WEBVTT - Talking Vision 718 Week Beginning 4th of March 2024 0:00:13.218 --> 0:00:18.968 From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's 0:00:18.968 --> 0:00:20.948 your host, Sam Colley. 0:00:23.578 --> 0:00:26.668 Hello everyone. It's great to be here with you. And 0:00:26.668 --> 0:00:29.638 for the next half hour we talk matters of blindness 0:00:29.638 --> 0:00:30.748 and low vision. 0:00:30.958 --> 0:00:35.128 It is challenging because it takes a lot of creative 0:00:35.128 --> 0:00:39.988 energy to sort of do all the different aspects, whereas, 0:00:39.988 --> 0:00:42.148 you know, a lot of the times and artists would, 0:00:42.148 --> 0:00:45.598 you know, write the song, perform the song, but wouldn't 0:00:45.598 --> 0:00:49.318 normally produce the song or mix the song or master 0:00:49.318 --> 0:00:51.958 the song. I kind of have to put a quite 0:00:51.958 --> 0:00:56.188 a few different hats on within that designated space, which 0:00:56.188 --> 0:00:58.768 is a challenge, but I'm very much enjoying it. 0:00:58.798 --> 0:01:02.938 Welcome to the program! This week I catch up with Anthony, 0:01:02.938 --> 0:01:07.048 a singer with low vision who sings, write his own songs, 0:01:07.048 --> 0:01:11.428 produces the music, mixes and does the social media all 0:01:11.428 --> 0:01:15.478 on his own. Anthony set himself an ambitious target of 0:01:15.478 --> 0:01:19.138 releasing a song every two weeks this year, and to 0:01:19.138 --> 0:01:21.928 find out more about that, make sure to tune in 0:01:21.928 --> 0:01:25.468 very shortly, as that interview is just around the corner. 0:01:25.798 --> 0:01:29.308 And then after I speak with Anthony, I'm joined by 0:01:29.308 --> 0:01:34.168 Manager of Audio Description Services at Vision Australia, Michael Ward, 0:01:34.168 --> 0:01:37.948 to tell us all about the latest offerings from the 0:01:37.948 --> 0:01:42.058 audio description side of things. Then, before we go this week, 0:01:42.058 --> 0:01:46.648 Francis calendars back with a reader recommended and we finish 0:01:46.648 --> 0:01:50.428 up with a little bit of news and information. I 0:01:50.428 --> 0:01:58.848 hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Anthony 0:01:58.848 --> 0:02:04.248 Rocco is a singer, songwriter, producer, production engineer and social 0:02:04.248 --> 0:02:08.718 media guru with low vision, otherwise known by his stage 0:02:08.718 --> 0:02:13.368 name Tony Low Key. In 2024, Anthony is setting out 0:02:13.368 --> 0:02:18.078 to share his talents with everybody across all streaming platforms 0:02:18.078 --> 0:02:21.978 and social media, and it's my great pleasure to welcome 0:02:21.978 --> 0:02:25.578 him now to chat all about it. Anthony, welcome to 0:02:25.578 --> 0:02:28.278 Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time. 0:02:28.758 --> 0:02:30.198 Thanks for having me on, Sam. 0:02:30.708 --> 0:02:35.058 Firstly, as I understand it, Anthony, you're quite passionate about music. 0:02:35.058 --> 0:02:36.798 Where did that all start for you? 0:02:37.618 --> 0:02:40.498 You know, I was raised in a musical family. My 0:02:40.498 --> 0:02:45.088 mother sings and plays guitar and wrote songs, and she 0:02:45.088 --> 0:02:49.348 was in country clubs back when I was younger. One 0:02:49.348 --> 0:02:53.248 stage in my life, she was singing, busking. It was 0:02:53.248 --> 0:02:56.758 financial issues. And, you know, she used to talent to 0:02:56.788 --> 0:03:00.778 busk outside of like a Kmart in our local Kmart. 0:03:00.778 --> 0:03:03.328 And you know, she would make a, you know, a 0:03:03.328 --> 0:03:06.598 good amount of money from doing that. And as a 0:03:06.598 --> 0:03:09.148 kid I would be there with her just sort of 0:03:09.148 --> 0:03:11.668 looking out for her and should give me some money 0:03:11.668 --> 0:03:14.608 to get a get a doughnut or something like that. Yeah. 0:03:15.418 --> 0:03:19.738 Music has always been around me. Yeah. It had just 0:03:19.738 --> 0:03:22.738 been instilled in me from, you know, ever since I 0:03:22.738 --> 0:03:23.668 can remember. 0:03:23.698 --> 0:03:27.868 And would you regard yourself as more of a traditional 0:03:27.868 --> 0:03:30.658 musician with sort of instruments and that sort of thing, 0:03:30.658 --> 0:03:33.868 or more of an electronic side of things? 