Video Description and Summer Movie Fun
by Paul Schroeder on 6/2/2009 9:16:52 AM
Ah summer, beloved by children anxious for the freedom and fun of lazy days and family time! There are indeed many great family activities to do during the summer, and Hollywood is hoping that seeing movies is high on your list. I know the new Harry Potter movie (coming out in July) will be on my family's list. This month I'm using this space to help familiarize you with "video description" (also sometimes called audio description), which is designed to make movies, TV programs and educational media more enjoyable and accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired. And I suspect, more enjoyable for their sighted family members too.
This week I'll try to explain video description and focus on movies. After that, I'll turn to the challenge of video description and TV programs and on DVDs. And, although school is winding down, I will also address video description as a method for making the video media used in classrooms more accessible (please be sure to visit our newest partner page to learn about the Described and Captioned Media Program, which I'll say more about in a later post). Finally, I hope we can have a discussion about your experience with video description.
First, a Word or Two About Me
I am AFB's Vice President in charge of programs and policy. I am also blind, having lost my sight when I was 18 months old. I am married and have two children (both of whom can see and who LOVE going to the movies and watching TV).
As a child, my parents encouraged me to be curious and indeed I was and still am. I am the guy in the room who won't stop asking questions. While I suspect that I would have been curious regardless of my vision loss, I think that everyone who is blind probably has experienced far too often the frustration of not being able to see what is happening on a TV show or in a movie. I'm sure I drove my parents and brothers crazy always asking "what happened?" while we were watching TV or a movie together, and I'm still bugging my family today with the same question. Unless you have tried watching a movie or a TV show from another room or while driving a car you might not even realize how much of a story depends on the action that takes place in between or in place of dialogue. I know that my wife and daughters look forward to going to movies that are video described so that we all get the full experience of the movie without "shushing" from other patrons and without the stress of trying to decide what to describe in a quick whisper without interfering with the dialogue.
What Exactly Is Video Description?
Video description is a technique that incorporates a recorded, narrated description of visual action and key information in a scene into natural pauses in a program's dialogue (WGBH, a public broadcasting operation in Boston, brought the concept of description to TV and movies in 1990). Now, new movie releases often come out with video description and/or closed captions (the technique for providing access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing to see captions of the dialogue). You can see and hear some examples on the WGBH web site:
If you are interested in finding out about movies being released with video description, the best place to go is the "MoPix" website at www.mopix.org (established by WGBH). If a theater is equipped with MoPix technology, a blind customer simply goes to the theater, obtains a pair of headphones at guest services, and listens to the description of onscreen visual action taking place during the movie (through the headphones) while listening to the movie audio in the theater. Generally, the description is timed so that it doesn't interfere with the movie dialogue and sound effects. Because the description is transmitted through special headphones, sighted patrons are not disturbed by the additional audio track. This way, the movie can be enjoyed by moviegoers who are blind and sighted simultaneously.
Unfortunately, not every community has a MoPix-equipped theater. I'm lucky to live in a place where we regularly attend movies at four convenient, MoPix-equipped theaters, but I know this isn't true, yet, in very many places. However, you can change this by working with your local theater to urge them to add the technology. Be warned, it probably won't be easy, but there is a great story on the MoPix website about how it can be and has been done successfully.
Not every movie comes out with video description either. But, an increasing amount do. Right now, if you can get to a theater with the MoPix technology, you might be able to choose among such movies as "Up," "Night in the Museum 2: Escape from the Smithsonian," "Star Trek" and others. And, you might be surprised to find that some movie studios will agree to add description if asked. We actually requested description for two movies, and the studios agreed to add it before the movies were released. You can read about the story on the AFB blog.
One other caveat: The MoPix headphones I've used aren't perfect. They're kind of bulky (pretty old school for iPod users) and you have to balance the headphones on the edge of your ears so you can simultaneously hear the movie soundtrack along with the narration. As is true of all technology, I believe that as more theaters add Mopix and more consumers seek out theaters with the technology, the headphones will be improved due to customer demand.
