Reid My Mind

 Well actually, it’s my second. The first however doesn’t count since the descriptive device was not working.

Since I’m talking about a descriptive movie, let me set the scene, properly.

Setting:

Monday July 23^{rd, the sky was filled with clouds.} Finding a spot of blue was reserved for those in airplanes flying above 10,000 feet. It was an unseasonably cool day. The rain was constant. Ironically, this same day 13 years ago we had similar weather in New York. I remember that because it was my wedding day. Ever since that day, rain became a positive sign to my wife and me.

The suspenseful trailer:

T and his lovely wife wanted to celebrate their anniversary with what some would consider a simple night out. However, what is simple for some may require additional planning for others.

First, there are the children. The couple’s two beautiful children are not quite old enough to spend that much time alone. In enters Aunt G. The crazy aunt, who stuffs the kids with fast food, tickles them until they can’t breathe and then falls asleep on the couch exhausted from working double shifts as a LPN (Little Pretend Nurse).

Then there’s the movie – T and his wife have not been to a movie alone since he lost his sight over 3 years ago.

Will it be available in descriptive?

If so, will the theater workers have working equipment?

Find out on July 27^th…

Scene 1:

As we pull up to the parking lot of the Regal Theater, mysteriously the clouds cleared and the sun began to shine. To most people a positive sign. I was not convinced just yet. See my first experience with a descriptive movie at the Regal Theater was disappointing. The equipment did not work and all of the employees seemed confused as if we were the first to request the service.

Monday started off very similar. When we asked for the descriptive audio headset and receiver, the cashier in the ticket booth said we needed to see the ticket taker. Last time we got the equipment from the booth. The ticket taker said, guess, you got it, we had to get it from the ticket booth. The ticket taker decided she would get the equipment and bring it to us in the theater. That was pretty cool of her, although I was concerned she was really getting ready to punch out for the day and leave us in the theater waiting. When she brought the headset to me in the theater I immediately knew it was the wrong headset. She brought me the headset for the hearing impaired. I knew this because the same thing happened during my first experience. She was cool though; she went and got the right headset.

Scene 2:

It took me a little while to figure out that the reception of the descriptive track transmitted wirelessly to my headset, could be improved with a few slight adjustments. Once I had that down, I was rockin’ and rollin’ baby!

The Climax:

It was great sitting in the movie theater once again without my children asking me if I finished my box of Bunch of Crunch, fully enjoying all aspects of the movie. Then while popping a piece of the tasty chocolate in my mouth, the talented narrator painted a picture in my mind.

The gymnast/hitman chasing John and Mathew (Bruce Willis and Justin Long, respectively) acrobatically went from one roof to another and then effortlessly glided to street level. I stopped and whispered to my wife, “Did that look as good as it sounded?” She confirmed, even though she didn’t hear the description. I really enjoyed that scene.

For the first time I didn’t need anyone leaning over to explain what was going on. While I always appreciate it, the professional’s do it right. Not only are they careful in their choice of words, but their timing is awesome. They never talk over dialog. They are careful to truly “fill in the blanks.”

Flashback (to provide explanation):

Now, maybe I should explain why a descriptive movie is such a big deal to me. You probably don’t realize how much is missed.

Obviously, all of the scenes that are without dialog present an issue to the visually impaired and blind.

Sometimes there are little nuances that are missed that can have a real impact on the level of enjoyment experienced from the movie.

Let’s take The Godfather for example, specifically, the meeting scene between Michael Corleone and Sollozzo. Remember when Michael excuses himself during the meeting to get the gun from the bathroom? A blind person would know that Michael is going along with the plan, but you totally lose the suspense when it looked as if the gun was not planted. The intensity, even though brief, enhances the experience.

The description along with a professional narrator using voice inflections would provide the suspense – non visually.

Ending with a teaser

I have to say, without description, I would never want to see Die Hard4 or any action movie for that matter. I should have counted the number of minutes in the movie that exclude any pertinent dialog. With description, I think it is possible to enjoy what was my favorite movie genre. I am not totally convinced that action movies would once again be my favorite – I prefer movies with lots of dialog now, but if enough action flicks are released with description, who knows!