0:03:34.498 --> 0:03:37.738 I think a little bit of both. Um, I sing 0:03:37.738 --> 0:03:42.298 and I play the keyboard, and I also do electronic 0:03:42.298 --> 0:03:46.318 things like programmed drums and, you know, do the technical 0:03:46.318 --> 0:03:51.598 side of things with mixing and use synthesizers and programmed 0:03:51.598 --> 0:03:55.048 those sort of sounds as well. So I like to 0:03:55.048 --> 0:03:58.858 sort of delve into, you know, all the different aspects 0:03:58.858 --> 0:04:02.428 of music I can and experiment with different sounds and 0:04:02.428 --> 0:04:03.688 textures and things. 0:04:03.688 --> 0:04:07.558 You know, in recent years you, um, you experienced vision 0:04:07.558 --> 0:04:11.248 loss over some period of time and that would have 0:04:11.248 --> 0:04:14.398 thrown up quite a few obstacles for you. But what 0:04:14.398 --> 0:04:17.398 sort of impact has that had on your music and 0:04:17.398 --> 0:04:21.088 what are the specifics there if you're comfortable chatting about that? 0:04:21.748 --> 0:04:26.188 Yeah, absolutely. So I was born of a hereditary eye 0:04:26.188 --> 0:04:32.998 condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which deteriorates over time. When I 0:04:32.998 --> 0:04:37.258 left high school, I did a course in audio engineering. 0:04:37.258 --> 0:04:39.088 You know, I felt that was sort of the right 0:04:39.088 --> 0:04:42.118 path for me to go. And then I sort of 0:04:42.118 --> 0:04:48.148 moved on to I actually started producing music for local 0:04:48.148 --> 0:04:53.728 independent record label. But from then until now, my eyesight 0:04:53.728 --> 0:05:00.418 sort of slowly, increasingly deteriorated. So I was recording people 0:05:00.418 --> 0:05:04.468 and sort of a freelance audio engineer. And as my 0:05:04.468 --> 0:05:10.288 eyesight deteriorated, it became increasingly more difficult to do what 0:05:10.288 --> 0:05:14.128 I could do. In the same amount of time, I 0:05:14.128 --> 0:05:18.238 became slower at doing things. Things that normally would take 0:05:18.238 --> 0:05:21.208 a few seconds would start to take, you know, a 0:05:21.208 --> 0:05:25.678 minute or two minutes. And as a business that became 0:05:26.188 --> 0:05:30.118 didn't it wasn't viable to sort of keep doing it 0:05:30.118 --> 0:05:30.898 that way. 0:05:31.108 --> 0:05:34.348 Did you come up with any sort of life hacks 0:05:34.348 --> 0:05:39.688 or work out some adaptations to get around certain things 0:05:39.688 --> 0:05:43.018 over a period of time, which helped you get back 0:05:43.018 --> 0:05:46.018 into the music that you're doing now? What sort of 0:05:46.018 --> 0:05:48.808 been the most helpful thing for you? 0:05:48.988 --> 0:05:53.098 Yeah, so I use a screen magnifier on my computer. 0:05:53.308 --> 0:05:58.648 I also use Jaws technology, screen reading technology, which has 0:05:58.648 --> 0:06:02.998 helped a lot. I use a lot of shortcuts with hotkeys. 0:06:02.998 --> 0:06:05.278 For me, know them is just to sort of get 0:06:05.278 --> 0:06:08.848 to certain places I need to go faster without using 0:06:08.848 --> 0:06:13.168 the mouse. I've also got like hardware controllers where I 0:06:13.168 --> 0:06:17.668 can control certain volume knobs and different functions of my 0:06:17.668 --> 0:06:23.668 recording software. With a physical hardware mixer and different lighting 0:06:23.668 --> 0:06:28.228 puts lighting above my keyboard and, you know, above things. 0:06:28.228 --> 0:06:30.148 I want to be able to see a little bit 0:06:30.148 --> 0:06:33.748 better LED strips around the place, so I can see 0:06:33.748 --> 0:06:36.298 the outline of the room a little bit better and 0:06:36.298 --> 0:06:39.568 things like that, and just all sorts of little bits 0:06:39.568 --> 0:06:42.448 like that, that kind of, you know, make a big difference. 0:06:42.898 --> 0:06:46.018 And, um, we'll go back to a few years ago 0:06:46.018 --> 0:06:50.848 when you were experiencing those vision issues and you moved 0:06:50.848 --> 0:06:54.628 away from music for a little while and got into 0:06:54.628 --> 0:06:58.498 doing a few other things, pursuing other sort of career 0:06:58.498 --> 0:07:03.628 options like working in the community services sector. So tell 0:07:03.628 --> 0:07:06.658 us a bit about your time there. Yeah. 0:07:06.658 --> 0:07:10.528 So my passion has always been within music, but I 0:07:10.528 --> 0:07:14.188 also had a passion for community services. You know, I 0:07:14.188 --> 0:07:18.148 love supporting people that need support and the community. So 0:07:18.148 --> 0:07:22.528 that was a passion I wanted to pursue. So in 2021, 0:07:22.528 --> 0:07:27.508 I started a community Services diploma course and completed that 0:07:27.508 --> 0:07:32.638 in 2022. And last year I was on the hunt 0:07:32.638 --> 0:07:36.958 for employment and was unlucky and didn't manage to secure. 