Hannah Thompson
I'm a partially blind white woman in my late forties. In this image i am wearing glasses and smiling. I am a Professor of French and Critical Disability Studies and passionate about audio description.
Location UK
Activity
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@AlisonMyers It does not appear to have AD on BBC iplayer. How annoying given that an AD track exists.....
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Hannah Thompson replied to lucie mayer
@luciemayer thanks for all your great comments
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@AlisonMyers season 1 of Bump aired recently on the BBC in the Uk. I loved it. Good choice for your AI.
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@AlisonMyers visuals just as eye-candy for sight dependent people: this is a great thing to aim for.
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Hannah Thompson replied to sarah baylis
@sarahbaylis i’ve just had a look at the pad let, and The Elephant Man is the only one up there at the moment. I don’t think many other learners have got to that point yet.
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Hannah Thompson replied to sarah baylis
@sarahbaylis thank you for your engagement and your thoughtful comments
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@AndrewSharp i love this idea and think it could work really well. I do hope this happens one day soon…
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Thanks for spotting this, @sarahbaylis I’ll check this and follow up with the transcription company
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It does work @sarahbaylis and I think this is a great AI: I especially like the way you explain how the actor uses his body to create Merrick’s movements
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@luciemayer I like the way you note and then reject your doctor’s description in favour of your own. I also like the matter-of-fact way you explain your walking /crutches/ wheelchair decisions. Merci beaucoup!
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@AlisonMyers excellent point about name pronunciation
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@AlisonMyers good point: people are very keen to consult with communities, but don’t always remember to treat them as experts who should be paid
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I like the idea of a cultural or mission statement. @AlisonMyers
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@AndrewSharp this is what translation theory calls ‘dynamic equivalence’
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You are assuming that there is a ‘right’ and a ‘wrong’ way to describe, but given that all description is necessarily subjective, because based on one person’s relationship with language, there are surely as many potential descriptions as there are audience members?@AndrewSharp
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@AlisonMyers good points, but if your whole experience of the film is framed by the AD, it is hard to keep it in the background. Given how much film makers spend on other things, I think they could find the money to create amazing AD that added something to the film (for all viewers).
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@AlisonMyers thanks for this reminder of the realities and practicalities of the AD industry
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@AlisonMyers i’m not sure it is always the case that the audience comes for the production, not the AD. I know many people who consider the AD to be as much a part of the production as anything else…
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@AlisonMyers @AndrewSharp the question of filmic techniques is a good one: perhaps the genre of the film is important: is it more necessary to be explicit about visual techniques in an auteur or art house film? A film buff who has become blind as an adult will have different preferences to a blind-from-birth person
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Hannah Thompson replied to Alison Myers
@AndrewSharp @AlisonMyers Chris McCausland on AD porn is hilarious. I also recommend Lost Voice Guy. The Last Leg (with Adam Hills and co) began to accompany the 2012 Paralympics in London: it continues to improve the representation of disabled people on TV. Their ‘is it okay’ feature gives people permission to ask awkward questions.
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@RachelLambert your AD of the Solar System sounds wonderful!
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@AndrewSharp so true. I was in a meeting recently (about EDI) where everyone spectacularly forgot to describe their images despite being very meticulous with their self-descriptions.
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Hannah Thompson made a comment
There are some really fascinating debates going on in the comments this week; do check back to read and comment as other learners join in.
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@ClaireRooney I'm a big fan of multiple audios and an element of choice
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@AndrewSharp strange but refreshing :)
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@AlisonMyers I like the way you suggestion questions we could use to start a dialogue with directors.
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@AlisonMyers: 'In AI, do you describe the race of the actor if it contrasts with the race of the character?': this is information I would want to have if it wasn't visible to me, so I'd say 'yes' as long as others' races are also mentioned.
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@AlisonMyers I like your point about how describers can (and should) educate their clients.
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Hannah Thompson replied to Alison Myers
@AlisonMyers Do you think people's squeamishness about mentioning certain things (such as 'a man with cerebral palsy') shows that they are in fact themselves uncomfortable with cerebral palsy or see it is a negative or shameful thing?
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Hannah Thompson replied to Alison Myers
@AndrewSharp This is a tricky one....AD needs to be inclusive and equitable for users and people being described and it can be a tricky balance.
