Quite a bit has happened since the last update on June 27!
Marvel Movie the Eternals
Marvel Studios announced that deaf actress Lauren Ridloff would have a role in the upcoming Eternals movie that is due out next year in November 2020. It is assumed that when Lauren uses sign language on screen, her signed dialogue will have subtitles. But what about the spoken dialogue? Will the movie have 100% subtitles?
The answer is unknown and despite ample media coverage, Marvel Studios has not yet responded to the petition asking Marvel Studios to put 100% open captions on the Eternals movie: https://tinyurl.com/eternalsoc4all.
New Laws Needed for Open Captions
Did you know that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require open captions? In November 2016, the Department of Justice issued a final rulemaking on the ADA and movie theater access that excluded open captions. For more information, see https://www.ada.gov/regs2016/movie_captioning_rule_page.html and the Frequently Asked Question #13 on the Frequently Asked Questions page: https://www.ada.gov/regs2016/movie_captioning_qa.html.
Therefore, open caption movie advocates are working to get bills introduced in states and cities to require open caption screenings in addition to closed caption equipment.
Your Signature Helps Get Bills
When open caption movie advocates meet with state and city legislators about getting bills, the legislators want to see proof of demand for open captions. When you sign this petition, your signature helps to provide that proof! So - get the word out – open captions are for everyone! Share – https://tinyurl.com/ocmoviesnow
Washington, D.C. Bill and Pilot
Earlier this year, a bill was introduced in the D.C. Council to require open captions in movie theaters. However, in July the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) unilaterally imposed a six-month pilot in Washington, DC to gauge demand for open captions. The Washington, D.C. bill can be downloaded and dcist published an article.
Spotlight on AMC Theatres
AMC Theaters rock when it comes to open captioning! To arrange for an open captioned movie at an AMC theater in your area, contact AMC Group Sales (https://amctheatres.com/group-sales). Inform AMC Group Sales that there is a large number of people interested. After the open captioned screening is posted by the AMC theater, spread the word to people with and without hearing loss in your community!
Hearing People Like/Need Open Captions Too!
Many comments on the petition, from people with and without hearing loss. A few of the best ones from hearing people are reprinted here:
1. ...Even as a hearing person, I often struggle with hearing everything characters say in the movies due to other background noise. At home, I always watch with captions on. I actually don’t go to movie theaters much BECAUSE I miss out on too much dialogue that I don’t want to pay for that. I’ve used closed captioning devices before and they are difficult to set up with decent viewing. They aren’t worth the hassle... I’d rather just wait until the movie comes out on DVD. If theaters had open captions, I’d be much more inclined to go to the theaters to watch movies.
2. ...I'm signing this because I grew up hearing, but still used captions. It wasn't until I became Hard of Hearing that I realized it was just another way for people to be able to enjoy themselves. Even if you're hearing, it still can be helpful!
3. ...I use subtitles often. I’m not hard of hearing, but sometimes dialogue is misunderstood and we all know what that does to a movie. Let’s get some caption theater rooms!
4. ...It's not just for deaf! I love having captions on the movies!
5. ...Captiview devices are terrible and most deaf and hard of hearing people dislike them intensely. Open captions will not only help the Deaf and HH communities enjoy movies - as a hearing person I like captions too, especially when the background music is so loud I can’t understand dialogue. Make movies accessible for everyone. No one should need to jump through tons of hoops just to watch a movie, especially when the device doesn’t work half the time!