0:07:37.098 --> 0:07:40.128 Or anything at that time. So when it came to 0:07:40.128 --> 0:07:43.938 2024 this year, I decided that I wanted to do 0:07:43.938 --> 0:07:47.028 something that I've always wanted to do, but had never 0:07:47.028 --> 0:07:52.878 gotten around to it, which was to release my own music. Totally. 0:07:52.878 --> 0:07:56.538 Everything done by myself, which means, you know, produce the music, 0:07:56.538 --> 0:08:00.378 write the songs, mix the songs, mastered the songs, released 0:08:00.378 --> 0:08:04.758 the songs. And although I had been in a few 0:08:04.758 --> 0:08:10.368 bands previous to that, and we've released music as a band, but, 0:08:10.548 --> 0:08:14.928 you know, I've never released anything solo on my own. 0:08:14.928 --> 0:08:18.348 So I set a goal for this year to back 0:08:18.348 --> 0:08:22.248 myself and re conjure up all the skills and knowledge 0:08:22.248 --> 0:08:24.708 that I've gathered over the years and put it in 0:08:24.708 --> 0:08:27.528 my own music and get that journey on the road. 0:08:27.528 --> 0:08:28.068 I guess. 0:08:28.308 --> 0:08:32.268 You know, you've set yourself another really ambitious goal to 0:08:32.268 --> 0:08:36.138 release a song every two weeks, so that's pretty incredible. 0:08:36.138 --> 0:08:40.938 And as you've said, you're producing, writing, performing, mixing, mastering 0:08:40.938 --> 0:08:44.088 the whole thing on your own. That's pretty exciting. Look 0:08:44.088 --> 0:08:46.578 forward to sort of seeing how that goes. 0:08:46.578 --> 0:08:50.898 Yeah. So it is very challenging and ambitious, but I'm 0:08:50.898 --> 0:08:53.718 the type of person that loves a good challenge. Yeah. 0:08:53.718 --> 0:08:57.348 So every two weeks a new song will come out, 0:08:57.348 --> 0:08:59.748 give or take two weeks. It could be three. But 0:08:59.748 --> 0:09:03.918 at the moment it's been averaging two weeks. And yeah, 0:09:03.918 --> 0:09:07.968 it is challenging because it takes a lot of creative 0:09:07.968 --> 0:09:12.768 energy to sort of do all the different aspects, whereas, 0:09:12.768 --> 0:09:14.898 you know, a lot of the times and artists would, 0:09:14.898 --> 0:09:18.288 you know, write the song, perform the song, but wouldn't 0:09:18.288 --> 0:09:21.918 normally produce the song or mix the song or master 0:09:21.918 --> 0:09:24.528 the song. I kind of have to put a quite 0:09:24.528 --> 0:09:28.668 a few different hats on within that designated space, which 0:09:28.668 --> 0:09:31.128 is a challenge, but I'm very much enjoying it. 0:09:31.368 --> 0:09:34.878 And there's a lot of planning and promoting and developing 0:09:34.878 --> 0:09:38.388 of various strategies and things that goes into that. So 0:09:38.388 --> 0:09:41.268 has all of that been going and what sort of 0:09:41.268 --> 0:09:43.128 ideas have you got around that? 0:09:43.938 --> 0:09:48.198 Yeah. So, um, a promotional strategy is a lot of 0:09:48.198 --> 0:09:53.778 social media campaigns, and there will be to come some 0:09:53.778 --> 0:09:57.468 short form content. So, like, you know, the short sort 0:09:57.468 --> 0:10:00.798 of TikTok sort of videos or the Instagram Reels of 0:10:00.798 --> 0:10:04.938 Facebook real type videos. A lot of research I've been 0:10:04.938 --> 0:10:08.868 doing is those are the most effective ways to promote 0:10:08.868 --> 0:10:12.588 music sort of nowaday and, you know, to get your 0:10:12.588 --> 0:10:17.748 sound out to a wider audience. Also, just putting out videos, 0:10:17.748 --> 0:10:20.598 and the big part of what I want to do is, 0:10:20.598 --> 0:10:23.208 you know, I want to bring people on the journey 0:10:23.208 --> 0:10:27.768 with me because I'm writing the songs as I'm going. Then, 0:10:27.768 --> 0:10:30.708 you know, there's an opportunity there for people that are 0:10:30.708 --> 0:10:34.638 following me on social media to have an input on 0:10:34.878 --> 0:10:37.758 what I'm doing. You know, they might be able to 0:10:37.758 --> 0:10:41.808 give me topics of, you know, what the song could 0:10:41.808 --> 0:10:45.468 be about, or