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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2021 - 11 - 18 - ID#qwvol0
22
Offer feedback about a service for Audio Described movies (self.Blind)
submitted by Tretarooskie
I work for a nonprofit that offers services for people with print disabilities (anyone who cannot read because of visual impairment, MS, trauma, etc.) Historically, we have primarily been a reading service, or a service where volunteers record newspapers, etc., for people who cannot read.

We would like to offer services that appeal to more people, and as part of this we are exploring offering AD movies in English, for free, on demand. We have an audio describer already, and I'm exploring what is wanted or needed. We're thinking of trying to offer a new film per week, which would be added or our library and which could be accessed on demand.

Would people be interested in this kind of service? What about a weekly watch party on Twitch or Youtube where people could watch and chat? We've also talked about adding a discussion forum on that platform, or on anther platform like Twitch or Reddit.

This would be a new thing for us, and if we can get it going I'd really like it to be something solid. I would LOVE to hear your input!
UnsightlyOpinions 11 points 1y ago
I would focus on some of the classics that have never been audio described. I have never been able to do a silent film, classic Star Trek, or many other oldies but goodies because audio description was never a thing when they were released.
Tretarooskie [OP] 8 points 1y ago
Oh my god, the silent film thing sounds crazy. I wonder if we could really do that? I'll have to run it by my supervisor (who has very low vision). Boy, I think if we did an old Chaplin movie that would be a real challenge for our Audio Describer! What a thought!

Also, I would LOVE old Star Trek! That's one of my favorite series! When I was young I LOVED the Next Generation, but it played after I was supposed to be in bed. We lived really close to a TV tower, though, and I was able to pick up the signal on my clock radio, it was a cool way to experience the world!
ForceR-1356 2 points 1y ago
Would love to see an old Charlie Chaplin movie audio described. That would be awesome!
retrolental_morose 1 points 1y ago
Classic Star Trek was described in the UK, I'm pretty sure TOS is complete. TNG, DS9 and Voy ar far from nd Ent has nothing but you did say classic. :)
Tretarooskie [OP] 1 points 1y ago
There's no AD for TNG? Is that true? That show is probably my favorite show of all time! That's crazy!
retrolental_morose 1 points 1y ago
they described a few episodes on one of our satellite broadcasts in the early 2000's, but it's never been comprehensively described on any official release, physical or digital, to my knowledge.
AllHarlowsEve 3 points 1y ago
I'm not huge on streams, they're rarely at a time that's great for me, but holy hell I'd love this. There's a bunch of movies I'd love to watch or watch again that don't have AD and especially if I could download them to listen to them while out and about.
Tretarooskie [OP] 1 points 1y ago
I know what you mean, it's kind of a commitment to go to a live event even if it's online. Could be fun to even record the live event. Like a twitch event would keep all of the comments if we did something like that. Could be kind of neat.
AceyAceyAcey 3 points 1y ago
I have typical vision, but I appreciate audio descriptions, especially if it’s for something I’ve watched a dozen times (gives me a new perspective), or I’m doing something else at the same time (so I don’t have to watch), or if the movie has “shaky-cam” (I get motion sick from it). Some streaming services already do audio descriptions for some movies, so I’d recommend you focus on ones that aren’t already covered elsewhere.
MilkbottleF 3 points 1y ago
> I’d recommend you focus on ones that aren’t already covered elsewhere.

