ABSTRACT
The rapid development of extended reality media forms, such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree videos, requires that means be found to make them accessible to audiences who cannot perceive the visual element themselves. Since 2012, the psychological construct of presence has been borrowed from such immersive media to be used as a measure of audience enjoyment and engagement in all audio described material and, by extension, as a means of measuring quality in audio description (AD). The strength as well as the weakness of the presence construct lies in its complexity. This chapter explores the many dimensions of presence, including spatial presence, engagement, ecological validity, enjoyment, emotion, interest and curiosity. It asks how presence is distinct from immersion and interrogates ways in which presence is measured.
The concept of presence highlights the importance of media form in AD. By understanding how presence is affected by more immersive media, describers can better select which elements to prioritise in their AD, if such media are to become equally immersive for AD audiences. Finally, these ideas are applied to the AD of a virtual recreation of an art gallery belonging to the seventeenth-century English King Charles I.