give me ideas about things and sort 0:10:45.468 --> 0:10:47.418 of go back and forth like that. And I think, 0:10:47.418 --> 0:10:49.788 you know, that'll be a, you know, nice way to 0:10:49.788 --> 0:10:52.398 bring people along the journey with me. 0:10:52.668 --> 0:10:56.178 What's the best way for people to follow along with 0:10:56.178 --> 0:10:58.488 your journey? And, you know, have a listen to your 0:10:58.488 --> 0:11:02.418 music and stream it through their own platforms. What's the 0:11:02.418 --> 0:11:04.128 best way for people to do that? 0:11:04.428 --> 0:11:08.748 I'm available on all streaming platforms. My artist name is 0:11:08.748 --> 0:11:12.978 Tony Loki. T o n y l o w e 0:11:12.978 --> 0:11:18.078 y and I'm on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok under the 0:11:18.078 --> 0:11:22.278 same name, Tony Low Key Music. And yeah, that's where 0:11:22.278 --> 0:11:26.508 I post all of my updates and announcements and things 0:11:26.508 --> 0:11:29.868 like that. And I'm hoping to put more of my 0:11:29.868 --> 0:11:33.738 personal site out there. You know, everything just won't be 0:11:33.738 --> 0:11:36.498 about music. It'll be about, you know, sort of getting 0:11:36.498 --> 0:11:39.948 to know me. And you know what my thoughts are on, 0:11:39.948 --> 0:11:43.128 you know, just everyday topics and things like that as well. 0:11:43.368 --> 0:11:46.788 Well, that certainly sounds quite interesting for people out there. 0:11:46.788 --> 0:11:49.368 If they wanted to, you know, get to know the 0:11:49.368 --> 0:11:53.268 person behind the songs as well as catching up and, uh, 0:11:53.268 --> 0:11:57.078 following your music as well. So very keen to see 0:11:57.078 --> 0:12:00.198 how that all goes or follow that with great interest. 0:12:00.198 --> 0:12:04.338 I've been speaking today with Anthony Walker, otherwise known as 0:12:04.338 --> 0:12:08.868 Tony Low Key, all about his new exciting music career 0:12:08.868 --> 0:12:12.768 in 2024. Very excited to see how it all goes. 0:12:12.768 --> 0:12:16.188 So definitely keep in touch and um, hope it all 0:12:16.188 --> 0:12:17.028 goes well. 0:12:17.598 --> 0:12:20.748 Thank you so much, Sam. Yeah, um, it's great to 0:12:20.748 --> 0:12:23.058 be on and thank. 0:12:29.698 --> 0:12:32.938 I'm Sam Colley and you're listening to Talking Vision on 0:12:32.938 --> 0:12:37.978 Vision Australia Radio, associated Stations of Reading Radio and the 0:12:37.978 --> 0:12:42.478 Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there 0:12:42.478 --> 0:12:46.498 with Anthony. Otherwise known as Tony Low Key. If you 0:12:46.498 --> 0:12:50.008 missed any part of that conversation with Anthony or you'd 0:12:50.008 --> 0:12:53.668 love to hear from him again. Talking vision is available 0:12:53.668 --> 0:12:59.518 on the Vision Australia Radio website on RVA radio.org. That's 0:12:59.518 --> 0:13:04.438 RVA radio.org. You can also find the program on the 0:13:04.438 --> 0:13:08.788 podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. 0:13:08.788 --> 0:13:12.988 And now back to the show. Audio description offers people 0:13:12.988 --> 0:13:16.018 who are blind or have low vision, an understanding of 0:13:16.018 --> 0:13:20.878 what is happening visually within a theatre, TV, film, museum, 0:13:20.878 --> 0:13:26.458 exhibition or other arts related productions. It's an additional narration 0:13:26.458 --> 0:13:32.488 that succinctly paints an image of transitions, movements, gestures, props, settings, 0:13:32.488 --> 0:13:37.018 costumes and scenery woven between the dialogues. And to have 0:13:37.018 --> 0:13:40.798 a chat with me all about the latest audio description 0:13:40.798 --> 0:13:45.298 offerings available to people out there. It's my great pleasure 0:13:45.298 --> 0:13:50.308 to welcome back Vision Australia manager of audio Description services, 0:13:50.308 --> 0:13:54.778 Michael Ward. Michael, welcome back to Talking Vision. Thanks very 0:13:54.778 --> 0:13:56.008 much for your time. 0:13:56.698 --> 0:13:57.988 Ah, thanks for having me, Sam. 0:13:58.198 --> 0:14:02.698 Now, people may be aware that audio description is quite 0:14:02.698 --> 0:14:08.128 prevalent across ABC and SBS on TV. So, um, what 0:14:08.128 --> 0:14:11.998 sort of programs can people look forward to getting audio 0:14:11.998 --> 0:14:14.968 description over the next month or so? Yeah. 0:14:14.968 --> 0:14:18.658 Um, Sam, on