|
"MoPix" Makes It
Easy to Find Accessible Movies
AOL Keyword MoPix a Shortcut
to Movies, Showtimes and Theaters for Movie Fans with Hearing or
Vision Loss.
WGBH, June 11, 2003
For more articles like this
visit
https://www.bridges4kids.org.
WGBH, Boston's public broadcaster and a pioneer in developing
access technologies for use by audiences with disabilities, is
proud and excited to announce that it has joined with America
Online to enable movie fans to more easily find closed captioned
and described films in their area at AOL Keyword MoPix or at
www.mopix.org.
Finding Nemo, a Walt Disney Pictures Presentation of a Pixar
Animated Studios film, is the inaugural film on the Keyword
MoPix site, and is available at select theaters in the U.S. and
Canada that have installed Rear Window Captioning and DVS
Theatrical, systems which enable movie fans with sensory
disabilities to enjoy movies with their friends and families
during regular showtimes.
These systems, collectively referred to as MoPix® (or Motion
Picture Access), already draw patrons with disabilities, their
friends and family members into theaters. First installed in
theaters in late 1997, nearly 100 films with closed captions and
audio descriptions have now been released. These systems enable
audiences with hearing or vision loss to enjoy feature films the
day and date of a film's general release in theaters, and during
regular showtimes.
The launch of the AOL Keyword MoPix site coincides with the
release of Finding Nemo, the blockbuster film from Walt Disney
Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios. The story about a curious
young clownfish who has been taken from his home on the Great
Barrier Reef to a fish tank in a dentist's office, triggering a
wild rescue mission from his father, is already being compared
to the best children's films ever made. WGBH and AOL are
thrilled to enable children of all ages to find info about
Finding Nemo with captions and descriptions near them.
Also in select theaters equipped with MoPix systems is the
megahit Matrix
Reloaded, X2- X-Men United, Down with Love, Bruce Almighty,
Daddy Day Care and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Upcoming titles that will
be made accessible by WGBH's Media Access Group include The
Hulk, Charlies Angels 2: Full Throttle, Terminator 3: Rise of
the Machines, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde,
Seabiscuit and many more. A full list of upcoming titles can be
found at AOL Keyword MoPix or at
www.mopix.org.
How the MoPix systems work
Rear Window Captioning - The patented Rear Window®
Captioning System displays reversed captions on a light-emitting
diode (LED) text display which is mounted in the rear of a
theater. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons use transparent
acrylic panels attached to their seats to reflect the captions
so that they appear superimposed on the movie screen. The
reflective panels are portable and adjustable, enabling the
caption user to sit anywhere in the theater. The Rear Window
System was co-developed by WGBH and Rufus Butler Seder of
Boston, Mass.
DVS Theatrical
DVS Theatrical® delivers descriptive narration via infrared
or FM listening systems, enabling blind and visually impaired
moviegoers to hear the descriptive narration on headsets without
disturbing other audience members. The descriptions provide
narrated information about key visual elements such as actions,
settings, and scene changes, making movies more meaningful to
people with vision loss. Here's a sample of the descriptive
narration from Finding Nemo (Marlin, Nemo's father, has just
engaged the help of sea turtles, led by Crush, on his quest to
find Nemo):
"Marlin peers behind Crush's shell. Hundreds of sea turtles swim
together in the current. The red, orange, and brown-shelled
turtles flap their long flippers and glide forward. The channel
of swift moving water glows a light-greenish-blue and runs along
the sea in a tube-like formation. Three tiny fish jump in and
shoot forward. Crush looks back at Marlin. As the current blasts
downward, Marlin clings to Crush's shell. They zoom around a
bend, and Crush rolls into a three sixty turn. As the water
calms, Crush glides onto his back and faces Marlin..."
Rear Window reflectors and DVS Theatrical headsets are available
at the theater's customer service desk. Theaters purchase a
limited number of each, so it is a good idea to arrive about 30
minutes before show time to pick up the device and to avoid last
minute lines and delays at the box office. There is no
additional cost to patrons, just the price of a regular movie
ticket.
Systems installed across North America
Select first-run theaters in the US and Canada have
installed these innovative access systems. Participating theater
chains include: AMC Theatres , Loews Cineplex, National
Amusements, Mann's, Crown Theaters and Famous Players theaters,
the largest theater chain in Canada. Systems are also installed
at themeparks and national park visitors centers such as Pearl
Harbor.
Learn about captioned and described films
WGBH sends e-mail postings every week (either late Thurs or
early Fri) which contain information about accessible films,
theater locations and showtimes for the coming week to
consumers, organizations and listservs. These updates also
include a short news section about new installations and films
that are "coming soon" with cc and dvs. People can sign up to
receive this weekly posting by visiting AOL Keyword MoPix or
www.mopix.org, and linking to "Sign me up to receive updates
about accessible films!"
Media Access Group at WGBH
The Media Access Group at WGBH, with offices in Boston, New
York and Los Angeles, is a non-profit service of Boston public
broadcaster WGBH. The service group includes Descriptive Video
Service®, which has made television, film and video more
enjoyable to viewers who are blind or visually impaired since
1990, as well as The Caption Center -- the world's first
captioning agency -- founded in 1972. The third branch of the
Media Access Group, the CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible
Media (NCAM), is a research, development and advocacy entity
that works to make existing and emerging technologies accessible
to all audiences. Members of the Group's collective staff
represent the leading resources and experts in their fields. For
more information, visit
http://access.wgbh.org.
Released June 11, 2003
Contact: Mary Watkins/Media Access Group at WGBH
617 300-3700 voice
617 300-2459 TTY
mary_watkins@wgbh.org
http://access.wgbh.org
|
