deaffriendly CONSULTING’s Post

Today, May 16th, marks Global Accessibility Awareness Day! 🌍 Let's take a moment to recognize the importance of Audio Description in making TV and Film accessible to those who are blind or have low vision. Audio Description is not just a luxury but a necessity for millions in the blind community. It allows them to fully immerse themselves in the storyline, characters, and emotions portrayed on screen. But why is Audio Description so crucial? Because everyone deserves to enjoy the magic of cinema and television, regardless of their visual abilities. It's about inclusivity, ensuring that no one is left behind in experiencing the wonders of storytelling. Imagine if we could integrate Audio Description into the pre-production process rather than as an afterthought in post-production. This proactive approach would not only streamline the accessibility process but also demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity from the outset. Let's continue to advocate for Audio Description and strive for a future where accessibility is seamlessly woven into every aspect of entertainment. Together, we can create a more inclusive world for all. #GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay #AudioDescription #Inclusivity #AccessibilityMatters 🎥🔉

Picture this: a father and daughter, hearing parents with a deaf daughter, excited to watch the new Inside Out 2 movie. They visit three movie theaters, but none of them have closed captioning, leaving her unable to experience the film. If you ask me, closed captioning should be standard in all theaters. According to a 2024 survey by Preply, 50% of Americans watch content with subtitles or captions most of the time. Younger generations are leading the charge, with 70% of Gen Z and 53% of Millennials using them often. Even though Baby Boomers and Gen X are less likely to use them, the trend is clear: captions are in demand. This isn’t the first time this issue has come up. Back in 2023, during the Sundance Film Festival, jurors Marlee Matlin, Jeremy O. Harris, and Eliza Hittman walked out of a film screening after Matlin’s closed captioning device malfunctioned, and no other alternatives were available. This incident put open captioning back in the spotlight, with many international festivals already using them. Open captioning in movies has been gaining momentum. In 2021, AMC Theatres added open captioning to select showings in over 100 U.S. markets. Minneapolis’ St. Anthony Main Theatre provided open captions for all screenings before changing ownership. Best Picture winner CODA was distributed with open captions to ensure everyone was included. Lawmakers in the District of Columbia, New York City, Hawaii, and Delaware have introduced or passed bills requiring theaters to provide open captioning. #Accessibility #Inclusion #OpenCaptioning #DeafCommunity #DigitalExperience #ContentAccessibility #InclusiveDesign

Tech Week can be a challenging time for many, but as a Theatre Director, I see it as a golden opportunity to foster a productive and supportive environment amidst what can sometimes be viewed as stressful times. When working with high school students during tech rehearsals, creating a sense of comfort, safety, and predictability is key. Scheduling breaks in advance, offering extra food and snacks, and ensuring everyone stays hydrated are small gestures that can make a big difference in morale and creativity. I had the pleasure of collaborating with the amazing lighting designer, Claudio Silva, on a high school musical production of Little Shop of Horrors, which I directed. His expertise and dedication made the tech rehearsals smooth and efficient, allowing us to focus on creating a successful show that honored the actors' needs. When the director has such an amazing light designer to collaborate with, tech rehearsals become so much easier for one and all involved, including the teen student light board operators in training. One key element of a successful tech week, is making sure the staging rehearsals are orderly and complete, so that by the time the actors work through the technical aspects of a piece such as blocking, dialogue, character development, and if it’s a musical, the singing and dancing should all be well rehearsed. So, hopefully those moving parts are more or less second nature to the performers. Although this video is short, it represents hours of technical rehearsals. Since this kind of rehearsal can be time consuming, it was spread out over 2-3 nights to ensure a slow but steady process that honors the actors needs while setting them in a show that they could feel successful in, with all of the technical aspects carefully . #TechWeek #TheatreDirector #HighSchoolMusical #Collaboration

Technology X Theatre Theatre Educators, Here are some of the apps that I use in professional rehearsals and educational settings. I recommend trying them out to enhance your teaching and learning! 1. Stage Write: this is an incredible tool that allows you to collaborate with your team and performers. You can insert staging and blocking charts, scripts, notes and keep a real-time updated “bible”of your production for all collaborators to see. (https://t.ly/EM4fo) 2. Go Button: An app by the makers of QLab. This is a great simple tool for organising and operating sound. Useful for assessments and student-led projects. (https://t.ly/exs0Q) 3. Scenicandlighting.com: This is an excellent resource for GCSE and A-Level. Students can use their simple tools to experiment with lighting states, actor spacing and more! 4. Line Learner/ Rehearsal Pro: Both of these apps are great to support actors and students to learn lines. 5. The Accent Kit: A great little tool to help actors and students (particularly A-Level) with complex accents. (https://t.ly/R8XkV) 6. The Actor’s Thesaurus: A wonderful app that provides teachers, directors and students with verb synonyms for actioning. (https://t.ly/_mGIl) What apps do you use to enhance the experience for staff and students? Please do share in the comments! #theatre #artstech #drama #directing #teachingdrama #artsed #education