TV, there's quite a wide selection of 0:14:18.658 --> 0:14:22.468 audio described programs on, as you say, ABC and SBS 0:14:22.498 --> 0:14:27.118 these days. Uh, I think each station's doing around 14 hours. Um, 0:14:27.118 --> 0:14:30.568 of course we'd always like more, but, um, people are 0:14:30.568 --> 0:14:33.598 using the audio description on television and getting a great 0:14:33.598 --> 0:14:35.518 deal out of that. It just means that they can 0:14:35.518 --> 0:14:38.488 follow the story a lot closer and get all those 0:14:38.488 --> 0:14:42.778 visual cues which aren't always there. So everything from kids 0:14:42.778 --> 0:14:46.468 shows to, uh, documentaries to, you know, um, I see 0:14:46.468 --> 0:14:50.068 Joanna Lumley very popular series where she travels around Britain 0:14:50.068 --> 0:14:53.518 has been audio described play school for the kids. Of course, 0:14:53.518 --> 0:14:55.738 blowie is a big factor with a lot of people, 0:14:55.738 --> 0:15:00.838 and Gardening Australia is always, always popular. People love Gardening Australia. 0:15:00.928 --> 0:15:03.718 It is great. There is some great audio description with that. 0:15:03.718 --> 0:15:05.788 With that TV show they certainly do. 0:15:05.908 --> 0:15:11.128 And also quite an exciting development in recent months is 0:15:11.128 --> 0:15:15.028 the audio description has made its way over to various 0:15:15.028 --> 0:15:19.528 streaming platforms. Michael. So that's quite a welcome development. And 0:15:19.528 --> 0:15:22.318 what sort of things can people expect there. 0:15:22.528 --> 0:15:25.588 Yeah. Um, it's certainly um, quite a lot of options. 0:15:25.588 --> 0:15:27.298 And just on the back of the free to air 0:15:27.298 --> 0:15:31.168 audio described broadcast of the ABC and SBS, both formats 0:15:31.168 --> 0:15:33.958 are now moved over to their catch up. So ABC's 0:15:33.958 --> 0:15:39.358 iview and SBS On Demand now feature audio described shows 0:15:39.358 --> 0:15:42.838 which they hadn't previously done. So. So you had to 0:15:42.838 --> 0:15:47.428 tune in that time when the show was playing on television, right? 0:15:47.428 --> 0:15:49.618 The one drawback with that is that you can only 0:15:49.618 --> 0:15:53.068 access those on the demand, and the eye view on 0:15:53.068 --> 0:15:55.738 your phone or your laptop hasn't quite moved on to 0:15:55.738 --> 0:15:58.618 the smart TVs yet. And, um, we hope that they 0:15:58.618 --> 0:16:00.298 can get that in place fairly soon. 0:16:00.478 --> 0:16:01.168 And, um. 0:16:01.168 --> 0:16:05.668 Moving over to the live performance aspect of things with 0:16:05.668 --> 0:16:08.608 people who like to make their way out to the 0:16:08.608 --> 0:16:12.298 theatre and musicals and what have you, what sort of 0:16:12.298 --> 0:16:14.668 things can people look forward to there? 0:16:14.848 --> 0:16:17.428 Yeah. Thanks, Sam. We, um, we really hit the ground 0:16:17.428 --> 0:16:19.378 running this year. Uh, I think a lot of your 0:16:19.378 --> 0:16:22.588 listeners would know that we have a fairly extensive live 0:16:22.588 --> 0:16:26.248 theatre audio described program of, you know, around 200 shows 0:16:26.248 --> 0:16:29.188 across the country each year. And we spent a fair 0:16:29.188 --> 0:16:33.688 bit of time last year setting up the 2024. And, um, look, 0:16:33.688 --> 0:16:36.088 it's bigger and bolder every year. And this year we 0:16:36.088 --> 0:16:38.908 have some fantastic shows coming up, um, as well as 0:16:38.908 --> 0:16:41.428 the big musicals, which a lot of people like to do. 0:16:41.428 --> 0:16:45.688 And to give you an example of that, we've just done, uh, rent, um, 0:16:45.688 --> 0:16:50.098 the musical, we've done Chicago Grease coming up, we're doing 0:16:50.098 --> 0:16:54.748 Groundhog Day, which is the Tim Minchin adaptation of that movie. Uh, 0:16:54.748 --> 0:16:57.808 a lot of interest in that. We're doing, uh, Wicked 0:16:58.138 --> 0:17:01.738 in Melbourne as well. There's so many different musicals at 0:17:01.738 --> 0:17:04.018 the moment. It's fantastic. And people can pick a whole 0:17:04.018 --> 0:17:06.748 style that they like to go to. There's also a 0:17:06.748 --> 0:17:10.768 great deal of drama. So Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, 0:17:10.768 --> 0:17:14.578 so a lot of gritty, earthy stories that people can follow. 