interview

On his future plans, he said, “In addition to providing the best narration I can for Audio Description audiences, I want to continue to learn even more about Audio Description process. I get more excited and passionate about this work, and how it’s growing.”

“I love learning from different perspectives, from blind and low vision audience members, to vendors navigating the studio and streaming services’ needs, to distribution, to the other narrators, and describers (the writers of audio description), and all the many other departments involved in this work. My focus remains on the win win win for everyone, and I take a lot of time exploring around what that can mean. I’ve enjoyed social media messaging on this, and learning from those who use it, or create it. This is a very exciting time,” he said.

He described Audio Description narration as like “listening to a sports radio announcer, giving the play by play of a game, for TV shows and movies.” “Blind and low vision audiences can get a special headset at the movie theaters (instead of amplifying the existing sound, it’s a special audio track in addition to what sighted audiences experience). For TV shows, there is a special SAP setting that adds this narration to network or cable television. Streaming services are really in the game too, they have just a few clicks or taps away to turn this feature on on their many platforms,” he said.

“As a narrator, I read a special Audio Description script. You hear my voice in between lines of dialogue mostly, so blind and low vision audiences can have access to the visuals that the producer or director intended. The scripts are tight, because of timing limitations, and do a great job of riding the emotional tone of the story in a way that doesn’t distract, but provides access to the important visual elements. From my experience as a narrator, I am provided the scripts and a minute later we are rolling. I’m watching and hearing the original production, and read along to special timed sections from the script,” he said.

This work is important to him for several reasons. “On the technical side, most of my voice-over training segues really well to this work. There’s acting involved, but as a narrator — I make sure that the emotional tone is consistent with the production, and I can’t do too little or too much because it can easily distract the audience. My goal is for the audience to fully immerse themselves in the story, and I want to make sure my voice is along for that ride,” he said.

He continued, “Another reason this work is important to me is one of my friends lost his sight between seasons of a TV show, and it’s because of Audio Description he was able to enjoy the seasons, and engage with others in ways he might not be able to without Audio Description. He was going through an incredibly challenging time of his life, and this little point of access gave him a little respite, and something to continue to talk about.”

“Finally, it’s important to me because of what the work means to others. I talk with blind and low vision audiences about Audio Description as much as I can, and this kind of inclusion, specifically with audio description on TV shows and movies, is teaching me more about disability and access in general. I’m honored to be learning from these conversations,” he said.

Each day, he is motivated to do the best work he can. “I can’t do it alone. I train and coach with varied experts, and learning is rewarding. I find that focusing on delivering something daily gives me satisfaction: that can be an audition, a job, or a new idea or concept that I recognize as useful or worthwhile. I love looking for those new moments, and I’m delighted by the discoveries,” he said.

On his proudest professional moments, he said, “I am most proud of accomplishments outside of credits in movies or TV shows.”
“I’ve found a lot of joy in the community — as a member of the TV Academy, the Emmys, I love connecting with fellow peers. In voice-over sessions, reconnecting with other talents, producers, directors, and sharing that smile or a conversation where we both feel a little bit better about something is a reward in itself. I’ve been able to grow my career in audio description narration, as well as promo work, commercials, audiobooks, and video games.,” he said.

On being a voice actor in the digital age, he said, “Being a voice actor in the digital age means that changes are happening almost weekly. I am constantly learning how to better my own delivery of auditions, using the best mic for my voice, adjusting settings, being able to get in the emotional zone. Deliver a character that is believable.”

“The varying needs of voice-over come from all angles, and I’m fascinated by how consumers are demanding more, and voice talents and those who use voices are delivering on those needs. And with more access to opportunities, the number of people involved in voice-over grows exponentially. But this isn’t just about three or four network television stations airing commercials – we have hundreds and thousands of opportunities to provide voice acting to all kinds of projects that didn’t even exist a few years ago. It’s overwhelming, messy, exciting, and filled with all kinds of varying needs for voices. I kinda love it,” he explained.

Samuelson defined success as “being in the moment throughout the day, and feeling that steps are being taken for the good for not just myself, but who I am around or connecting with.”

To learn more about voice-over artist Roy Samuelson, check out his official website.

Audio Description, News, Uncategorized

Directors Notes interview

How Audio Descriptions Help the Visually Impaired Experience Cinema (directorsnotes.com)

Around 26 million people in America are either blind or experience low-vision, and whilst there are mandates in place to ensure increased access for these audiences to experience the culturally dominant shows and movies that appear on Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc., the awareness of modes to aid experiencing these programs, for those audiences, is increasingly important. Audio Description is an ever-growing part of the entertainment industry, allowing both visually impaired and sighted audiences another means of experiencing their favourite TV shows and movies. DN had an extensive chat with voice over artist and Audio Description narrator/advocate Roy Samuelson, who has provided narrations for everything from Us to Spider-Man: Far From Home, about the place of Audio Description in the industry and the important work that goes on behind the scenes.

