Plan an accessible event video from the brief

Put access needs into the brief before you ask for any quote, and name one person on your side who decides and signs off. That one step prevents most late surprises. W3C guidance on planning audio and video media makes the same point: accessibility is easier when it is specified during planning and procurement.

Who does what?

Accessibility tasks are shared, and trouble starts when each person thinks another has them.

If you are the organiser and also a volunteer, that is fine. Just name yourself as the decision-maker, and name who will review.

What goes into the brief?

Keep it short and specific. A useful access section answers six questions:

1. Who is it for? For example, hard-of-hearing guests, older relatives, staff across several offices.
2. Which outputs? Same-language captions, translated subtitles, a transcript. Our guide on what each output is explains the three.
3. Which languages? The languages spoken and the languages you want shown.
4. Which videos? Full recording, highlight film, social clips.
5. Who reviews? Name or role, per language.
6. How is it delivered? Text in the picture, a separate file, or both. See burned-in captions or separate files.

Our caption and language planner lays out these answers as a grid, and event video brief builder can hold them next to the rest of your coverage plan.

When do the tasks happen?

Access work runs alongside filming, not after it.

1. Before the quote: decide the outputs, languages and reviewers, so every quote covers the same thing.
2. Before the day: send the programme, speaker names and titles, and a list of unusual terms, company names or places. Ask the speakers to use the microphone given, because muffled speech is hard to caption well.
3. On the day: the crew records speech cleanly where the venue allows. If a speech will be read from a script, ask the speaker for a copy.
4. After the first edit: your reviewer reads the text against the video, in one sitting, and sends corrections together. The timecoded feedback tool keeps notes tied to the exact moment.
5. Before release: the named person approves, and you confirm which files go to which audience.

Common gaps to avoid

• The brief says “add subtitles” and nothing else. The quote then cannot say which languages or who checks them.
• Names arrive after the edit. Spellings of titles such as Datuk, Dr or Puan, and of company names, are the most common corrections.
• Everyone reviews, nobody decides. Collect comments, but let one person confirm. Our approvals planner helps when several people have a say.
• Access is only for the main video. If the short clips will play muted on social media, they may need text too.

What we agree with you

We confirm which access outputs we provide for your event, in which languages, and who checks each one. Where a language needs a specialist reviewer, we say so before you book. Whatever we agree goes into the written quote, so the scope is the same for you and for us. You can read how we scope the work on the captions and subtitles service page, and the booking scope checklist helps you compare it with other quotes.