In October 2018 I started working as an audio describer, and I recently hit my 6 year workiversary!
For the uninitiated, audio description is an audio narrative that describes on-screen action and plays in the gaps between the programme’s dialogue. Designed to fill in the gaps, audio description provides important information for blind and vision impaired people so that they can enjoy television, movies, theatre and even visual art. Creating audio descriptions is a fantastic exercise in writing creatively within restrictions (read more about the creativity of audio description here).
In my role at Able (an accessible media company in Aotearoa/NZ) I’ve been trained to both write and voice audio description for screen. When I started working as an audio describer, I’d been harbouring a desire to be across more NZ made content, and this was the perfect job to do just that.
During the past 6 years, I’ve been lucky enough to get to audio describe an incredible variety of films and tv shows. In terms of excellent, locally made television, and in light of The Spinoff’s recent top 100 NZ TV Shows ranking, I can proudly claim that I’ve worked on 11 shows that ranked in the top 100, 5 of which claimed spots in the top 10!
Country Calendar, Attitude and Shortland Street are all excellent local shows for us audio describers to train on, and are in many ways our bread and butter shows that have been fixtures in our work, in the same way that they are fixtures in the NZ TV landscape. Also, it’s almost a rite of passage for the Able audio describers to go through at least one phase of becoming obsessed with Shortland Street, whether it’s a particular story line or a character arc. It provides excellent fodder for staff room catch ups.
Below (in no particular order) are 6 of my favourite projects to have audio described in the past 6 years:
The Luminaries
I had read this mammoth novel (832 pages long!), so when the opportunity came to audio describe the adapted limited series I jumped at it. It was one of those shows that I knew would make me better at my job. At one point when working on it, I involuntarily gasped at a plot twist. It’s just a beautiful show. Vast, detailed, and with a massive cast to keep track of, I wanted to do it justice, and as a result I received some unprompted positive feedback from an AD user which I keep with me to this day. *
*quick caveat: The Luminaries is currently not available to view in New Zealand
Selected descriptions:
“In Anna’s jail cell, Moody jolts back in fright as a cut spontaneously appears on Anna’s palm, dark blood pooling”
“Anna runs her fingers around the circular table upon which miniature planets stand on metal rods”
“The ship Godspeed sails across silvery waters below a cloudy grey sky. On board, Crosbie is thrown down at the feet of Captain Raxworthy”
Wellington Paranormal
I didn’t work on all the seasons of this show, but loved the chance to jump on it when I could. It’s obviously a beloved series, (reflected in it’s number 6 ranking by The Spinoff) and it was such a fun challenge to capture both the dramatic paranormal visuals and the hilarious deadpan performances of the cast.
Selected descriptions:
“Minogue and OLeary attempt to wrestle with the large invisible monster”
“lights flicker in the interrogation room as Jo Blakes transforms into a massive hairy black and red spider”
“The budgie flies at Maaka, then straight into a fan. Blue feathers spray over Parker”
The Casketeers
Ranked at number 4 in the top 100 NZ shows of the 21st Century by the Spinoff, this reality show is so impactful and so sensitively made, that it truly elevates the reality genre to a whole new level. I love the way The Casketeers effortlessly shifts between the painful storytelling of families grieving the death of a loved one, to the day to day office shenanigans of folks at the funeral homes. No wonder Netflix wanted it on their streaming platform.
Selected descriptions:
“Francis has a small baby in a baby carrier on his chest as he uses a leafblower in the carpark”
“Having completed the haka, one of the performers is buckled over in grief, as the others gather round to comfort him”
“an annoyed Kaiora removes a casket lining, then later feasts on oysters, and sneaks various seafood snacks in the kitchen”
“Delicate faux flowers in a vase. Francis is cleaning a dark casket with engraved Māori details”
Loop Track
Ok I’m slightly biased with this one, as my partner was a part of the creative team. But could an audio describer get any luckier than being able to run through their descriptions with the cinematographer of the film they’re working on? I don’t think so. Loop Track is a simmering thriller, “…with contrasting bursts of silliness and humour, Sainsbury’s film holds its own as a colloquial potboiler of interpersonal fear and anxiety, until its explosive third act, a left-field swing that’s hugely memorable—and best left to surprise.” (NZIFF)
Selected descriptions:
“He paces towards the arch, slowing to a stop beneath it and catching sight of something up ahead. Growing even paler, his chest heaves as his eyes fill with terror”
“Lace like fern leaves frame a view of the green hiking hut, bright stars studding the inky black sky above.”
