Picture this: you are out with your friends one night having a good time, completely unaware of how the evening will unfold; unfortunately for you, one of your friends suggests a trip to the cinema.
An experience that should be relatively painless in comparison to being shot in the neck during a failed attempt at paintballing. However you cannot hear. You tentatively approach the building in a desperate bid to avoid committing social suicide. Mission impossible ensues as you brace yourself for a film without subtitles and a monumentally extortionate bill.
This is all too familiar for me. As a cinema goer who is deaf, it saddens me to see that there are hardly any subtitled viewings available in cinemas. In fact I was unaware that subtitling in cinemas existed until one Thursday afternoon I happened to stumble upon Pirates of the Caribbean with subtitles. It took me twenty years to discover that subtitles in cinemas existed and from then on I still struggled to find a viewing that was subtitled outside of work times.
This frustrated me to no end, after all what ever happened to equality and diversity? If we cannot hear, why should we be deprived of a popular social activity with our friends? Why had television entered the 21st Century with 80 per cent of programmes subtitled and yet cinemas were still lagging behind in the dark ages?
These were questions that started to linger in my mind. Being deaf and growing up in a hearing environment meant that social activities with friends, who can hear, often resulted in trips to the cinema.
Searching for visual clues in a desperate bid to understand the protagonists incoherent mumbling, lack of lip action mixed with orchestrated sound in the background, was a constant reminder of my limitations. Even the person who was selling the tickets could not be sure of when there would be another subtitled viewing available.
A few months ago, or in many respects a lifetime ago now, I embarked on a journey investigating the influence of subtitles for the deaf in a predominately hearing society. What started out as an academic piece of work suddenly became something that could potentially impact on those who are reliant on subtitles.
Initially my investigation was centred on the need for more subtitled viewings to be available in cinemas; however it took a slight diversion and started to reflect on the viewpoints of deaf people themselves.
Quite a few people, especially parents, were unaware that subtitled viewings existed. In fact many said that like me, they had walked in on a subtitled viewing by accident. It seemed that cinemas had lost faith in the subtitling system, fearing that increased subtitled viewings could lead to a loss in sales; hence the lack of information from cinema staff regarding subtitled viewings.
In order to investigate this issue further I conducted a focus group, consisting of those who could hear and those who were deaf. It became clear from my findings that the core problem with subtitling in cinemas was the lack of understanding from the staff themselves.
One of the respondents who is deaf commented that subtitling in cinemas was ‘too much effort to find out. They do not clearly specify online or in the cinema which viewings are subtitled.’ The difficulty in obtaining a subtitled viewing became one of the main topics of debate during the research process.
When the parents of children who are deaf were questioned, it was no surprise to discover that they were also oblivious to the possibility of their child seeing a subtitled viewing in cinemas. The general response was ‘I have never taken my child to see a subtitled showing at the cinema as I did not know they were offered.’
This was of no surprise to me as a fellow cinema goer who did not realise herself that subtitled showings in cinemas existed. It felt insulting and frustrating that deaf people did not have the autonomy to enjoy the cinema experience as a social activity. Therefore I decided to investigate the cinema industry further.
Contacting people who worked in the industry or charities that worked with the deaf was incredibly hard. Luckily for me, Charlie Swinbourne, the Editor of this site, who I contacted through BBC Ouch, was on board to help. He suggested that I contact Mr Phil Clapp who is the Chief Executive of the Cinema Exhibitors Association.
Mr Clapp stated that ‘there are challenges to putting on more subtitled screenings. On the whole it is financially difficult for cinemas to show subtitled screenings at peak times.’ He also said that the introduction of the new subtitle spectacles would solve this problem, providing an increase subtitled viewings.
Although there were mixed responses from the focus group in regards to using subtitle spectacles, it did come across as a strong contender as a solution to the problem of subtitles. The respondents of the focus group felt that it would be embarrassing to wear spectacles in the cinema and be singled out from the rest of the audience.
