and the motion. As I recorded the video in YouDescribe, I observed that I needed to make a few of my descriptions extra concise, however finally there have been some areas that actually wanted prolonged description, akin to scenes with back-to-back actions.
One of many basic guidelines of audio description is that the audio description script mustn’t reveal motion on the display screen earlier than it occurs. Nonetheless, I discovered it mandatory to interrupt that rule to clarify one of many GMU cheers, and integrated an prolonged description to point the motions of the cheer earlier than the cheer was proven on display screen, principally as a result of it occurs so quick.
Step 5: Play video and share
I watched the completed video a number of instances to be sure that my descriptions made sense inside the context of the video, after which shared it with one other pupil with a visible impairment who had by no means discovered the combat music. Whereas I wasn’t in search of perfection or precision within the actions, it was useful to watch how they interpreted the directions within the description, and I revised a few of my notes based mostly on their suggestions.
As soon as I used to be proud of how the video got here out, I shared the video as a public hyperlink on the YouDescribe web site, and have since shared it with different potential college students who’re fascinated about GMU. Faculties and universities which are creating their very own audio described movies can share them on social media or on YouTube and/or YouDescribe for college kids and followers to find.
