Diary of a Deaf Filmmaker, Month 8: Shooting my film!

Posted on February 11, 2015 by



It feels like such a long time ago but it was only the beginning of January that we completed the all important shoot. All the months of planning were gone in a flash. But how did it go…?

It went pretty darn well actually!

1

My only main concern at the time, was that the interpreters we had booked kept dropping like flies due to complications, medical issues etc.

2

It felt like we had some kind of curse!

3

In the end, we finally managed to book a CSW (Communication Support Worker) for the whole of the shoot…but would one CSW be enough?

4

I was worried that our one CSW would be run ragged and my crew/cast would be left feeling lost in an awkward silence.

5

But it was difficult to say if we would struggle, because we we’re all such a diverse bunch communication wise. Between us all we could hear, lip read, speak & sign (BSL & SSE), so how much communication assistance did we actually need?

We had no idea, but we had to make the most of what we had….just one CSW.

6

As it happens, one was all we needed and this was down to a little something called patience & understanding.

If our CSW was busy helping someone else, or having a break (they’re allowed one sometimes…) we simply just had to take the time to patiently find ways of making sure we were all understood.

It all seemed so simple once we were working together.

7

Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying that all interpreters are useless and should immediately be made redundant.

8

Interpreters provide a fantastic service for some of us and in some situations, they can make life a lot easier for a sign language user.

However, I do think it’s important to remember that a little effort can go a long way when it comes to communicating.

“No interpreter” is not always an excuse to not talk to someone, there are other ways, you just have to find them!

Teresa Garratty is a freelance film maker, photographer and full time cynic. At school, she was voted “Most likely to end up in a lunatic asylum”, a fate which has thus far been avoided. Her pet hates are telephones, intercoms and all living things.

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