Thesis

Audio Describing gestures and facial expressions in Thai serials

This study focuses on the AD of gestures and facial expressions in Thai TV serial programmes. The gestures and facial expressions are crucial to helping audiences understand the storylines. There are several groups of people who benefit from this research. First and foremost are audio describer and people with visual impairments, both blind people and partially sighted. Qualitative research will be undertaken in order to answer the following research questions: (1) How can we classify different types of gestures and facial expressions in Thai serials with regards to their function in discourse, so as to apply such classification to Audio Description? (2) When focusing on serial programmes, what are the differences in accessible culture of gestures and facial expressions between sighted audience and unsighted audience? (3) What are the effective ways of transferring gestures and facial expressions to verbal modes in Audio Description for Thais with visual impairments?