A lot of our readers will be familiar with what Audio Description is, but for those who aren’t, could you briefly explain what it is and its purpose?

Audio Description is a special audio track, almost like an audiobook that lives on top of a movie. The intention is, similar to a sports announcer on the radio giving the play by play of what’s happening during a game, Audio Description allows blind and low-vision audience members to truly experience the producer’s intent, as far as visuals go. Obviously we can’t explain every single moment or every specific detail but it does a really, really fair job of giving brushstrokes to indicate to the audience what’s going on. It’s exclusively visual descriptions.

From doing some research, there are benefits of audio description for sighted audiences too.

In the same way that the closed captioning for deaf audience members are used frequently by people who aren’t deaf, people who might be scrolling through social media and have their phones on mute or someone who just wants to keep the TV low in the middle of the night to not wake their spouse up, they can still experience the closed captioning. When it comes to Audio Description it’s another option sighted audience members can use to enjoy the producer’s intent.

Using Audio Description, for a sighted person, when there are a lot of complicated characters or storylines that are a little more challenging to keep track of. That can help as well.

I live in Los Angeles and I have a lot of commute times, and during those commute times a lot of people are now tuning into podcasts or audiobooks, and Audio Description is a very similar experience that you can use to catch up on all your TV shows or all your movies. In a way that it still allows you to be along for the ride and allows you to keep your eyes elsewhere. I’ve also heard of some people using it when cooking or just when running some errands around the house. Obviously, there are certain kinds of films that do fully appreciate your sighted attention, if you are a sighted audience member, and these other experiences, you can still get the gist of what’s happening. One of my favourites is using Audio Description, for a sighted person, when there are a lot of complicated characters or storylines that are a little more challenging to keep track of. That can help as well.

When it comes to spectacle, I do happen to do a lot of action and adventure and some horror films for Audio Description. Most recently, this year, Glass the M. Night Shyamalan movie. There were a lot of flashbacks and other things that were happening, and being able to do the audio description gave me a better insight into some things that I would have missed as a sighted audience member. It wasn’t anything that was a big reveal but it was enough to just give that enhancement, just an extra little nudge, not an easter egg, but somewhere along those lines that makes you go “Oh, I missed that”. It helps focus the attention in a way that a typical non-Audio Description experience might miss.

Could you describe the process of providing audio description, are you provided with a script? Do you have any input? Do you record along with a scene? Can you talk me through the production process?

Great question. This is such a lead-in question because it really helps focus on the describers, the writers of the script. I am given a script, and for a movie that has six reels, a typical hour and a half long movie, each reel has 15 to 20 pages of a special Audio Description script and those scripts are written by describers who watch the original film and, if they have access to the original production script, go through the script and find the breaks in between dialogue to give the visual elements that are essential or important to the story. So, it’s such a crafted experience that these writers do.

I love this example, every picture is worth a thousand words and a typical film is 24 frames a second, so we’re already at 24,000 words and experiences just in a second, when you’re making a 90 minutes movie, there’s a lot going on and these describers really can pinpoint the brushstroke of what’s happening visually in a way that is so specific and so unique. When it’s written right it’s seamless and is a part of the movie and doesn’t stand out, in a way that can take an audience member out of the immersion of the story.

From my experiences as a narrator, because of licensing, privacy and NDAs, I show up, they give me a script and we start rolling. So, it’s an ice cold read. The script itself has cues that are time code based or dialogue based or visuals or audio and I’m given a certain amount of time to fit my narration between those so it doesn’t interrupt the dialogue of whatever’s happening.

While we’re on this, a quick tangent, I find it fascinating that the describers do go with the flow of the movie, so it’s not nonstop narration. They allow the film to breathe and allow those emotions the time that the producers and the directors intend. I think that’s also a really special skill that the describers bring, and I do my best to honour that. I pace it in such a way that rides the film, in a way that hopefully doesn’t interrupt it.

I’m hoping that my narration isn’t noticed by the audiences, in other words, if an audience is listening to an Audio Description track and they think “Oh my goodness, this narrator is so good” that’s a disservice to the audience because that means that I stood out. My goal is to be a part of the movie and to ride the emotions of the scenes in such a way that the audience members don’t notice me. Now, after the fact, or beforehand, they can talk as much about the narrator as they like, I don’t care about that, but when they’re in the movie, I really hope that they’re fully engaged and experiencing what the directors and producers intended, that’s the balance that I’m always seeking to find.