However I do think that if a larger variety of films were offered as a result of these spectacles then their opinion could be swayed. After all when the lights go down, people don’t tend to notice what people are wearing. Even those who can hear have expressed how subtitles are useful when actors speak incoherently.
For some reason the integration of these subtitle spectacles into cinemas has come to a halt. As a lover of cinema, I feel disappointed that these spectacles have yet to make an appearance. However when they do it will be interesting to see if they can finally revolutionise the cinema experience for the deaf.
Until then all we can do is watch this space….
Laura Newcombe’s experience of being deaf has triggered an interest in how deafness is construed by society. She has both an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in Media Communication. During her academic career she won awards for her research projects, including creating a waterproof hearing aid case. For her Master’s degree she conducted a research project investigating the impacts of subtitling in cinemas within a deaf community. She is writing a novel which will have two main characters that are deaf and hopes to one day become a professional writer.
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Andy not Mr Palmer but another one
June 26, 2013
You name it, someone will be against it. People were against hearing aids, against CI’s but the rest of the world marched on regardless. Doing whatever was in their best interests.
I’m sure this new technology will be the same. Initially it will be a bit crude and make-do but if people find it of value then they will use it regardless of whatever anyone else thinks.
That is why we have hearing aids and CI’s and that would apply to this new gadget. If it is good then people will adopt it. Otherwise we must continue to wait for technology to find a solution acceptable to all.
I must say, I used to be a bit of a back row snogger, mainly because I couldn’t understand the film anyway. A bit of lurve in the back row is a suitable alternative….
Robert Mandara
June 26, 2013
Rather than subtitles or glasses, why don’t cinemas use reflective (“rear window”) captions? I made use of them at the Disney parks in Florida last summer and they were great. It’s a very simple system which helps the deaf without ruining the viewing of hearing people. See http://allears.net/pl/reflect.htm or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_Window_Captioning_System
Hartmut
June 26, 2013
You don’t need to write a longwinded introduction.
Movies need to be captioned for us to enjoy and make our money worth anyhow. The industry needs to know that. But the problem lies in how to satisfy both viewing populations.
I have used the rearview captioning (I am living in he US). It was no fun than watching the open captioning. We have always preferred watching foreign films with subtitles (my hearing wife hates dubbed films; preferring hearing the actors’ voices and reading the translations).
The ideal would be open captioning whatsoever with the captions just below the line of the screen.
Liz Ward
June 26, 2013
Are you aware of Your Local Cinema (for the UK) which lists subtitled showings? Its been around for many years – it started up back in the late 90s/early 2000s when I was a teen: http://yourlocalcinema.com – I have used it for years. I completely agree that we need more choice, and I know how hard it is for people to find screenings that work around working hours etc. Its frustrating that we can’t just be spontaneous and walk into any cinema and ask for captions in some way. I wouldn’t mind the glasses, they might be a bit unwieldy especially for people who wear glasses or hearing aids that whistle! If around 1 in 7 people are deaf or hard of hearing, then cinemas are losing out big time on profits by not providing subtitles.
Michelle
June 26, 2013
Its a huge shame that we have such wide and varied experiences in cinemas and that is down to the individual chains and venues. I myself first experienced subtitles in cinemas back in January of this year when I made my FIRST ever visit specifically to see my favourite musical Les Miserable. Since then, due to timings and lack of screenings I have only made 4 visits in 6 months. I am now finding that I need to take time off work to go and see a film, and of course I have to go on my own, so going to the cinema is quite an unsociable visit for me.
Another cinema though, Cineworld in Bolton, is a shining example of how cinemas could and should be. They have regular screenings with subtitles at all times of day, advertise heavily on twitter (@cineworldbolton) and their website and actively seek to reach more deaf and hard of hearing cinema goers. All that is down to the Manager and the staff who make an effort to reach all of their community.
Not all cinemas and venues have twitter accounts. And they dont all advertise the screenings in an easy way on their website. But the Bolton venue shows it IS possible.
