Motion Picture Access Project

Here's how it works: The Rear Window® Captioning System displays reversed captions on a light-emitting diode (LED) text display, which is mounted at the rear of a theater. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons use transparent acrylic panels attached to their seats to reflect the captions so they appear superimposed on the movie screen. The reflective panels are portable and adjustable, enabling the caption user to sit anywhere in the theater. (Of course, the captions must first be produced for each film.)

DVS Theatrical® delivers descriptive narration via infrared or FM listening systems, enabling blind and visually impaired moviegoers to hear descriptive narration on headsets without disturbing other audience members. The narrative description includes information about key visual elements that enhance the meaning of a production (settings, scene changes, action, etc.).

These technologies have been available for several years in specialty theaters, such as large-format movie theaters and theme parks. Now they're available in conventional movie theaters. General Cinema in Sherman Oaks, California, aired the first movie with Rear Window® Captioning and DVS Theatrical® descriptive narration in November 1997. The film, by Universal Pictures, was The Jackal, starring Richard Gere, Bruce Willis and Sidney Poitier.

The best part about this dual system is that equipment is already in place in some General Cinema theatres in Los Angeles (Sherman Oaks), Chicago (Lombard), Seattle, and Atlanta. Ten more installations in other theaters are expected by the end of 1999.

Widespread proliferation of the new technologies is expected to revolutionize the movie experience for the nation's 34 million people with hearing or vision loss. The production of captioned films is expected to also greatly increase as movie distributors and theater operators are made more aware of the demand for them (and subsequent profit).

General Cinema at the Yorktown Theater in Lombard, Illinois, was the first movie theater to install the system in the Chicago area. General Cinema has 20 rear-window panels and 20 headsets for listening to descriptive narration. Only three or four hearing/visually accessible films were shown last year, but more are coming out this summer, including an accessible print of the film, 8mm, starring Nicholas Cage. To get on General Cinema's mailing list to see upcoming accessible movies, write to General Cinema, 80 Yorktown Center, Lombard, IL 60148.

Audio Description International
http://www.adinternational.org/
ADI, Audio Description International, supports and advocates increased use of Audio Description (AD) in a variety of media around the world. The members of AD International are both professional and amateur Audio Describers, AD consumers, and those interested in promoting the use of AD (See our list of AD organizations around the world.)