When providing audio description what changes do you have to make to your vocal delivery? Is it a case of providing clear, clean delivery or do you have to engage with the energy of the scene that is playing out?

It’s that fine line, that balance. When I’ve heard narration that’s done right, the narrator who’s able to deliver that, she gets it and she can deliberate in a way that does ride the emotion of the scene without becoming an audience member. I love how you said “the fine line” because that’s really the intent. It varies, there’s no exact rule or rulebook for every movie. Every movie has its own essence emotionally in each scene. Hopefully, the narrator understands that and rides it. As I said, the intent is to almost disappear as if it’s a part of the movie. An analogy would be with foley, if footsteps are too loud or non-existent it’s going to stand out, but when it’s done in a way that professional foley artists do, you’re not even thinking about it, those footsteps are as real as if they were happening.

Where do you find most of your time is spent at the moment? Are you mostly involved with Audio Description or are you working across other forms of voice work?

As a voice artist, I do have a lot of opportunities for different things, there’s a TV commercial right now that’s getting a lot of airplay, I do some video games, animation, and other types of narration. Audio Description is what I’m most focused on, as far as my passion goes, and that’s been my main advocacy, it’s something I really care a lot about so when the opportunities come, I take them but I find that Audio Description is really the one that gets me the most excited.

How long have you been involved with Audio Description?

I’d say maybe five to six years at this point. Audio Description has been around for more than ten, it’s surprising the number of people I’ve met online that have said that they’ve had VHS cassettes that had audio description on them.

A lot of the cinemas, near me, will have the odd film screening with audio description but when you look at everything they’re programming and you see Avengers: Endgame playing like a 100 times in a day or something crazy and you see that two of those screenings will have an option for Audio Description, you realise that there needs to be a balance here because it doesn’t affect the screening, but it provides an opportunity for people that need it to pick up headphones and have a better experience. So, what do you think people, companies, cinemas and film programmers can be doing to create more awareness and accessibility to Audio Description?

There are a lot of great directions that are happening on the technology side, obviously you mentioned headsets. Wireless headsets are, at least in America, available at almost all theatres that have been renovated after a certain time. There’s also an app called Actiview, that is for Android or iPhone which syncs with the existing audio of a movie and certain titles have signed up to have the Audio Description go through the headset of your own personal device, which helps a lot.

My goal is to be a part of the movie and to ride the emotions of the scenes in such a way that the audience members don’t notice me.

As far as advocacy goes, I’m part of the TV academy for the Emmy Awards, there have been a lot of events that I’ve been to where I’ve met a producer, share with them what I do and inevitably the ones that are not aware of Audio Description lean in and say “Wait, tell me more about this, what is this?”. So, there’s a genuine curiosity and a discovery of this other element that is a part of their film that they might not know about. I’ve found that those that are aware of it, of which there are a lot, find a way to make sure it gets passed through from cinema to streaming service and make sure that content travels. It needs a restructuring of a lot of systems to let that pass through to happen. There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes from a lot of caring people. I have a lot of hope that this is growing in a positive direction.

The catalogue of films you’ve provided audio description for is very extensive at this point, I’m interested to know if there were any films or television shows that were particularly tricky to provide description given the nature of what was happening on screen?

The describers that do the writing make it easy for me to say the words. There are some sentences that look on paper like they’re very easy. The best example I can think of, there was a scene where someone was looking with wonder and the describer had written “she looked awed”, and obviously when you say it the homonym is ‘odd’, she looked odd. So, it was something that was verbal and we switched to a look of awe. That was an easy fix. But they’re few and far between, the describers really take into account what the sound of the sentence and what the flow of the sentences are.

From my experience, most recently I did Spider-Man: Far From Home. It’s a jam packed action film with a lot of comedy and energy and some touching moments. To be able to do that film in a way that served the story, it’s almost a flow where it’s back to back page turning with timing cues and audio cues. My eyes were reading the script while I’m hearing and watching the film on a screen, so it’s almost like watching a tennis match. If I were to think about every step that I have to take to make the story come alive in a way that matches the emotion in a way that doesn’t interrupt it would be like juggling six balls at the same time. There almost has to be a flow to it, particularly with that movie Spider-Man, I found myself getting in that flow that was incredibly satisfying and I felt connected in a way that I hope served the story.