0:17:15.388 --> 0:17:17.938 We're also doing a lot of ballet this year, which 0:17:17.938 --> 0:17:21.058 is certainly growing an audience. A lot of people are, um, 0:17:21.268 --> 0:17:23.908 particularly if they have low vision, are getting a great 0:17:23.908 --> 0:17:26.638 deal out of the ballet and getting that storyline as 0:17:26.638 --> 0:17:29.898 well as the beautiful movements on stage. The audio description 0:17:29.898 --> 0:17:32.658 is describing that with a lot of finesse and detail. 0:17:32.658 --> 0:17:36.258 We have some fantastic audio describers who have skill sets 0:17:36.258 --> 0:17:38.868 in each of these genres, and they work quite hard. 0:17:38.868 --> 0:17:41.138 They're actually like they would go to the show 3 0:17:41.138 --> 0:17:44.058 to 4 times to prepare. We work off script, to 0:17:44.058 --> 0:17:47.688 work off archive videos, and so dozens and dozens of 0:17:47.688 --> 0:17:50.988 hours go into preparing the audio description, which is then 0:17:50.988 --> 0:17:53.898 delivered live at the theatre. Okay. 0:17:53.898 --> 0:17:57.468 And, Michael, if people are listening to this and they're, 0:17:57.498 --> 0:17:59.658 you know, just they might want to know a little 0:17:59.658 --> 0:18:03.858 bit more about audio description. Or perhaps they'd love to 0:18:03.858 --> 0:18:08.058 get their name onto the mailing list for all future 0:18:08.058 --> 0:18:13.548 audio described shows and live performances, what's the best way 0:18:13.548 --> 0:18:15.138 for them to do that? 0:18:15.288 --> 0:18:18.018 Yeah. Thanks, Sam. There's a few ways people can find 0:18:18.018 --> 0:18:20.238 out what's going on. There's an events page on the 0:18:20.238 --> 0:18:24.708 Vision Australia website which hosts all the audio described performances 0:18:24.708 --> 0:18:28.038 coming up. Um, you can also call Vision Australia on 0:18:28.038 --> 0:18:32.988 one 384, 74, 66 and find out what's what's coming up. 0:18:32.988 --> 0:18:35.718 But the best way is to join the audio description 0:18:35.718 --> 0:18:37.998 email list. And the reason is that when a new 0:18:37.998 --> 0:18:40.338 release comes out, we want to get that information out 0:18:40.338 --> 0:18:43.338 to people as quickly as possible. And that email goes out. 0:18:43.338 --> 0:18:46.068 People can get in, get their tickets, they can, um, 0:18:46.068 --> 0:18:49.008 purchase their tickets with a companion card, which is two 0:18:49.008 --> 0:18:52.158 for one, which is a fantastic deal. They also receive 0:18:52.158 --> 0:18:55.368 pre-show notes before the show, which gives all the visual 0:18:55.368 --> 0:18:58.068 details of the set and the costumes and so on, 0:18:58.278 --> 0:19:01.098 and also alerts to people to cocktail tours that we 0:19:01.098 --> 0:19:04.758 also put on prior to the show. That's audio described. 0:19:04.878 --> 0:19:07.008 People get to go in and meet the casket on 0:19:07.008 --> 0:19:10.968 the stage and experience the state firsthand. So all this 0:19:10.968 --> 0:19:14.538 information happens quite quickly before the show. When you're on 0:19:14.538 --> 0:19:16.998 that email list, it's the best way to, uh, to 0:19:16.998 --> 0:19:19.278 receive that. And the best way to do that is 0:19:19.278 --> 0:19:22.128 to call Vision Australia, ask to be put through to 0:19:22.128 --> 0:19:25.608 the audio description department. Or you could email me directly 0:19:25.608 --> 0:19:29.058 if you like it. Uh, Michael Ward at Vision Australia. 0:19:29.268 --> 0:19:37.608 Org that Vision Australia number again 1300 847 466. Or email Michael 0:19:37.638 --> 0:19:40.008 to find out a little bit more. And you can 0:19:40.008 --> 0:19:43.368 of course as Michael said head to the events page 0:19:43.368 --> 0:19:48.738 on the Vision Australia website which is Vision Australia. Org, 0:19:48.738 --> 0:19:54.588 that's Vision Australia or one word.org. I've been speaking today 0:19:54.588 --> 0:20:00.558 with Michael Ward, manager of Audio Description Services at Vision Australia, 0:20:00.558 --> 0:20:04.278 telling us all about the latest in audio description and 0:20:04.278 --> 0:20:09.078 some upcoming events for people to get excited about. Michael, 0:20:09.078 --> 0:20:11.178 thanks so much for your time today. It is a 0:20:11.178 --> 0:20:13.968 pleasure to catch up with you again and talk all 0:20:13.968 --> 0:20:15.558 about audio description. 0:20:16.398 --> 0:20:18.648 Thanks, Sam. It's always great to be on his show. 0:20:18.648 --> 0:20:21.168 And and thank you for allowing us to spread the 0:20:21.168 --> 0:20:22.398 word of audio description. 