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@AlisonMyers I'm not sure if it is a micro-aggression not to get out of the way, but it definitely would be to answer on a blind person's behalf.
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@AndrewSharp an interesting question about when to name characters? I don't think the AD should necessarily wait until the character is named in the production.
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@AlisonMyers I like to think Netflix changed their guidance after reading the 'Describing Diversity' report.
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@AndrewSharp @sarahbaylis believe it or not, it was filmed in June… brrr
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@RaquelEspinosa this is a good question and I’m afraid I don’t know the answer: it will depend on what you do with the AI /AD.
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@AlisonMyers spoilers are best avoided I think so that all audience members experience the wow moment at the same time…
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@sarahbaylis the course isn’t really about the more technical side of AD: we will discuss ‘voice’ in terms of whether certain cultural productions should be described by people from specific communities
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Thanks for making these important points about the risks of inadvertently pressuring someone to reveal things they would rather not say. The cis/trans question is a fascinating one @AndrewSharp
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Hannah Thompson replied to Andrew Sharp
@AndrewSharp it can also benefit people who don’t realise they need it (tech issues; screen fatigue; zoom thumbnails too small etc)
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@AndrewSharp self-description gives blind people the same freedom to make snap judgements as their non-blind colleagues. It also gives a few sentences of a person’s voice to help with audio recognition.
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@AndrewSharp another advantage is that the process reminds everyone to make the rest of the meeting accessible (eg by describing ppt slides).
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@sarahbaylis it varies a lot: in the UK it is fairly routinely sent out to actors, but unless they understand what is at stake for them as well as the audience, they may not find the time to complete it.
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These are good points @AndrewSharp: I don’t think a preface is necessarily academic /learned though :)
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@sarahbaylis the play / film is someone’s subjective interpretation, and the AD is another person’s subjective interpretation…..
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@AndrewSharp I like the point you make about creating vulnerable and heartfelt descriptions. How important is it for an AD user to know or be reminded that describing is a subjective process, do you think? Especially when describing an artistic medium?
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‘We should never stop asking WHY the cinematographer put that object in the frame, and how that adds to the story.’ @AndrewSharp this is such a crucial point: thanks
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@ClaireRooney i love the way you’ve expressed these.
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@ClaireRooney good point. Thanks
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Interesting question @AndrewSharp : I think we all unknowingly make value judgements all the time and it is definitely easier to spot other peoples’ than our own.
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@ClaireRooney thanks for sharing this with us: I hadn’t come across this before.
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@AlisonMyers the points you make about foreshadowing and confidentiality are fascinating.
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@AlisonMyers [spoiler alert] the AI for Trigger Point goes into a lot of detail about a character who does not make it past episode 1. This meant I was (wrongly) convinced he was too significant to kill off in week 1.
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@PaulTandler your point about where the audience is looking is crucial I think
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Hannah Thompson replied to Katherine Cassels
@AlisonMyers thanks for this important reminder about time pressure
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@AlisonMyers an interesting point about over interpretation.
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Hannah Thompson replied to Rachel Lambert
Good question: I found out about it almost by accident. @RachelLambert
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@AlisonMyers ‘Find a way to incorporate accessibility measures so they can be used seamlessly, instead of being stapled on at the end with clunky workarounds needed to use them.’: yes! Such a good point!
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@RachelLambert thanks for this helpful summary
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@RachelLambert it is great to see so many people agreeing about the early involvement of describers with actors: we now need to help theatres overcome the practical barriers that often make this difficult to achieve
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Hannah Thompson replied to lucie mayer
@luciemayer i like this comparison with ‘localisation’
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Hannah Thompson replied to Andrew Sharp
@AndrewSharp good point: I'd prefer "inept and cringeworthy" attempts to describe diversity than no mention of it at all. Do you think describers can play a part in changing social attitudes? If we use words like 'fat' and 'blind' enough, will they stop being seen as undesirable characteristics?
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@sarahbaylis thanks for sharing
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@AndrewSharp I agree with your point about 'missing': in example 3, do you think the use of 'only' implies anything about the describer's attitude to aging?
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I am in favour of specifying things like 'non-disabled' and 'cis' because it reminds us that certain groups are systematically unrepresented in society, to the point that their absence is so expected that it is not mentioned.
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Hannah Thompson replied to sarah baylis
@AndrewSharp The difference between Deaf and deaf is a good example.