My favorite question: "Can you send me some creative examples?" I've got you. 😎 Are we marketing data nerds? Absolutely... but our partnerships with Google, Snowflake, Meta, and TikTok are just the beginning. What you don’t always see is our insanely talented creative production team working with high-profile talents, celebrities, and global figures to bring campaigns to life. B2B marketing isn’t just about content strategy, paid media performance, or convoluted ABM. It’s about creating memorable experiences and putting your brand in front of the largest audiences in the world. Think national advertising campaigns, large sponsorship opportunities with sports teams, special events like the Olympics, and other regional events where your brands should be so you can make a lasting impact. 🎯 Check out this video of our work with Swae Lee and AliExpress – it’s catchy, showcases our production team in action, and is a certified scroll-stopper. 🌟 Data-driven holistic strategies + AI-targeting + amazing creative content = Marketing Magic ✨

The Projector vs. Typical Cinemas: A Writing Insight Visiting The Projector was a revelation compared to typical cinemas. While most theatres have overpriced snacks and strict policies, The Projector offered a variety of snacks, allowed drinks inside, and had creatively named theatres. This attention to detail transformed the experience. As a writer, it's a reminder that focusing on small details can make a huge difference. Just like The Projector made movie-going special, your writing can captivate readers by paying attention to the little things.

No time for Access! So I spent some time thinking of 12 milestones from my first 12 months as a full-time Access Manager. Then, thinking of those milestones, I decided on some element of learning, that I (we) gained. The idea of ‘time’ came out naturally in the content and became part of nearly all the video titles. This is the list of all 12 videos. 1. Time to Commit (Committing to Access) 2. Time to Listen 3. Time for Action 4. Time for Digital 5. Time to Leap 6. Time to Plan 7. Time to Consult 8. Time to Embed 9. Time to get Organised 10. Time to Learn 11. Time for Opera 12. Time to Celebrate The theme of ‘time’ is very poignant to Accessibility because it is often a terrible excuse against it. Well, if you make time for 25 minutes and 2 seconds, you’ll have listened to all 12 videos. You get 12 months of thoughts, ideas and key learning in just over 25 minutes. Why not make it 30 minutes, make some notes and have a brew whilst you do it? Let me know how you get on. I’ve linked a YouTube Playlist called Accessibility in the Performing Arts, with all 12 videos available here. https://lnkd.in/eFhSXUaD #Accessibility #Theatre #Arts #Inclusion #AlwaysOnAccess #ArtKind Video ID. This is a highlights reel from 12 videos. It begins with a 4 by 3 grid of the 12 videos, showing Paul gesturing. The title “Time for Access” appears. This is then followed by 11 short clips, showing Paul wearing different clothes each time. Audio description is used to indicate when the video cuts to a new clip. Music Credit: https://lnkd.in/eeEu2xM8

“As creatives, as artists, we need to be more vulnerable. We need to allow people in a little bit more, so they see all these different dimensions of who we are. It's incredible what impact that actually has on our overall ability to engage with people, because we focus on the work and we focus on our clients.” – Eddy Herty, STUDIOS https://lnkd.in/gRRDEgXp

“As creatives, as artists, we need to be more vulnerable. We need to allow people in a little bit more, so they see all these different dimensions of who we are. It's incredible what impact that actually has on our overall ability to engage with people, because we focus on the work and we focus on our clients.” – Eddy Herty, STUDIOS https://lnkd.in/g5vdbPyn

Molly is spot on with this example! People with disabilities need to be part of the conversation if you are serious about accessibility. I realize that seems obvious, but this critical step is generally skipped and this real-world experience perfectly outlines that! This also begs the question for me... Do we sometimes overthink accessibility and then create additional hurdles? In theory I realize the thought process here of providing a device for visually impaired consumers to access audio descriptions and I also fully respect this is far better than not trying at all - which is sadly the more common approach. But what if Molly could somehow leverage this service directly through her mobile phone via an accessible website or application since she uses her phone natively every day? Or what if the theatre provided this access through a standard iOS / Android device that has screen reader and other accessibility features built-in by default which consumers would be at least somewhat familiar with using? But again not to get lost in the sauce, if Molly, the end user, was involved in testing this product or concept this would have been resolved prior to deploying an "accessibility feature" that is inaccessible!