SXSW’s Post

keeping to the art theme today ... I wish to give A huge Shoutout to the team Able.co.nz! I want to acknowledge the incredible team at Able.co.nz, whose work ensures accessibility for Deaf, hard-of-hearing (HoH), and many others who rely on captioning to enjoy television and streaming content.Able makes sure there are a range of programs are captioned and accessible. For those of us navigating streaming platforms, it’s not always easy to find content with captions. That’s where Able’s mailing list comes in—a brilliant resource that sends alerts about captioned shows and films. If you value accessibility, I highly recommend subscribing! Sticking to an artistic theme today, let’s highlight an exceptional example of Able’s work: captions for a thought-provoking documentary by New Zealand filmmaker Ankita Singh. The film draws on the groundbreaking Dunedin Longitudinal Study to explore critical questions about aging: Why do we age? How can we age healthily and equitably?Singh’s deep dive into new technologies and interventions emerging from this research uncovers ways to unlock a healthier, fairer future for all. By making such important work accessible to a broader audience, Able is not just captioning content; they’re opening doors to education, cultural engagement, and storytelling for everyone. To the hardworking team at Able—thank you for being champions of inclusion. Your efforts are invaluable in ensuring that accessibility isn’t an afterthought but a priority in New Zealand’s media landscape. For anyone looking to stay in the loop about captioned content, be sure to check out Able’s website: Link: https://able.co.nz/ For the awesome Kiwi Film making doco you can view it on TVNZ+ at this link: Link: https://lnkd.in/gCKsT6Tn

Check out part 2 of my CVM interview!

I'm very happy to say I've completed the course Creating Audio Description: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, which was conducted by Royal Holloway, University of London, and Vocal Eyes. 'Audio Description (AD) is the translation of visual information into words; AD can be live, pre-recorded; spoken or written.' For example, musicals such as Les Misérables use live AD between the music and gaps of dialogue in the production to describe actors, their movements, scene changes, outfits, props, etc. The course was a really insightful look into how AD is making the creative arts more accessible, focusing on its use in Theatre, TV, Film, and everyday life. It featured interviews from audio describers, behind-the-scenes theatre and TV commentary, and insights from blind and visually impaired users discussing their experiences of AD and its benefits. The course also discussed the misconception that AD is only for blind or visually impaired individuals. I thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with writing my own AD and interacting with the other course members to discuss diversity, the importance of deciding what information to include, and ensuring users can identify with the actors being described. I look forward to writing more AD in future! https://lnkd.in/et7C3uBE #CreativeArtsAccess #AudioDescription #VocalEyesAudioDescription #VocalEyes #Diversity #Inclusion

If you're looking for something to read with your coffee, here is an article I wrote about some of the earliest female editors in Hollywood, published in Cinemontage magazine: https://lnkd.in/gRD_n6u6

Diversity is not only what we thought! It is much more. Is it enough to raising our voice? I don’t think so, until a movie star is in this place to support whom needs. See this short video:

In my latest Op-Ed, I write on the importance of authentic cultural representation and how embracing it boosted the careers of actress Lupita Nyong'o and songstress Tyla. https://lnkd.in/d5vJz24c

This is a whole lesson in directing in one 23 minute video: https://lnkd.in/gM7QXW6v

#FacultyFriday: F&M Associate Professor of Psychology Carlota Batres leads The Preferences Lab, which examines the information that faces convey. This clip shows how her work was featured by filmmaker Valerie von Boehn in Decoding Beauty (2024, Autentic Studios), a compelling documentary that takes viewers on a global journey to uncover the complexities of modern beauty standards. Learn more about Batres' work here: https://lnkd.in/dYcYgBdU

Powerful and painful truth. It has universal applications!

Powerful and so relevant