Like a lot of things, it is a lottery.
cherryash
June 27, 2013
Hi – in response there was a previous blog on here about this and other glasses and those of us who also went to the focus group in London organised by CEA and over all feedback was the uncomfortable cumbersome and for some even a ‘painful’ experience ending up with headaches – hurt eyes having to keep refocusing every time blinked or moved head etc. so for me they were not a preference – and there was other simple solutions outside of the big players of Sony and Google such as Jacks adapting 3D glasses (and no one complains about wearing 3D glasses that we have already in cinemas do they?) so with such a simple lightweight far less costly solution it kinda amazes me that CEA and the like are not jumping at this plus it means captions are not invisible to everyone and below the screen which is what many keep asking for so is win win all round surely?!!
heres link from the previous blog on here to Jacks glasses http://youtu.be/b6uDWl4wVFg
kinda surprises me that CEA or Regal haven’t taken this up as its far less costly and simple but seems Sony / google have the big hold…..
I for one am very thankful to Derek who made it possible for us all to have at least some options better than none as Liz above says with http://yourlocalcinema.com I have accessed this for several years too and seen the options of showings increase over years – I get my email alert every Thursday and know each week when and where I can choose to see any of the big movies on the big screen and yes I know I am spoilt for choice being in London anyway however at least in UK we have had this option its just that not everyone knows about this. So hey unless Jacks idea gets picked up by major companies until then thank you to http://yourlocalcinema.com for providing updates on options each week 🙂
Johnny
June 27, 2013
I agree with laura, and wish her all the best,, there is another problem, we deaf magicians used to buy a trick, read the instructions and practice, now there are no instructions it is all on DVD with person talking so its now all over our heads, I have been fighting to get subtittles on the dvd for past few years, same old story too expensive, well fight on till we win. Johnny, President; World Deaf Magicians
yourlocalcinema (@yourlocalcinema)
June 28, 2013
Great article Laura.
Yes, most cinemas still provide less than one percent of shows subtitled. And unsurprisingly, people with hearing loss like to go to the cinema when they feel like it, rather that when they’re told to. Currently that’s not an option – the majority of people with hearing loss that would LIKE to attend subtitled shows, CANNOT attend, due to lack of choice of films and shows.
To increase attendance figures for subtitled shows, cinemas need to increase the choice of films and showtimes they offer. Please ask your local cinema manager to do this!
Although we’re not quite there yet, things HAVE improved – a lot. Almost all multiplex cinemas, and many smaller cinemas, regularly screen most of the latest popular releases with on-screen subtitles.
Thanks to the expansion of digital cinema, the last five years has seen the weekly number of captioned/subtitled shows in UK cinemas increase by 185%. (900% growth since 2005).
Every week around 350 cinemas nationwide screen around 1,000 English Language captioned/subtitled shows of around 25 different films. Overall, most subtitled shows are screened on a Sunday (35%), follow by a Tuesday (23%).
It’s a lot simpler for cinemas to programme subtitled shows these days. Almost all cinemas have ‘gone digital’, and all digital-equipped cinemas have subtitle/caption facilities built-in. As long as the film has a subtitle/caption track (most popular films have), a cinema just needs to ‘switch them on’, just like a DVD player, or Sky box.
People should contact their local cinemas and request that they include many subtitled shows in their schedules. The best people to speak to are cinema managers. The more people that point out the importance of accessible cinema the more likely there is to be change for the better.
Unfortunately on-screen, separate subtitled shows restrict the choice of films and showtimes that a cinema can provide. They effectively lose money. Compared to regular cinema shows, attendance, at peak times, is far lower than average. Which is understandable, because the vast majority of cinema-goers do not have hearing loss, and therefore have no need for, and would prefer not to attend, subtitled English-language shows.
And because they’re ‘out of the ordinary’, separate ‘special’ subtitled shows can sometimes be prone to scheduling or operational errors. The percentage of shows that go wrong is very low – far less than a half percent of the 1,000 or so weekly shows. But when things DO go wrong, it’s a big problem for the people that it affects. Deaf people can’t just hang around for the next show, or come back tomorrow, or next week. There may have been only one chance to catch the film on the big screen.