Second this, certain classics and popular movies get new AD over and over (one description for the Northamerican DVD and one for the UK, one description for Netflix and another for Prime, if a movie is aired on television it may be redescribed yet again) while many others will fall through the cracks and are never described (that, or the AD we have is hard to obtain/inadequate.) If you focus on the latter group I think your project will be immensely valuable to all blind people, old or young (I'd be willing to make donations to keep that sort of service alive, and I'm probably not alone!) It takes less than a minute to research this, just google the "film title" you're looking for followed by the words "audio description", all in quotes for best results.
Tretarooskie [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Do you know of any titles that have slipped through the cracks? Or, examples of which types of films have been done to death? I assume there's like a bazillion versions of Star Wars.
MilkbottleF 2 points 1y ago
The majority of mainstream, Hollywood blockbuster-type movies after 1990 will have been described twice and probably more (we have four versions of Goodfellas, I believe there are at least three Sixth Senses, Snowpearsers, and Brokeback Mountains, in Northamerica, Uncut Gems was immediately described twice, by Dianne Newman for Netflix and Nicol Zanzarella for the theatrical/DVD track), while independent, unconventional, lower-budget, and foreign films are less accessible to us (though this has just begun to change, as studios like IFC Films and A24 have made an active commitment to describing every new release.) If you look at Martin Scorsese for example, all his mafia/crime movies are described, and we've even got After Hours as a treat, but Taxi Driver, The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun, The King of Comedy, and Bringing out The Dead are not (except in geographically-restricted TV broadcasts), does that distinction make sense? It's the same with classics that were described retroactively, we have no problem watching Alfred Hitchcock, the Godfather Trilogy, or Night of the Living Dead, but David Cronenberg's early body horror films, Elaine May, Paul Schrader, and Hal Ashby get left behind.

ETA: in case that explanation was totally incomprehensible, you could also just look at the listings on the ACB's $1 to get an idea of the current selection (keep in mind, however, that it is US-centric by design and does not account for AD programming in England, Scotland, Australia etc.)
Tretarooskie [OP] 1 points 1y ago
This is exceptionally helpful! As I've been researching this, I've learned a lot about what is available. To get access to films do you usually need to pay? I see on that ACB site that the listings are all at places like Netflix. You need to have an account at one of those places for access, right? We're trying to figure out a way to make things free. I'm not sure if we'll succeed or be stopped by copyrights, but that's the goal. Maybe donations if people feel like it, but never charge for service.
Tretarooskie [OP] 3 points 1y ago
One of the spouses at our org feels the same way. He said that he takes in so much more when using AD.
oncenightvaler 2 points 1y ago
audio description fan here. I would love whatever you decide to do, I mainly use YouTube, keep us posted.
ForceR-1356 2 points 1y ago
I would love to see this! This would be great, audio description is so crucial, for some of us. I would be glad to see a service like this, no matter what platform its on.

As far as movies go, I wouldn't mind seeing comedy movies since most comedies incorporate visual humor and are not audio described.
Berenice101 2 points 1y ago
The watch party idea sounds good.
Tretarooskie [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Do you have a preferred streaming service? There's YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, etc. I don't know what's popular, and I don't know what's accessible. Our sound guy is almost totally blind, so he probably has a ton of ideas. He mentioned using Discord because it's accessible.
bradley22 1 points 1y ago
That would be awesome!
Cryptic_Spren97 1 points 1y ago
This sounds fantastic.
Boratthy 1 points 1y ago
I discovered not long ago that some streaming platforms have at least few audio described movies and I was so happy about it so yes, I think it is a really good idea. Before I almost never watched any movies or series alone as I felt like I'm being left out of so many things in them by not being able to see them and I always had to ask my friends to come watch something with me that they in the mojority of times have already seen so I did not have much luck with them. Also I only have 2 friends who are particularly good in describing visuals which made it even harder and rarer for me to watch movies.

I think you should start with popular stuff because that brings in the most people, but making AD for older classics is also something I would love. I hope you will be able to bring this project come to life! Also watching the stuff you release together on Twitch or Youtube is a great idea. Thank you for your work!
Tretarooskie [OP] 2 points 1y ago
Thanks for the input! I'm getting a better responses and more thoughtful feedback than I thought I would, it's really great to hear what people have to say.
TwoSunsRise 1 points 1y ago
This would be awesome! There are quite a few movies and TV shows that are still not described. Maybe you can set up an email or form that people can submit suggestions. Select a few for voting and start working through them at one a week or whatever is realistic for you.
Tretarooskie [OP] 3 points 1y ago
I like this idea. When we get further along I think our org could definitely put a form online! I think we'd love to hear suggestions! Most of the people we serve are currently older folks, and we'd love to find something that serves younger people, too.
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