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Hannah Thompson replied to sarah baylis
@sarahbaylis @AndrewSharp In the Describing Diversity report, we explain capitalization of White and Black like this:
While it began as a racial classification and skin colour specifier, used mostly for people of European descent, ‘Whiteness’ is now also understood as socially and politically constructed, and closely related to ideology, power, advantage and... -
Hannah Thompson replied to Alistair Ayres
@AlistairAyres do you think that including cast credits (names) is enough to indicate skin colour?
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Hannah Thompson replied to sarah baylis
Hi @sarahbaylis I believe that with the free version, you have 6 weeks to access the course materials (from when you started). The paid version gives you unlimited access. Some articles (such as the glossary and the further reading at the end of the course are available to download.
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Hannah Thompson made a comment
Thanks for all your work this week: there are some excellent AIs and thoughtful assessments of others' work. Keep coming back to see how other learners react.
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@ClaireRooney I especially like this bit: 'Where every audience member can recognises themselves in the way the characters are described. Isn't it amazing how unique our tales our becoming because we're seeing each other and ourselves more and more? It's why we return again and again.'
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@CaraGathern-Stickley ITV have just released their first AI (only available in the UK): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oJazqxGxSA
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@sarahbaylis I like your point about the jarring jolly tone - I had to switch an AD off recently because it was far too cheerful and chirpy compared to the subject matter being depicted. I'd love it if voices matched the mood more.
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Hannah Thompson replied to Carol B
@CarolB they have just realised their first AI (only available in the UK unfortunately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oJazqxGxSA
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@PaulTandler some great reasons: thank you
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Hannah Thompson replied to Carol B
@CarolB I think creatives would need to be very imaginative and work hard to integrate covert in an interesting way. I have seen Extant do this in their work.
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@sarahbaylis all the articles we have linked above are open access, that is available without a paywall. Most journals give you the options to read in html or to download a PDF.
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@AndrewSharp I believe they tried very hard to find a black describer for this production but failed.... since then there has been a real effort to train a more diverse range of describers
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@PaulTandler could this be something explained by the describer in the AI?
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@AlisonMyers have you ever asked your clients if you could provide an AI right at the beginning of a film (ie instead of the description of logos)?
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@LonnyEvans a very good point about movement and physicality
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@AndrewSharp thanks for the suggestion
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@AlisonMyers this is a great example. We will cover connotations, unwitting communication and micro-aggressions later in the course.
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@AlisonMyers thanks for these great thoughts...... we will be discussing 'defaults' at length later in the course.
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@AlisonMyers that is a good question: I came across one AI recently that was divided into two: the second part came with a 'spoiler' warning.
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@AlisonMyers interesting point about interpretation of characters' personalities and motivations: how hard is it for you as a describer to remove your own interpretation from your descriptions?
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UK broadcaster ITV has just published an AI of a new prime-time show on youtube. It is done by the actors in character. Unfortunately, it is only available in the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oJazqxGxSA
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Hannah Thompson replied to lucie mayer
@luciemayer welcome. Your terminology use is perfect.
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Hannah Thompson replied to Alison Myers
@AlisonMyers It is great to have you with us, Alison. Welcome.
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Hannah Thompson replied to Lonny Evans
Hi @LonnyEvans nice to have you here :)
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@sarahbaylis i went to a play at the Sam Wanamaker theatre at The Globe recently. At the touch tour we met the Candle Manager who is in charge of making sure everything happens safely. It is an extraordinary space.
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@sarahbaylis some great questions: thank you
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@sarahbaylis i like your point about the describer having a responsibility to normalise language
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@ClaireRooney i agree about ‘intelligent eyes’: I also think it is potentially ableist
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@CarolB good question: perhaps this is an example of the actors being consulted?
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@sarahbaylis good point about the age range: there certainly are many older people who use AD
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@RachelLambert describers often provide a Word file too (we have provided transcripts for all audio and video content in case learners prefer to read rather than listen)
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Hannah Thompson replied to Madeline R
@MadelineR fitting AD around dialogue is a real challenge and calls for precision and inventiveness
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Hannah Thompson replied to Madeline R
Great to have you @MadelineR
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@sarahbaylis AIs are often published in advance in a public place online have a look next time you go to the theatre