OK, your turn, I'd like to hear from families about your experience with video description. How was the description experience? If you can, please take in a movie this weekend with video description and write to tell us about it.
There are currently 4 comments
Re: Video Description and Summer Movie FunPosted by ahayes on 6/3/2009 1:29:13 PM
I am the mother of a child who lost her vision at the start of her first grade year due to a shunt malfunction. My daugter use to LOVE to watch TV and movies so when I found out about descriptive movies in the theater I was so excited for her to experience this. My excitment turned into soon turned to frustration. If a theater had the descriptive movies they had no clue what it was or where the equipment could be located. Once equipment was located it didn't work. We tried a number of times to gain access to these movies and we were always derailed. We finally gave up. Do you or anyone else have any recommendations on some helpful hints around this obstacle?
Re: Video Description and Summer Movie FunPosted by Paul Schroeder on 6/3/2009 8:55:55 PM
I bet that the frustration in this comment from A Hayes’ really hits home. There’s not much worse than the disappointment of your child after getting her excited about going to a movie and having a new, hopefully fun, experience. As with so many things that we get used to, video description may require patience and persistence. There are many, many things that can go wrong with the video description technology currently used in movie theaters, and there’s also good old fashion human error. But, I also know that it can work beautifully and make for a very pleasant family outing.
I hope you’ll give it another try, but you should call the theater first and speak with the manager to explain your experiences. You might also want to send a note to the good people behind MoPix at WGBH. You can email them at access@wgbh.org.
Here are some of the things that can go wrong with description. First, I find that people who work in movie theaters don’t really understand the difference between video description and closed captions and which technology does what. Also, because description is provided via headphones (but so is an amplified sound track in some theaters), you need to make sure you have the right headphones. It’s best to ask and be sure they understand which audio you want. And, have someone check to ensure that the batteries in the headphones work (best to ask for a new set).
Because some theaters run a movie in more than one theater at a time, it’s important to check before you go to verify the time for the described version of the movie you want to see. I find that asking for the manager is usually necessary to ensure that you’re getting the right information.
The video description comes on a separate disk and sometimes the theater does not actually get the disk (I’ve experienced this myself). And, of course, sometimes the disk will malfunction (technology can go wrong).
OK, it sounds a little difficult, but it’s not usually as bad as this sounds.
I hope you’ll give video description another try. BTW, I saw “Up” last weekend and loved it. It starts with a very funny cartoon about clouds and storks (OK, it’s better than it sounds, really) and it truly shows off the value of description because there’s absolutely no dialog during the cartoon. The movie itself is wonderfully described and has terrific voices for the characters.
Re: Video Description and Summer Movie FunPosted by MaryatWGBH [http://www.mopix.org] on 6/4/2009 10:26:23 AM
Hi. Mary Watkins here from WGBH's Media Access Group. We work with the studios to describe and caption films, and with theater chains when the install the access systems.
I forward feedback from the community to the chains' headquarters. Given that there are a good number of people who have contacted me reporting problems with the staff at their local theater and their knowledge of the systems they have available, I would like to post info here on contacting the chains. Can you let me know which chain your theater belongs to? Thanks.
Re: Video Description and Summer Movie FunPosted by Stark [http://www.dcmp.org] on 6/10/2009 2:31:15 PM
This is Bill Stark from the Described and Captioned Media Progam (DCMP). I know that Paul is going to be writing more later about the use of described videos in the classroom, and I appreciate the link to the DCMP that he provided in this posting. To the mother of the first grade child who has experienced such frustration at the theatres, I hope you consider becoming a member of the DCMP. We are developing a collection of educational DVDs with description which are available on a free loan basis to parents and teachers. The same titles are also delivered to your computer screen through Internet streaming. Not only is there no charge, but no special equipment is reguired to access the description. Best wishes.
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