By severely limiting the choice of films and shows,cinemas can expect lower attendance, and ultimately dismal box office takings for subtitled shows.
But even with an increased choice of subtitled films and shows, a cinema should expect low attendance. The number of people expected to attend English-language subtitled shows should reflect the percentage of people with hearing loss in each cinemas catchment area. A low percentage.
The audience for subtitled shows is not a huge one, in the scheme of things, but it’s a paying audience nonetheless, big enough to overall profit from, in my view, and its members deserve to be treat as equals. It’s expected that shops, restaurants, car parks, cinemas etc. are accessible to people with disabilities. Ramps, wheelchair spaces, toilets, loop systems, elevators, subtitles and audio description enable people who may need a little assistance to ENJOY, rather than endure services.
No amount of separate shows will ever be enough for some people. For some, anything less than 100% accessible is inequality. Separate subtitled shows draw attention to and segregate people with hearing loss. I personally think that it’s better to progress towards INCLUSION. Hearing and deaf people together! In the same room!
As mentioned elsewhere by yourself, Andy, Robert and Cherry.
‘Personal’ inclusive subtitle solutions are now available that, instead of projecting subtitles on to the cinema screen, display them on wearable glasses or small, seat-mounted displays. The UK cinema industry is aware of all the options available. None are perfect, they all have their good and bad points.
All would take some getting used to. People are used to seeing subtitles ‘on-screen, on TV, DVD, cinema. It’s a complete change.
Such a solution could help to get a good balance between what the public wants, and what it’s possible for a cinema to to provide. Currently less than 1% of cinema shows are captioned. With a personal solution any ‘regular’ cinema show would also be a captioned show. These solutions are already being rolled out in the US and Australia. In my view, for audience members with hearing loss, as well as cinema exhibitors and film distributors, the convenience of a personal solution, and the vastly increased choice it can offer, would be more favourable than separate, inconvenient, on-screen captioned shows.
I would hope that some cinemas would continue to provide the current solution – ‘on-screen’, open-subtitled shows, until interest from the public dwindles to zero.
But even if ALL cinemas have some kind of ‘personal’ subtitle solution, it would not be ideal unless all films have a subtitle track. Currently they don’t.
Most POPULAR films have the track. The largest UK film distributors – Disney, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Universal, Paramount etc. – subtitle almost 100% of their films. Over the last decade more than 1,000 films have been made available to cinemas with subtitles, including almost all of the top ten films of each year.
But unfortunately many smaller film distributors still fail to add subtitle tracks to their cinema releases.
Films that are not available subtitled in cinemas ARE usually subtitled on DVD, so subtitle tracks ARE usually produced, eventually. Film distributors could simply produce subtitle files a few months earlier, so the film can be subtitled in cinemas too (with a bit of file tweaking).
These days most films are supplied to cinemas on a computer hard drive, rather than a film reel. Known as a DCP, this drive can contain many language/audio formats.
The film ‘Life of Pi’ had THREE video tracks, THREE audio tracks and ONE text track: Regular 3D, Regular 2D, 3D with embedded captions, English audio description for 2D or 3D, Hindi audio for 2D or 3D, Tamil audio for 2D, and an English caption/subtitle track for all 2D versions above.
For a 2D film, subtitles can be simply switched on, and ‘overlaid’ onto the cinema screen. 3D subtitles require a completely separate digital file of the film, with the caption/subtitle track embedded into the picture. This file CAN be included on the regular DCP, like ‘Life of Pi’ above, but for some films, the 3D subtitled version is supplied on a separate DCP drive that has to be requested by a cinema.
Ideally ALL cinemas and ALL films would be accessible. That’s the goal. Maybe Johnny the deaf magician could help?!
Derek, yourlocalcinema.com
Stargirl
June 29, 2013
The simple solution here would be for the hearing people to get over themselves and stop complaining about subtitles on their movie screens when it happens. If they don’t like words on the screen, they can go to a showing that doesn’t have them. Plain and simple. There needs to be more open captioned movies for people with hearing problems, instead of limiting showings, only showing at odd hours, or forcing the use of individual devices.