Creative Audio Description Workshop

25 October Wednesday, 10.30, Goethe-Institut

Creative Directions in Audio Description

In this workshop presentation, UK artist Michael Achtman looks at creative approaches to audio description for narrative and non-narrative film. Building on research he undertook supported by Arts Council England on a Develop Your Creative Practice grant, Michael will survey current industry and artistic practices that explore innovative approaches to audio description. He will then review several of his own non-narrative films where he reworked the conventional AD by incorporating experimental approaches, including directional sound, voice filters, poetic writing, and enhanced ambient audio. Finally, he’ll screen a new short film, Pessoa, that playfully examines the choices faced by an audio describer given the task of describing an artist’s abstract film.

Michael Achtman is a digital artist, writer and filmmaker based in the UK. His work frequently involves collaboration with Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists and explores accessible practice. His film “Awake” (screened at the Accessible Film Festival in 2018) won the Jury Prize at Superfest (San Francisco) and a special Director’s Award at Look and Roll (Basel). His other short films include “Orin & Anto” and “sift.simmer.shred”. He is an associate artist at filmpro (London) and he also works as an access consultant and audio describer.