Audio Description, News

LA Talk Radio Interview

https://LATalkRadio.com

Audio Description, News

Get Real: Indie Filmmakers

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-forget-audio-description-for-blind-guest-roy-samuelson/id1378490238?i=1000447683935

Including “Audio Description” in your production will enable the 26 million blind audiences in the US to enjoy your movie. We talk with Roy Samuelson, who narrates audio description for films like First Man & Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Audio Description, News

Soap Opera News article

https://www.soapoperanews.net/2019/08/voice-over-artist-roy-samuelson-talks.html

We spoke to voice-over extraordinaire Roy Samuelson. We were intrigued to talk to Roy about his career in voice-over and about the emerging service in the entertainment industry, Audio Description. When we learned how this game-changing service was enhancing the entertainment experience for blind and low vision audiences, we had to learn more. But then we also discovered it was positively impacting the experiences for all audiences and we were even more excited to talk to Roy.

Without seeing facial expressions (smile, scowl, arch of an eyebrow), no body language, no use of your hands just hearing your voice and the inflection of the same. Voice-over performers; “live and die” by their voice. The ability to captivate and stimulate the imagination and to tell a story solely based on your voice, now that is talent. Roy has that voice. Roy has that talent. Trust us we spoke to him. His voice is smooth, melodious, enticing and versatile. Roy told us right off the bat more than anything when he is working he wants the audience, “Fully immersed in the story and going along for the ride.” Interviewing Roy was a fun ride all its own! We discussed Roy’s background, his career and then he enlightened us on this still relatively unknown yet important service so now we can enlighten you.

The average child is talking by the age of two. We all have a voice. But how does one recognize they have the voice? How does one know they have a voice for voice overwork? Roy is like me, old-school. We reminisced about the days of a voice recorder machine. He loved to play around with his. It was this old school machine that first introduced Roy to his own voice. Roy had cousins who were from New York. And Roy loved their “cool” New York accents. Roy would have what he described as, “A kind of Mister Rogers Neighborhood Show. I’d record myself sounding like them. I called it the New York Ghost. It was a rambling mess if you listen to it now. But it was so much fun to record. I guess that was my first show. It had an audience of zero.” Laughter.

Roy’s audience first increased when he got, what he called his start in the voice-over industry when he worked at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. He was a narrator on a scene park ride. How many of us have been on a theme park ride with a narrator? A lot of us for sure. Well this routine experience for us was anything but for Roy. His job as a narrator for Walt Disney World catapulted a twenty-something and counting year career as one of the most sought after voice-over artists. “Everybody’s got a different way of getting into voice over, mine came from a scene park ride in Orlando. I was the narrator at the Great Movie Ride in Walt Disney World. It’s no longer there. Maybe 60 different guests would get inside these theater cars and go to the movies with all sorts of animatronic robots. The ride had certain timing queues, audio cues, and visual cues. As the host, I would point out the different things that we were going through. I also played the gangster which was really fun. I took over the ride, shot the bad guys and got blown up over and over again. To do the show over and over again was great practice. It was also a benefit to be able to watch how the audience reacted based on what I said or how I said it and how to use the microphone to tell a story.”

Roy has been telling stories ever since. Roy has narrated in blockbuster movies such as; Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Spiderman: Far From Home, Jordan Peele’s US, Get Out, Jason Bourne, Pacific Rim. His television Audio Description includes Criminal Minds, Lethal Weapon, Blue Bloods. This upcoming fall we will hear Roy on NCIS as he has been heard for the past four seasons. And he will also work on Criminal Minds‘ final season. He has been the voice-over in commercials for Intel, Toyota and McDonald’s. Roy’s credits are extensive and impressive.

By speaking to so many actors we have learned that some things essential to the craft of acting are; know your mark, watch your lighting, timing and of course know your lines. What is one of the most important things for a voice over artist to learn? We wanted to know. “This is my favorite example because it hit me so personally when I first discovered this. You know how the first time you record a voice mail greeting and then you listen back; you are like, who is that? That’s not me. We all hear ourselves from our own bodies. But everybody else hears that same voice from outside the body obviously. Everybody is used to hearing your voice but you. So I think it’s really important when it comes to voice over to learn what you really sound like.” So true! I distinctly remember the first time I heard my own voice on tape. I thought that’s not me. I don’t sound like that! It is amazing the difference of the sound of your voice when you hear it on tape versus out of your own mouth!”