“Ian walks numbly along the track, the back of his shirt torn, revealing a vertical bleeding gash up his back”
Friends Like Her
This tv series is so captivating, so distinctly NZ, and so well made that it was a real privilege to get to audio describe it. Set in the small south island town of Kaikoura, the series centres on a decades long female friendship that turns toxic when a surrogacy agreement falls apart.
Selected descriptions:
“A chunk of farmland cracks and one side rises up casting a shadow over the other”
“two women tussle, then a Ruru with dilated pupils turns its head. The earth shakes beneath a suburban house, a gate swinging shut”
“Sunlight shines over Kaikoura’s undulating jagged peninsula which juts into the pacific ocean, a snow capped mountain range overlooking the township from further inland.”
“A low white sun in a grey sky shines over calm silvery ocean water and the sweeping inward curve of the seemingly idyllic Kaikoura bay. One Year later. Atop a tussock covered hillside, brunette broad featured Nicole and slender blonde Tess walk their dogs together, as a helicopter flies ahead”
Coco
In terms of content from abroad, a film I felt deeply privileged to audio describe was Pixar’s stunning children’s film Coco. Set in a Mexican town, the story follows 12 year old aspiring musician Miguel, who’s accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead and ends up unearthing long hidden family secrets. It’s Pixar at it’s best, and brings together some of my favourite themes: childhood, death, family, music etc. In the voicing I worked hard to get my pronunciations as accurate as possible (another key factor of audio description).
Selected descriptions:
“A trail of orange petals across grass leads to a stone altar, decorated with red marigolds and lit up with clusters of candles.”
“Miguel’s eyes widen as he stands to take in an epic view. Spiraling upwards are hundreds of thousands of brightly lit up buildings and houses, some connected with bridges. Running parallel from the bridge he’s on, are more bridges just like it, leading to large stone pyramid like structures”
“A cut open, enormous papaya is lit with a spotlight. All of a sudden it bursts into flames. The crowd gapes as dancers dressed as Frida Kahlo spill out of it. Beside the papaya is a massive cactus with Frida’s face on it”
“Lying peacefully in his hammock, he closes his eyes and his skeleton begins to glow orange, then bright yellow….Miguel watches wide eyed as the man’s skeleton disintegrates into orangey gold dust which blows away. His hat falls to the floor”
Honourable Mentions
There are, of course, more than 6 tv shows/films that I’ve loved working on, so here are some honourable mentions:
Kiri & Lou
Claymation prehistoric creatures live, learn and explore together in the NZ bush. Ranked 48th in the Spinoff’s top 100 NZ shows. Kiri & Lou is surely the most underrated, adorable, addictive NZ made kids show. I genuinely watch this show in my spare time, and some of the songs are so damn catchy, with the incredible Don McGlashan as one of the core musicians/song writers and guest NZ musicians bringing a stunning emotional depth to the show. I often get “Who am I” stuck in my head, and genuinely teared up the first time I came across Shine Your Light featuring Julia Deans. Small is my favourite character, and the episode where she spends time with her grandparents (season 2, Episode 11) might be my favourite of all.
The Dog House
A lovely ‘feel good’ reality tv show which originated in the UK, and now has Australian and NZ versions as well, The Dog House is basically a matchmaking show between potential dog owners and rescue dogs. It does a great job of sharing the stories of humans seeking to adopt a dog and their reasons for it, (which can sometimes be deeply moving) and presenting the dogs and their stories from a place of real compassion and care. The UK, Aussie & NZ versions all have their own flavour, but the commonality is the kindness of the people who take care of these adorable pups.
Blast from the Past
An excellent Sci fi Rom com from the late 90s, starring Brendan Fraser in his classic ‘fish out of water’ casting. Wholesome, charming and quirky with a brilliant cast. It’s Fraser at his absolute openhearted best, with his parents played by Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek. Naturally, Walken plays an eccentric scientist in the 1960s whose anxiety about the looming Cuban missile crisis leads him to build a robust underground shelter where he and his heavily pregnant hide during a freak accident. They end up raising their son (Adam) in the shelter, until it opens again in the 90s. Loved working on this, it felt like discovering a hidden gem. Highly recommend.