Why Access Materials Matter
Cinema is for everyone. For films receiving BFI National Lottery funding in the UK, access materials are not optional — they are conditions of that funding. Even without a funding obligation, access materials are increasingly expected by festivals, exhibitors and distributors. The infrastructure to serve deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired audiences is now in place in most professional UK cinemas.
The Three Main Types
Hard of Hearing Subtitles (HOH) — Closed Captions: These are fundamentally different from standard subtitles. They describe every significant non-dialogue sound available to a hearing audience — sound effects, music cues, speaker identification. "A door creaks." "Music playing." All the auditory information that a hearing audience receives automatically. In cinema, HOH subtitles are delivered as closed captions to personal caption devices — small screens on flexible mounts that slot into cup holders. The rest of the audience sees only the film.
Audio Description (AD): A specially recorded voiceover describing the visual action on screen — what is happening, who is doing it, how the environment looks — in the gaps between dialogue. Written by a professional AD writer, recorded by a professional narrator. In cinema, the AD track plays through wireless headphone receivers carried by audience members who need it; the main audio continues unchanged for everyone else.
Hearing Impaired Audio (HI): A separately mixed mono audio track that boosts dialogue relative to music and sound effects, making speech more intelligible through headphones for listeners with high-frequency hearing loss. It plays through assistive listening devices rather than the main speakers.
How They Are Included in Your DCP
All three types are included in your DCP as additional tracks, correctly flagged so cinema servers route them to the appropriate assistive equipment rather than the main speakers or screen. They can be included in the main OV DCP or delivered as a supplemental VF package alongside it.
We include access materials in DCPs. We do not create them. HOH subtitles require expertise in the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community. Audio description requires professional writing and narration. These should not be produced by the filmmaker alone. We recommend VSI for audio description and closed captions, and Matchbox Cine for independent subtitling with a focus on festival accessibility.
BFI Funding Requirements
Films receiving BFI National Lottery funding are required to include open captions, closed captions and audio description at the point of theatrical exhibition. Build the lead time for production into your post schedule — audio description in particular takes time to script, record and edit and cannot be turned around in 48 hours.
Need access materials in your DCP?
We include correctly flagged access tracks. We can also point you to the right creation specialists.
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