Captioning digital video is a straight-forward, if slightly focused process:
- Transcribe the dialog and relevant sound effects, music, and any other significant audio information,
- Format the captions into individual lines of captions that will fit onto the screen in a readable format,
- Apply specific formatting to the captions to reflect specific information and distinguish between dialog and other sonic information,
- Determine the timing for presentation of each line of captions,
- Adjust the positioning of each line of captions,
- Saving the caption file,
- Associating the caption file with the digital video file for playback.
Captioning takes time, just because of the nature of the activities involved. Once you have completed the above steps, you will most likely have watched the video at least three or four times. There is a lot of focused viewing and reviewing of the digital media as you create and edit the digital captions.
Fortunately, there are freely available resources to help explain and accomplish the task of captioning your instructional video, provided by the fine folks at the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP).
Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) Keys to Access
The DCMP is funded by the US Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf. The DCMP provides various services to assist students who are blind or visually impaired, and/or deaf or hard of hearing.
The DCMP is the authoritative source for all things related to captioning and describing media. The DCMP hosts a robust Learning Center that covers everything from explanations of how to caption and describe digital media, the laws and regulations surrounding captions and accessibility, as well as coverage of assistive technologies used by individuals with disabilities.
Two resources that are especially useful for captioning are the “Caption Key”( https://dcmp.org/learn/captioningkey) and the “Description Key” (https://dcmp.org/learn/descriptionkey)
Captioned and Described Video Relief for COVID-19
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the DCMP is providing free memberships to teachers or families who have at least one student with a disability. This means free access to over 8,000 captioned and described high-quality instructional resources. More information about the program and resources can be obtained at the DCMP website (https://dcmp.org/).
Even if you don’t have a membership, the DCMP also provides many accessible videos that can be viewed by anyone.
Captioning Key: Basic Captioning Conventions for Instructional Video
The Captioning Key provides the style and formatting guidelines for captioning instructional videos.
The Captioning Key is a robust resource that covers the range of questions and concerns about captioning, including how to deal with language mechanics, presentation rate, identifying multiple speakers, sound effects and music, as well as resources for dealing with YouTube, captioning vendors, and different tools for creating your own captions.
The Captioning Key is free to use, and download. The DCMP also provides a printable version, for those of us who prefer a physical user manual.
The Description Key: Basic Guidelines and Resources for Describing Media
Just as the Captioning Key provides guidelines and information for captioning digital media, so too does the Description Key provide guidelines and information for describing digital media for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.
Describing media is a challenging task, requiring technical skills, recording and editing software and hardware, as well as a talent for voice acting and narration.
Happily, many faculty possess the equipment and software to record and edit narrative descriptions. Now with the Description Key, answers about what and how to describe are answered, as well as basic workflows, recommendations for technology, software, and equipment as well as best practices for getting a good quality recording.
Applying the Captioning Key and Description Key
In the coming days I will cover some captioning workflows and demonstrate some of the resources and guidance from the Captioning Key.
You will be able to provide completely accessible captioned and described media for your online courses, and increase the engagement and instructional capability of your online course.
Thanks for reading!
