A US tools brand reviews an assembly video from its China supplier. The presenter says “slide it in here” while the camera shows which end of a bracket goes into the rail. The captions are accurate, but a customer who cannot see the shot still has no way to tell which end goes first. Fix that line before buying a second version of the entire film.
Decide which information has to move into sound
The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative’s guidance on describing visual information, checked November 6, 2026, distinguishes description woven into the main script from a separate described video or a file the player supports. Captions make audio information available in text; audio description supplies key visual information in sound. This production workflow draws on the guide. Your web team should separately confirm the accessibility target for the page and player.
Run the ONCE screen-off review before recording
Give the rough audio to a reviewer unfamiliar with the assembly. Ask them to name the component, explain which way it goes in and describe how they know the step is complete. Mark each unanswered question at a timecode. For the bracket, an approved line such as “slide the narrow end into the rail until it meets the stop” may replace “in here” without adding a deliverable. Read it against the picture at normal speed in each intended language, and keep useful cues like a latch click audible.
For an existing campaign, there may be no room between dialogue and the next cue. Ask post to show where a description can fit before booking a session. When the publishing player supports an alternate track, test selection and playback in the real embed. If it does not, publish a separate described version with a clear route from the original. Approve the path a customer will use, not just the audio file.
Quote the path that actually solves the problem
Ask for script adaptation, translation and read-through, recording, mixing and playback verification as separate items. A new demo can often be scoped around integrated narration; a locked film may require a new edit or a second version. Have the supplier demonstrate one difficult passage before pricing the full catalog. The comparison then includes the web team’s publishing work as well as the studio’s fee. For the audio handover, see ONCE’s guide to managing music, effects and voiceover versions.