0:20:26.338 --> 0:20:30.268 And now here's Frances Kelland, with a reader recommended for. 0:20:30.268 --> 0:20:33.448 Those who like to follow the political machinations that go 0:20:33.448 --> 0:20:37.348 on behind the scenes sometimes. So if you're not sick 0:20:37.348 --> 0:20:39.418 of politics at this point in time, this is a 0:20:39.418 --> 0:20:44.128 book by Nicky Savva. It's called Plots and Prayers. In 0:20:44.128 --> 0:20:47.968 an enthralling sequel to her best selling The Road to Ruin. 0:20:47.998 --> 0:20:52.378 Niki Savva reveals the inside story of a bungled coup 0:20:52.408 --> 0:20:55.948 that overthrew the Liberal Prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and installed 0:20:55.948 --> 0:20:59.128 a surprise successor, Scott Morrison, who went on to take 0:20:59.128 --> 0:21:03.268 the party to a miraculous electoral victory. On the 21st 0:21:03.268 --> 0:21:07.828 of August 20, 18, 35 Liberal MPs cast their vote 0:21:07.828 --> 0:21:12.538 against Malcolm Turnbull, effectively signalling the end of his leadership. 0:21:12.568 --> 0:21:15.778 Three days later, the deed was done and Scott Morrison 0:21:15.778 --> 0:21:21.508 was anointed prime minister. Tony Abbott's relentless campaign of destabilisation, 0:21:21.508 --> 0:21:24.568 helped along by his acolytes in the Parliament and by 0:21:24.568 --> 0:21:28.228 his powerful media mates, the betrayals of colleagues and the 0:21:28.228 --> 0:21:32.848 rise of the religious right climaxing and Peter Dutton's challenge 0:21:32.848 --> 0:21:36.538 all played a part in Turnbull's downfall. But so did 0:21:36.538 --> 0:21:40.108 Turnbull's own poor political judgement. He was a good prime 0:21:40.108 --> 0:21:43.138 minister and a terrible politician. The good bits of Malcolm 0:21:43.138 --> 0:21:46.558 were not enough to make up for the bad Malcolm. Nevertheless, 0:21:46.558 --> 0:21:50.458 the sheer brutality of his removal left many liberals aghast. 0:21:50.458 --> 0:21:54.928 MPs were traumatised or humiliated by eight days of madness. 0:21:54.928 --> 0:21:58.318 Men and women cried from sheer anguish. They went through 0:21:58.348 --> 0:22:00.568 hell and feared when it was over that they would 0:22:00.568 --> 0:22:03.448 not make it back and nor would the Liberal Party. 0:22:03.868 --> 0:22:07.918 As it turned out, redemption came with Morrison's unexpected single 0:22:07.918 --> 0:22:13.438 handed to 2019 election victory. Turnbull's road ended in ruins 0:22:13.438 --> 0:22:15.838 as it was always bound to, and as he always 0:22:15.838 --> 0:22:18.718 knew it would. As he predicted to Niki Savva less 0:22:18.718 --> 0:22:21.658 than three years before it happened. But when his end 0:22:21.658 --> 0:22:24.388 was imminent, he could not bear to let it go, 0:22:24.388 --> 0:22:28.708 and when it was over he was defiant, fragile, and, yes, vengeful. 0:22:28.738 --> 0:22:32.008 This is the inside story of what happened and what 0:22:32.008 --> 0:22:36.358 happened next. Let's hear a sample of Plots and Prayers 0:22:36.358 --> 0:22:40.648 by Niki Savva. It's narrated by Daniel Wilkes. 0:22:41.488 --> 0:22:45.388 Malcolm Turnbull does not believe that Scott Morrison's stunning election 0:22:45.388 --> 0:22:50.068 victory vindicated the coup against him. Turnbull remains confident he 0:22:50.068 --> 0:22:54.358 could have won in 2019 and besides, the revolt by 0:22:54.358 --> 0:22:58.288 the right was designed to install Peter Dutton, not Morrison, 0:22:58.288 --> 0:23:02.458 as prime minister. The last person Dutton and his backers 0:23:02.458 --> 0:23:05.938 wanted to lead the party was Turnbull. The second lost 0:23:05.938 --> 0:23:10.678 was Morrison. Turnbull also firmly believes that by holding out 0:23:10.678 --> 0:23:15.238 against the insurgents during coup week by delaying a second ballot, 0:23:15.238 --> 0:23:19.168 he gave Morrison precious time to gather the numbers to 0:23:19.168 --> 0:23:23.398 triumph over Dutton. If there was any consolation for Turnbull, 0:23:23.398 --> 0:23:27.118 this was it, particularly as he and those closest to 0:23:27.118 --> 0:23:30.628 him had warned the plotters that if they persisted, the 0:23:30.628 --> 0:23:34.678 week would end with Morrison, whom they disliked, being sworn 0:23:34.678 --> 0:23:38.218 in as prime minister. It was only a part of 0:23:38.218 --> 0:23:42.358 Turnbull's strategy that Morrison should succeed. The other part, the 0:23:42.358 --> 0:23:47.008 primary objective, of course, was to save himself. Morrison, the 0:23:47.008 --> 0:23:51.508 most astute conservative politician of his generation, did need the 0:23:51.508 --> 0:23:55.138 extra time that Turnbull bought him. But the plotting and 0:23:55.138 --> 0:23:59.248 planning by his lieutenants was already well advanced. It is 0:23:59.248 --> 0:24:02.668 impossible to get to where he got in 24 hours, 0:24:02.668 --> 0:24:07.078 which is what he later wanted people to believe. Morrison 0:24:07.078 --> 0:24:10.468 had done what he could to save Turnbull from himself. 0:24:10.498 --> 0:24:13.588 He knew he would be damaged if people thought he 0:24:13.588 --> 0:24:17.338 had ascended to the Liberal leadership by being disloyal, or 0:24:17.338 --> 0:24:20.158 if he had blood on his hands. The image of 0:24:20.158 --> 0:24:23.518 him as a clean skin was vital to his success. 0:24:23.848 --> 0:24:26.698 This did not stop some of his backers from talking 0:24:26.698 --> 0:24:30.028 about how it happened, nor his enemies from trying to 0:24:30.028 --> 0:24:33.868 sully his reputation. He would not allow any of this 0:24:33.868 --> 0:24:37.618 to distract him from his singular objective of winning an 0:24:37.618 --> 0:24:42.478 election already deemed lost through the disunity and the despair 0:24:42.478 --> 0:24:46.318 that had embedded itself in Liberal ranks after the knifing 0:24:46.318 --> 0:24:47.968 of two prime ministers. 0:24:48.238 --> 0:24:52.498 That was plots and prayers by Niki Savva. Niki is 0:24:52.498 --> 0:25:01.618 spelt Niki, sorry, Niki and Seva is a double. Vassa, W.Va. 0:25:01.618 --> 0:25:05.998 the book goes for about 14.5 hours. 0:25:12.628 --> 0:25:15.388 Now, before we go this week, we'll wrap up with 0:25:15.388 --> 0:25:19.558 a little bit of news and information. The Brimbank Writers 0:25:19.558 --> 0:25:23.668 and Readers Festival is taking place across the western suburbs 0:25:23.668 --> 0:25:27.988 of Melbourne, from the 14th to the 23rd of March, 0:25:27.988 --> 0:25:30.898 and one of the events people can look forward to 0:25:30.928 --> 0:25:34.918 is Read My Way. Reading with All Our Senses held 0:25:34.918 --> 0:25:40.198 at the Sunshine Library on 301 Hampshire Road, sunshine on 0:25:40.198 --> 0:25:45.118 the 22nd of March from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.. Join 0:25:45.118 --> 0:25:49.708 Vision Australia for an immersive exploration of different ways of reading, 0:25:49.708 --> 0:25:53.728 with a journey through audio, braille and tactile literacy and 0:25:53.728 --> 0:25:58.948 learning here about the creation of accessible formats, the challenges 0:25:58.948 --> 0:26:03.208 of finding alternatives in a print saturated world, and the 0:26:03.208 --> 0:26:09.418 impact for people who have a print disability. Explore accessible stories, games, 0:26:09.418 --> 0:26:13.618 and Braille in a fun and interactive way that's read 0:26:13.618 --> 0:26:16.978 more by Reading with All Our Senses taking place at 0:26:16.978 --> 0:26:21.078 the Sunshine Library on the 22nd of March between 2 0:26:21.078 --> 0:26:25.798 and 3:30 p.m.. For an accessible listing of the event 0:26:25.798 --> 0:26:30.238 and to register. Head to the brain Bank library's website 0:26:30.238 --> 0:26:40.468 at Brimbank Libraries Victoria that's Brimbank libraries or one word.vic.gov 0:26:40.468 --> 0:26:43.678 dot are you? And that's all the time we have 0:26:43.678 --> 0:26:48.418 for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision 0:26:48.418 --> 0:26:52.618 is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved 0:26:52.618 --> 0:26:56.518 with putting the show together every week. And remember we 0:26:56.518 --> 0:26:59.818 love hearing from you. So please get in touch anytime 0:26:59.818 --> 0:27:04.978 on our email at Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org. That's 0:27:04.978 --> 0:27:10.108 talking vision or one word at Vision australia.org. But until 0:27:10.108 --> 0:27:13.228 next week it's Sam Collison. Bye for now. 0:27:17.068 --> 0:27:21.118 You can contact Virgin Australia by phoning us anytime during 0:27:21.118 --> 0:27:29.998 business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 384 746 0:27:29.998 --> 0:27:35.248 or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision Australia call.