A presenter who says “the difference is obvious here” may leave a later viewer without the explanation they need. Before recording a technical event, identify the visual information that carries meaning and decide how the speaker will describe it. This is a content preparation task to commission with the presenter, not merely a postproduction request.
W3C WAI guidance on description of visual information describes integrated description as visual information woven into the main speaker's script. It also describes other ways to provide visual information, including a separate described version or supported supplementary files. The appropriate route needs to be chosen for the audience and content; a production buyer should not assume that attractive pictures alone make the explanation complete.
Find the visual dependencies
Review the presentation for statements that depend on location, colour, movement, text or a change between views. Ask what a person would need to know if that information were unavailable. Focus first on meaning, rather than requiring the speaker to narrate every decorative element.
For a project diagram, the important description may be the relationship between two routes. For a sample comparison, it may be the feature that changes. The content owner should confirm the intended observation so production does not invent an interpretation of the visual.
Ask speakers to explain the point naturally in their own subject language. A short orientation before discussing a diagram can be more useful than repeatedly saying where to look. The goal is a coherent explanation, not an additional script that competes with the speaker's argument.
Use rehearsal to expose missing context
Listen to a representative passage while reviewing the planned description with the relevant access specialists. Check whether the essential relationship is conveyed and whether technical terms remain understandable. The presenter may discover that a familiar diagram relies on assumptions they never state aloud.
Avoid promising that one preparation session resolves every accessibility need. Captions, transcripts, interpretation, player controls and other requirements have their own responsibilities. Integrated description addresses a particular information gap within the spoken explanation.
The production team should also know when the speaker intends to pause or change visuals. That connection helps the recording preserve the description and the object it concerns. An edit that removes an apparently slow orientation can undo the preparation.
A hypothetical project presentation
At a hypothetical industry briefing, a speaker compares an existing access route with a proposed alternative. The original wording says only that the new route is “the green line”. The revised explanation names its start and end points and the connection it changes. The diagram remains useful, but the spoken content now communicates the relationship rather than relying on colour identification alone.
The content owner approves the revised wording because it explains the proposal accurately; an access reviewer assesses the intended experience. These are complementary checks rather than interchangeable approvals.
Carry the preparation into the replay
Ask the editor to retain essential descriptions when creating excerpts. If a clip begins after the orientation, it may need a different opening or a clearly identified additional explanation. Review the final passage as a whole rather than checking only whether every spoken word survived.
Deliver the agreed content notes with the recording brief and nominate who assesses remaining gaps. Planning visual description early gives the production a clearer target and gives speakers a practical way to make their technical explanation more complete.
Discuss suitability
Contact Live Images to discuss the proposed recording, audience and delivery requirements. Discuss suitability, scope and availability for the proposed brief.
Editorial note
Original commissioning guidance prepared with AI assistance. Hypothetical examples are invented, not Live Images projects. This unpublished resource makes no service, legal or performance guarantee.