Take 1's Ryan Hennessey explains how a love for creative writing and film is a great basis for becoming an audio describer
By Contributor
Published: August 16, 2022 Updated: August 17, 2022
Take 1's Ryan Hennessey explains how a love for creative writing and film is a great basis for becoming an audio describer
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Ryan Hennessey, audio describer at Take 1 Talk us through a day in your role: As an audio describer, I help create the audio description track which makes TV shows and films accessible to visually impaired audiences. I'm responsible for writing the script for a narrator to describe what's happening on the screen in the gaps between the dialogue.
I work with anything from animated short films, social media content and episodic TV, through to lengthier crime documentaries and full Hollywood films. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to script a short advert, through to an entire day for a film. The time involved also depends on the genre horror movies have much less dialogue than a drama, pacing is important, and you have to carefully choose which information is critical to support the story.
I usually start by watching the media all the way though, marking out where I'll add in the audio descriptions. The first watch helps me pick out exactly what I need to describe for the listener. Then I watch it again, this time creating the audio descriptions as I go. After I've written the script, it gets sent off to be recorded, and I review the final audio before delivering it to the client.
How did you get started in the media industry? When I finished my A-levels, my brother had just started a role at Take 1 in a similar department. I'd decided I wanted to start working rather than go to university, and he suggested getting in touch with Take 1. They brought me onboard for work experience, where I worked in a few different departments. The audio description department was relatively new at the time, and I enjoyed the work and found that audio description fit nicely with my interest in creative writing and film.
After my work experience, they offered me a position - and I've been here for four years now! They have such a varied offering, so it was a good way to find my niche in the industry.
What training did you have before entering the industry? Before entering the industry, I'd taken my GCSEs and A levels. My GCSE in media studies and my A-Level in English language gave me a good starting point for the role, and I enjoy writing, which is what made audio describing a good fit, as there's so much room for creativity when writing scripts.
Most of my training came directly from Take 1. When I joined the department, it was still relatively new, and I was trained by two audio describers - I shadowed their work, learning about different types of media and getting used to the writing style. They trained me on the software and eventually I had enough experience to write on my own.
Why do you enjoy working in the industry? I have a passion for TV and film, and obviously creative writing. It's interesting having to balance what's happening on screen, selecting the most important visual information, and also making the descriptions interesting for any visually impaired viewers - we want the content to be just as enjoyable with audio descriptions as it is without them.
You also have to work around time constraints, getting the right amount of information and context into the often-small gaps in dialogue. And with film - you have to think a lot about set up, and how to convey minute but important details without giving too much away.
The audio description sector is expanding, which is such a positive thing - it feels good to be a part of a growing access service which helps more audiences engage with TV and film. It's rewarding to be a part of that process, and I'd like to eventually be able to train and mentor new employees in the department.
What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a role similar to yours? Getting the hang of the role is really about practice, and you learn by experience. The more you write, the easier it gets to pick out which details are important. If you have an interest in media and you like being creative, it's a great avenue to go down, and it's rewarding to do.
It's a growing industry too - UK broadcasters must provide audio descriptions for at least 10 per cent of their programmes and Ofcom is preparing to present recommendations to the government for quotas for streaming platforms and on-demand services. There's a big drive to increase that number, which I support - there's a whole demographic of people using this type of service as an aid, helping them better enjoy visual media.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture -Zac Fields, Fox Sports, SVP of Graphic Technology and Integration...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
Take 1's Ryan Hennessey explains how a love for creative writing and film is a great basis for becoming an audio describer
