27 February 2024

What is a BSL video?

Firstly, let’s talk about BSL. BSL stands for British Sign Language, and it’s a visual means of communication that includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language. According to Sense, BSL is the preferred language of around 87,000 people who are D/deaf. BSL is also used by many hard of hearing and hearing individuals.

A BSL video is simply a video of someone communicating in BSL. BSL video production is one of the accessible formats A2i offers, in which a BSL signer is shown on screen signing the text within a video or document.

A BSL video allows D/deaf or hard of hearing individuals to understand auditory information, alongside watching your video.

By supplying information in a BSL video format, you give D/deaf people independent access to information.

See some examples of BSL videos A2i have produced on our YouTube channel.

BSL videos – your options

A BSL signer can be added to an existing video, this is called an inset video. We would write a script for our signer, that entails everything that needs to be signed, and wait for our signer to begin filming. The signer would often work alongside a camera operator, auto-cue operator, or support worker to ensure the signing and video are synchronized.

Once we receive the BSL footage, our video editing team would insert the video into the bottom right-hand-corner of the screen and start to consider the design elements of your video. Keep reading to find out what your video will look like.

We can also create a full-screen BSL video with a document or script. You don’t need to have a video already created. The entirety of your BSL video would be the signer, signing the words in your document or script.

Subtitles

BSL videos can also be accompanied by subtitles. Subtitles are great for people who want to read what is being signed and said, this includes people who are D/deaf, hard of hearing and hearing. Subtitles increase the accessibility of your BSL video, as more people can have a greater understanding of your document/video.

Voiceover

Many people like to watch and listen to videos at the same time, or just listen whilst doing something else. Voiceover, like subtitles, gives your users more options as to how they can access the information in your BSL video. Voiceover opens your video up to people who are blind or have a visual impairment. You can have both subtitles and voiceover applied to your video.

BSL inset video or BSL full-screen video?

It is easy to decide which option is best for you. If you already have a video, ask us to insert a BSL signer on top of your video. If you do not have a video, simply send us a script of the words you would like signed and we will create a video for you.

What will my video look like?

We will always follow your company’s brand guidelines when we create an inset or full-screen BSL video. We aim to personalise your video, including colour scheme, font, size and position of your logo, transitions, title pages, subtitles, and graphics. But what does all this mean?

The below image shows a title page of a full-screen BSL video, completed for the Bristol Dementia Wellbeing Service. A title page breaks up the video with titles, like the main title or subheadings, throughout the video.

We also included their logo, on the top left of the video, in white, which stood our best against their colour scheme, the exact blue and green below. The font was chosen by A2i for readability.

Image of a screen with a blue background.

The next image below shows one of our BSL signers, central to the video and taking up most of the screen. This particular video did not contain any graphics. Graphics are any non-text items like graphs, decorative shapes, symbols, illustrations or photos. We can insert any necessary graphics into your BSL video.

Image of a screen with a blue background. In the top left corner is the white Dementia Wellbeing Service logo. There is a man standing In the centre. He is smiling and his hands are clasped together at his waist, ready to start some BSL.

Comparatively, the image below is of an inset video. Our BSL signer is positioned in the bottom right-hand-corner of the screen of the video and is much smaller. The actual video, supplied by our client, takes up most of the frame. In this video we added subtitles.

Image of a screen. The majority of the screen shows a still from a video, with a lady sitting at a garden table, talking. In the bottom right of the screen there is a man signing. To the left of the signer, and underneath the video of the lady, there are 2 lines of white subtitles on a dark blue background.

We hope this blog gave you a good understanding of our BSL services.

If you have any questions, please give us a call or send us an email. You can also take a look at our website.

Telephone: 01179 44 00 44

Email: info@a2i.co.uk

Website: www.a2i.co.uk

Click the link below to request a quotation for a BSL inset video or a BSL full screen video

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