Okay, so as a deaf person who loves movies I have three lame options:
a. Wait till it comes out to a theater with Rear Window Captioning.
b. Wait even longer for the Open Caption version to come out.
c. Suck it up and watch the movie without captions.
Here's the problem:
Rear Window Captioning (RWC)
This system reflects captions off a piece of a glass. The text are usually red and to be honest, this is a bad system. I have issues with the glass, I spend half the time trying to adjust the stupid thing and can't seem to get it in the right position. It's supposed to be less distracting for hearing movie attendees but that holder makes a screeching metallic noise when adjusting it (how do I know? People give me an annoyed face when I adjust it). Even when I do find the right position the font is too small and I find myself squinting and leaning closer to the glass while trying not to block the reflection. Maybe you're wondering why I'm adjusting it so much? Gee, you cant expect me to sit still throughout a great movie! But hey, I'm not complaining, I'm glad to have something and it's better than nothing, right?
Open Captioning (OC)
This is the ultimate option for me, you really can't beat OC when it is available. The caption is "burned" into the film so it is permanently on the screen and can't be turned on or off. The problem with it is the limitations. Only selected "worthy" films are OC and you usually have to wait a couple of weeks after it has been released before it becomes available in OC. This system is only available in higher priced theaters so you won't see an OC movie in the $1 theaters. In my area, I have to drive all the way to Provo, Utah (25 minutes) to see a movie in OC. But hey, I'm not complaining. We got something, right?
No Captioning
Movies without captioning is everywhere, even in the $1 theaters. Does a profoundly Deaf guy go to the movies without captioning? I was surprised by how many of my friends do, one friend saw Avatar in 3D without captioning 5 times! It happens but only because we literally have no other choice. Avatar 3D is a great example, we only have two IMAX theaters in Utah and neither has Captioning systems.
The Solution:
Subtitles in the iPhone
After seeing Avatar in IMAX 3D without captions, I loved it so much I wanted my best friend to see it. One day I woke up and had a great idea. I was going to build my own subtitle movie for Avatar and play it on my iPhone in the theater and surprise my best friend with my new idea. So I spent half the day trying to figure out how to accomplish this. I created a 3 hour black video then I added an Avatar .srt file (found online) to the video using a subtitle program, I also had to change the location of the subtitles to appear at the top of the screen. My friend came over and I put the movie file into his iPhone and we went to the IMAX 3D theater to test it.
It. Was. Beautiful!
We loved it, we understood almost every word of the movie, we got to experience the awesome 3D effects on an IMAX screen WITH subtitles! We were excited and I was determined to build some kind of app for iPhone so everyone could experience the same.
Someone beat me to it but that's okay, I had no idea how to build an app and this app was free, it's called Subtitles and it works the same way. There's still one caveat, it doesn't sync with the movie so you kinda have to do some lip-reading or watch with a hearing friend to help you keep the subtitles synced with the movie. My friend and I are both deaf and we managed to keep it synced pretty well while watching Avatar.
So with this app you can watch any movie, anytime, anywhere. Of course Open Captioning is still the ultimate choice however, we are a LONG ways from seeing captioning in IMAX or 3D theaters. I hope this article is of any use to my fellow Deaf Movie buffs, if so, please share your opinion and experience in the comments below!
Lance
Great!
ReplyDeleteLance,
ReplyDeletePLEASE contact me.
I have a product concept which WILL enable the deaf and hearing impaired to attend first run movies and have subtitles available. Without interfering with hearing able folks.
If my concept is viable then the movie/theater industry will cooperate either out of the pure profit motive (all the folks who would be able to attend films) OR through my experience with the American's With Disability Act.
I have fiddled with the idea for a decade at least and last year worked with an India based technology company on development but eventually they decided it was not their area.
Rear Window would be an ideal company to approach and with a viable "non-disclosure agreement' I will share the concept and they can determine if is viable.
If so....well, for most of my life I have been hearing impaired and totally frustrated by the inferior quality of 'sound' on movie tracks and in theaters. I am also a veteran HUMAN Resources Executive and care about people.
To accomplish inventing a way for the deaf and hearing impaired to enjoy theater attendance for ALL released films would warm the cockles of my heart !
I would like to contact Rear Window but had difficulty finding them on the Internet. It would also be a pleasure to establish communication with you and keep you apprised of my progress.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Millerick
Email: sphr@aol.com
Web site: www.thehumanresource.org
not sure how to email you - yet if you would like to link blogs, get in touch:
ReplyDeletewww.ccacapioning.org
ccacaptioning.blogspot.com
we're working on it! captions speak to us all :-)
best,
ls for the CCAC
OC movies DOES show in the $1 movies, just not as often as in the higher priced theaters. If you disagree, come to Rochester NY and see for yourself. We have OC movies for both the higher priced theaters and $1 theaters.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous, Thanks for letting me know. Thats great news! Although the options would still be limited and you would not ba able to go "anytime" and "anywhere". I know the solution in the post isn't ideal but it's better than nothing till CC is everywhere.
ReplyDeleteLance