ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how the genre of a ST affects Audio description (AD) strategies in terms of writing and delivery. While the broad principles of AD apply to all categories and genres, there are some differences that are useful to note. Genre is discussed at the level of the various subsets of film and TV programmes. Genre is important as regards audience expectation. This may help a describer to narrow down and select what are relevant visual features: certain features may be more relevant in one genre than in another. Exclusion can also stem from visual references that are oculo-culture-specific. Intertextuality is particularly evident in historical films. Documentaries were traditionally made for the purposes of instruction or to document reality. The complexity of filming is such that recent David Attenborough documentaries come packaged with a 'making of' mini documentary showing the shenanigans the camera team had to go through in order to achieve particular shots.
