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possibly the most unnecessary audio-description commentary in the episode last night.
This is from Nightsleeper, a 6-part BBC thriller that started on Sunday.
in reply to Sean Randall

Yeah I noticed that recently some audio describers are describing sounds.
in reply to Derry Lawlor

@DerryLawlor I suppose in this case the wagon was on a train, so we need to know the train didn't explode but the wagon did.
Just amuses me though. In general, the description's very useful I think. Love me a good TV drama!
in reply to Sean Randall

I had no idea that the BBC logo is visible in the video here.
I kinda assumed that, like the audio (discounting the descriptive track for the blind of course), the entire visual experience of a scene was diegetic, barring subtitles, onscreen text and so forth.
#TodayILearned. #BlindProblems
in reply to Sean Randall

I've just learned a new word - diegetic. Thanks!

Was it obvious in context exactly which things had exploded though - were there other things in danger of going off?

I can imagine sometimes the audio description might get ahead of itself and sort of spoil tension - does that happen?

in reply to Sara Joy

@sarajw The wagon that exploded was on a train, so perhaps it'll be relevant if we see the same train later on. Without more description I don't know if the train is safe or not, but obviously can't see the visual to know if that was communicated to the rest of the audience.

Description often breaks atmosphere, particularly with jump scares in horror we find. It's necessary much of the time, but I do wish I could have it in my ear rather than mixed into the whole family audio feed that we share.

in reply to Sean Randall

In that clip you posted - it looks like the gas wagons that exploded may have been on another train, which had just gone over the points of a junction - and was clipped by the speeding train where they're showing the interior with all the panicking people.

Mind you, that's from watching that very short clip several times now - not sure all that context would have been caught visually - depends what came before and after it...

in reply to Sara Joy

@sarajw I admire the describers - it's incredibly hard to know what to comment on, particularly if you haven't seen the rest of an episode or something.
in reply to Sean Randall

The most inessential and hence humorous bit of audio description I've encountered still goes to the movie Juno. Dog: Woof, woof. Cast member: Shut up! Pause. Audio describer: The dog does what it's told.

Sean Randall reshared this.

in reply to Sean Randall

Should have put the description just after the boom so there's no look-ahead. I don't like things like that either.