Re-connect the Visually Impaired with Movie 10th Anniversary of Audio Description Service

First taste of audio description  

The Hong Kong Society for the Blind (HKSB) has been actively promoting and developing audio description service since 2009, to facilitate the equal participation of the visually impaired in cultural activities. This rekindled the visually impaired audience’s passion for watching movies.

HKSB organized the first movie screening “Look for a Star” on 26 March 2009 in HKSB. Volunteers described what was happening on the screen to facilitate the audience to follow the story of the movie.

In 2010, we organized the first movie screening “Team of Miracle: We Will Rock You” with live audio description in a cinema; in the same year, we produced an audio description soundtrack and incorporated it into the “After Shock” movie DVD. This marked a crucial step forward in the development of audio description.  

First movie with pre-recorded audio description in theater

We continued to promote the cinemas to install assistive facilities during the years, and promoted the movie-making companies to add pre-recorded audio description soundtrack into movies, to allow the visually impaired to enjoy a movie in their favorite cinema anytime they prefer. In 2018, the first-ever movie with pre-recorded audio description sound track “Men on the Dragon” was launched. It marked the beginning of the new mileage in the development of audio description service in Hong Kong.

Training and promotion

To train more audio description narrators and professionalize the service, we organized the first Professional Audio Description Training Workshop in 2011. Afterwards, we organized other training courses regularly. In 2017, we organized a Voice Training Workshop to enhance the audio description narrators’ skills in using voices when providing audio description.

We conducted many promotion activities at schools and in the community so as to promote the service to the public. In 2016, we provided live audio description for the premiere of “Weeds on Fire” and other four movies broadcasted at the 40th Hong Kong International Film Festival, on the other hand, we organized seminar on audio description, to promote the culture and entertainment needs of the visually impaired persons.

During the past 10 years, HKSB organized over 300 movie screenings, 60 visits. Altogether, the total no. of participants is around 18,000. Besides, we produced audio description soundtrack for 17 movie DVDs, three movies with pre-recorded AD tracks and two series of a television programme.  

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the launching of audio description service, we organize the banquet for celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Audio Description, to express our heartfelt thanks to the continuous support from our sponsors, movie industry, supporting organizations, audio description volunteers and visually impaired members.

We will continue to keep up with this momentum with our passion and efforts, to sow the seeds of audio description all over Hong Kong. Our dream is to enable the visually impaired to have access to audio description at any time they want and in anywhere they go.

Acknowledgement:

Create Hong Kong, administered by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

The Community Chest of Hong Kong

The Swire Group Charitable Trust

Press Conference of “After Shock” DVD (2010)

Mr Andrew Kwan, the Director of “Team of Miracle: We Will Rock You” provided description in the cinema by using a speaker only. (2010)

The Professional Audio Description Training Workshop organized in 2011 gained great support from the movie industry.

Voice Training Workshop was organized on 2017 to enhance the skills in using voices when providing audio description.

Cocktail party of the 40th Hong Kong International Film Festival (2016)

New Milestone of Audio Description Movie cum “Men on the Dragon” Movie Show (2017)

Visually impaired audience can wear a headphone to enjoy a movie in cinema relaxingly (2017)

Many supporters of audio description service grouped together in the “10th Anniversary of Audio Description Celebration Dinner” (2019)

Guests group photo on stage (2019)