Examples from Sheer of auto-description and images

Bifuckular

A Caucasian woman stands in front of a red curtain, next to a red stool, with bandages on her arms and legs, and has a fabric vagina pinned to the open skirt of her dress. She also has large fake breasts and exaggerated make-up on a mask that she wears.
Sheer 2012 – Heather Gilmore as Bifuckular – Photography Terry Braun

 

Bifuckular’s AD is integrated into the narrative of the character’s act:

Bifuckular:

I cock my luscious leg around a red fleshy curtain.

I stroke it. Oh a bandage!

My enlarged breast pushes through a rip in the curtain. I caress.

My rejuvenated face peeps round.

Oh are these bumper botoxed lips the right way round?

What about this way up? Oh forget it! I drop them.

I strut, wobble, flail.

Where’s the stool?

Pity surgery didn’t work on my eyes, eh?

 

Cataracto

A Caucasian man is standing inside a suspended cabinet box jacket, which is fastened around his body. His head pops through a hole at the top, as do his arms through holes at the side, and he is holding a thick metal chain which is wrapped around the box.
Sheer 2012 – Tim Gebbles as Cataracto. Photography Terry Braun

 

Cataracto’s AD examples a reverse strip where the characters description is under-cut by an alternative AD voice, in this instance that of JAWS which is the electronic synthesised voice used for assistive technology:

Cataracto:

I stand stroking the midnight blue lapels of my slim line Dior-Om suit

JAWS:      

Cataracto stands in a white string vest, white baggy Y-fronts and grey holey socks

Cataracto: 

I’m so cool I’m hot. Wanna chill with me?

JAWS:         

Cataracto holds a strong man pose, arms up at right angles, with fists framing his gormless face

Cataracto:

Undoing my suit jacket with one hand, I shift my powerful shoulders and the jacket slips off.

JAWS:

Cataracto finds a tennis size balloon, presents it in front of him, then stuffs one in either arm of a stocking body top.

 

 

Miss Stagmus

A Caucasian woman is ‘flying’ in mid-air, suspended by her waist. She wears a nude bodysuit and a white pointed bra. She is also wearing an embellished necklace and a half-face mask. Her legs are together and pointed and her arms are flung wide. She is smiling. Beneath her hangs a large glittering fairy tale style mirror.
Sheer 2012 – Amelia Cavallo as Mis-Stagmus. Photography Terry Braun

 

The AD of Miss Stagmus is the non-technical pictorial style of AD to support the characters fluid and fantastical aerial movement:

Miss Stagmus:

I sit, suspended in the air in peach satin underwear.

An infinite length of vertical cloth

Wraps around and holds my limbs

I reach out under an apricot light, find my white wand

Near a huge fairy tale golden mirror hanging by me

With a kiss, my white cane gives me the power to move (she kisses and lets go of it)

I unwrap, flick and limbs stretch into a star

 

 

 

Squint

A figure stands in black light with glowing white aspects of costume picking out their fencing pose – side on to the camera, legs wide apart, knees bent, right arm on right hip and left arm above their head pointing forwards holding a glowing white cane thrust forward like a rapier.
Sarah Caltieri as Squint. Photography Terry Braun

 

Squint’s AD, that intercuts with that of Miss Stagmus, who is the other side of herself, is more direct and technical, to reflect the difference between them:

Squint:

This light can only pick out parts of me

In brilliant white against the black

All there is, is mask, gloves, boots, knickers and a cut away basque.

I stand ready

Cross gloves, punch

Cross gloves, punch

Cross gloves then caress

Wiggle my arse

Boots march, knees high, hand to opposite thigh.

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