Roy is also an actor. He has done film and live theater. But without question, “Voice over is the thing that makes me the happiest.” Roy’s love for what he does has contributed to his excitement and investment in the industry’s move to provide this entertainment enhancing service to the blind and low vision audience. We are the new of the newbies in learning about this groundbreaking service, Audio Description; so, we will let Roy and only Roy tell you all about it. “This is so exciting what is happening in the entertainment industry. What we do is called audio description. It is a special audio track that goes on top of a movie or TV show. It is specifically for blind or low version audiences to experience what the film or TV is without having to see it. The audio script is a special script that is written based on what most people see.”

Roy provided this practical example to further explain. “It’s like when you’re listening to a game on the radio like a baseball game. There is an announcer that might mention the weather or say something about the city where the game is being played but for the most part, they are there to give you a play by play of the game. They are giving you a vision of what is happening. And that is what I do as an Audio Descriptionist narrator. I give a listener a sense of what’s happening visually.”

This concept would appear to be so “simple” we wondered why this wasn’t done many years ago. The ability has been around for 10-20 years. But it is the technology that has made it much more accessible. Only now people are beginning to talk about it. And not just audiences but the networks, streaming services, and Hollywood. There is a special headset to see a first-run movie. This headset isn’t for the hearing impaired (to make the movie louder). It is for blind and low vision people so they can experience the show or movie without the visuals. It works for streaming services as well. The audio is merely a few taps away.

Things were starkly different before the dawn of this technology. Before, Roy would work in a pretty isolated environment. Basically, Roy would get hired, go into a small area, read a script and that was pretty much it. Roy did his job and did it well but still felt disconnected. But he wanted to be and feel connected to his audience. What was the best way to start? Roy started talking to people. And when he did a whole new world opened up. As he started learning about accessibility, disability, and how others dealt with things; his eyes were opened. It gave him insight into how he could literally use his voice to help others.

Blind and low vision audiences now have access to movies and TV shows where they can watch it with their families and have an equally entertaining experience. These audiences can now also engage in conversations at work or anywhere outside the home, sharing their own full experience of a TV show or movie. This concept has also uncovered an untapped market for producers, creators, directors, and showrunners to increase their market share. And able-bodied audiences can enjoy it too. Roy gave us a few suggestions on how. “It’s not just for blind people or low vision people. You can listen to these stories or shows while you are stuck in traffic, when you are cooking or maybe you have spent the whole day staring at your computer or iPhone and just want to relax, you can turn on the Audio Description. Also, the more able-bodied people that use it will help blind and low vision people. The more demand will improve the quality and will increase the accessibility as more people use it.” Roy also encouraged us if we find a show without Audio Description to take a moment to contact the network or the streaming service and ask for audio vision services.

The more Roy talked about this subject the more excited he became and for good reason. If you want to learn more, you can Google “The Audio Description Project.” It will give you all the shows, networks, streaming services and movies that have it. You can also learn more about it and about its history. If you want to, there is a lively and engaging Facebook group with a wide range of people, blind, low vision, narrators, producers called “Audio Description Discussion.”

Even twenty years in, Roy says there is always something new for him to learn. He continues to learn, research and work with coaches and plans to never stop learning. In addition, he is at the forefront of this description narration revolution leading the charge.

We learned so much and thank Roy for taking the time to teach us about this valuable, life-changing service!

see updated article link here

News

Spectrum One News running all day July 30, 2019

Voice-Over Artist Helps the Blind Experience Movies
By Timothy Parker Hollywood
PUBLISHED 10:42 AM ET Jul. 30, 2019 UPDATED 10:54 AM ET Jul. 30, 2019

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Roy Samuelson is a voice-over artist who provides audio description for the blind and visually impaired during TV shows and movies. His voice describes what people with vision can see.
“If someone’s blind or low vision, they go into a movie theatre and ask for a special audio description headset,” Samuelson said.
Samuelson describes the wireless headset as a device they put on their ears, but it doesn’t make the audio louder. The headset provides a special audio track with a narrator explaining what is happening visually in the movie.
Samuelson has provided this service for many blockbuster movies including Get Out, Jurassic World, and the new Spiderman franchise.
“There’s a real personal satisfaction of getting the timing right because of you’ve got to get the script in within three seconds, and there’s audio cues and video cues that has to fit usually, between the dialogue,” Samuelson said.
It is all worth it for a man who has been in the business for decades, in a job where he is completely in the shadows.
“If the spotlight’s on me and someone says ‘You did a great job narrating,’ I didn’t do my job right,” Samuelson said.
Ultimately, Samuelson says his job has made him more compassionate to those with disabilities.
“And how I can be a better advocate to help, specifically with awareness of what this particular work is and also in other ways too,” Samuelson said.
Ultimately, he uses his words to help movies come to life for everyone.
Audio description is also available for many TV shows. You can access it by using your remote control much like a SAP button.