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A variety of services that help to make television, movies and more accessible for all. |
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DVS® FAQ |
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What is Descriptive Video Service®?
What elements of a program do you describe? How does a viewer watch DVS® on television? Where are DVS television broadcasts available? Which feature films are playing with DVS? Which theaters have DVS? How does a viewer get described movies on home video? What is the process of Descriptive Video Service? What special skills do describers have? Where do you find narrators, and are they union? How long does it take to describe a program? Can descriptions be reformatted? What production materials should I provide to Descriptive Video Service? Do you have to lower the levels of source audio for the description narrator? What will High Definition Television mean to DVS? Will it change the delivery format/process? What is Descriptive Video Service? Descriptive Video Service (DVS) is a national service that makes television programs, feature films, home videos, and other visual media accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. DVS is part of the Media Access Group at WGBH. DVS was launched nationally in 1990 by the WGBH Educational Foundation, producer of many prime-time public television programs and leader in the development of accessible media. What elements of a program do you describe? We describe key visual elements in a program that a viewer who is blind or visually impaired would ordinarily miss. Actions, costumes, gestures, and scene changes are just a few of the elements that, when described, engage the viewer with the story. Our describers are experienced writers and researchers. When they encounter visual images that are unfamiliar to them, they take the time to research and create description that give the viewer a more complete image of what is happening onscreen, without interfering with the audio or dialogue of a program or movie. How does a viewer watch DVS on television? A viewer must live within range of a station that carries DVS and have a stereo TV or a stereo VCR that includes the Second Audio Program (SAP) feature, standard on most newer stereo televisions and videocassette recorders. Inexpensive receivers that convert TV sets to stereo with SAP also can be purchased. Viewers who subscribe to cable or satellite TV should ask the distributor to "pass through" stereo with SAP. Where are DVS television broadcasts available? DVS television broadcasts are regularly available on CBS, Fox, PBS, Nickelodeon, and Turner Classic Movies. Which feature films are playing with DVS? Which theaters have DVS? Visit www.mopix.org for a complete list of films that are available with DVS and for a list of theaters across North America that are equipped with the MoPix® system, DVS Theatrical( and Rear Window( Captioning. How does a viewer get described movies on home video? More than 200 described popular Hollywood movies and PBS programs are available for purchase by direct mail through the DVS Home Video® Catalogue®. A viewer needs only a regular VHS videocassette recorder (VCR) and a television to watch these videos and hear the descriptions. The SAP feature is not required. DVS Home Videos are also available for loan at many public libraries. Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Gladiator, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone are among our most popular titles. Check out our DVS Home Video Catalogue and see what's new today! What is the process of Descriptive Video Service? Describers watch the program and write a script describing key visual elements. They carefully time the placement and length of the description to fit within natural pauses in the dialogue. After a script is completed, it is edited by a post-production supervisor for continuity, clarity, and style conventions. Narration is recorded and mixed with the original program audio in a unique "mix to pix" process to create a full DVS track. The DVS track is then laid back to the master either on a spare audio channel (for broadcast) or to a separate DVS master (for home video distribution). This layback process can be done either by DVS or the producer/distributor. (For descriptions intended for the MoPix® environment and DVS Theatrical, a full program mix is not created. The descriptions are kept as a separate track and delivered to theaters as part of the DTS motion picture sound track.) What special skills do describers have? Describers are a diverse group of individuals, among them former educators, writers, trained musicians, and avid travelers. They possess degrees in a variety of fields, but share key skills for describers. They must be tireless researchers, demonstrate strong writing skills, and be very detail-oriented. When hired, each describer undergoes an extensive training program. Where do you find narrators, and are they union? WGBH Educational Foundation, the parent organization of the Media Access Group at WGBH and DVS, is a signatory to SAG and AFTRA contracts. When union talent is required, we have a large selection of SAG and AFTRA narrators from which to choose. (We also continue to receive demo and audition tapes from potential new narrators.) The fee for talent is not an extra charge, but is included in our total description service fee. How long does it take to describe a program? The time it takes to describe a program and the cost for each program varies. Our sales and marketing staff will work with you to accommodate your turn-around needs and to meet your deadlines. For more information, please contact our marketing staff in our Boston office: Boston Lori Ward Phone: 617-300-3888 E-mail: Lori_Ward@wgbh.org Can descriptions be reformatted? Yes, descriptions can be reformatted, and should be, whenever a show is changed or edited. For example, if a producer wishes to describe and televise a film initially described on home video, the description track for the film would need to be reformatted to include commercial blacks. What production materials should I provide to Descriptive Video Service? You will need to construct the following DVS work materials from your master (note that all time code must match the time code on the master):
We dip source audio only when our narrator is speaking. Our descriptions are carefully crafted and applied so as not to interfere with the dialogue or soundtrack of the program. What will High Definition Television mean to DVS? Will it change the delivery format/process? High Definition Television (HDTV) will not dramatically change the process of creating descriptions. If there are changes, they will most likely be in how descriptions are transmitted.
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