[PDF] ACCESSIBLE CINEMA – QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

13418_1accessible_cinema_questions_and_answers_may_2013_2.pdf 1

ACCESSIBLE CINEMA QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Updated May 2013

What is the Cinema Access Implementation Plan?

The Cinema Access Implementation Plan (the Plan) is an agreement four major cinema chains (Hoyts, Village Cinemas, Event Cinemas (Greater Union, Birch Carroll and Coyle) and Reading Cinemas) for the roll-out of accessible technology. technology, to improve cinema access for people who are deaf or hearing impaired, blind or vision impaired. Under the Plan, CC and AD will be available in at least 242 screens by the end of 2014. What is the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG)? The ACAG was established to provide advice and assistance to the four major cinema chains to meet their goal to improve accessibility for people who are deaf or hearing impaired, blind or vision impaired. The ACAG includes representatives of the four cinema chains, motion picture distributors, the disability and media advocacy sectors and the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Are people with disability being consulted?

Recognising the need to ensure people with disability were consulted in the process of making cinemas more accessible, the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG) was convened. ACAG includes representatives from consumer advocate organisations such as the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, Blind Citizens Australia, Deaf Australia Inc., Deafness Forum of Australia, Vision Australia, Action on Cinema Access and the Australian Human Rights Commission. In addition, the Accessible Cinema mailbox accessible.cinema@fahcsia.gov.au provides cinema patrons a way of providing comments to the ACAG about their experiences of accessible cinema, including the CC and AD units in use by the four cinema chains.

ACAG feedback for cinema patrons

ACAG Feedback Cards have been provided to all cinemas with accessible screens. They are available when you borrow CC or AD units. To provide feedback, please send an email to accessible.cinema@fahcsia.gov.au. 2 Where do I find information on the roll-out schedule for AD and CC? The most recent roll-out schedule is available for download on the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) website: http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/our-responsibilities/disability-and-carers/program- services/for-people-with-disability/accessible-cinema-in-australia Where can I find accessible movie sessions for my location? Patrons should check the details of accessible movie sessions from the relevant cinema chain website. What deposit system/identification is required to borrow CC/AD units? The requirements for deposit and/or identification will vary from cinema to cinema. When collecting the CC or AD units some cinemas may request patrons leave a form of identity. The current acceptable ID required by the four cinema chains is any This ID will be retained until the unit is returned. Hoyts, Village Cinemas, Event Cinemas (Greater Union, Birch Carroll and Coyle) and Reading Cinemas will also accept the Blind Citizens Australia identity card and school photo ID for students as deposit/ID for the loan of the accessible equipment. Can I book the CC or AD unit when reserving my ticket? The current on-line booking system used by cinemas does not have the facility to book CC/AD units. Units are available at cinemas on a first in, first served basis. Are there any additional costs applied to patrons for borrowing

CC or AD units?

There are no additional costs applied to cinema patrons (on top of the movie ticket price) for borrowing CC or AD units. Will there be enough units for a group to attend the one movie session? Each accessible screen will have five CC and five AD units. If the cinema complex has more than one accessible screen, then CC/AD units can be moved between screens to accommodate cases where more than five units are required. 3

Is subtitling the same as captioning?

Subtitling and captioning are quite different. Subtitles are placed on films where foreign language is spoken and where it is exported to markets outside of the language that it was created with. Subtitles are a translation of what is spoken on screen whilst captions are a combination of what is spoken as well as a descriptive text of what is happening on screen that a hearing impaired individual may not be able to pick up, for example, a door slamming.

Do all films have CC and AD?

The four main cinema chains have been given a commitment from all major studios in the US, which produce the majority of mainstream films, that a CC/AD file will be included as part of the digital hard drive. There are going to be exceptions to this, uction has run late and the process to add the CC/AD cannot be completed in time for its release. There are also a number of cases where films are produced by independent studios in the US which have not made a commitment to include CC/AD files on the hard drives. This does limit what is available in any given week, as the exhibitors are wholly reliant on the files for CC/AD being produced by the international film making studios. Additionally, there is no advance knowledge of which films will or will not into the c accessible screen(s). Why is there a period of time during the changeover from Open Captions (OC) to CC when neither is available? Due to the complexity of the transition to digital, the move from OC to CC for individual cinemas involves a turnover process of two to three weeks and during this period neither OC nor CC is available. The timing of when this occurs is a business decision of cinemas. To install CC, the existing 35mm projectors need to be removed from the cinema and the new digital projectors installed. Part of the preliminary work to have the screens ready for transition is to first disconnect all non-digital components (such as OC), then any new additional wiring for power and cable connectivity is installed prior to the removal of the 35mm projector. Once the projector has been removed, the new projector is installed and wired up to all the necessary components (for sound and server information) and is then tested to be ready for film playback. Once all screens are complete, the technicians can add in all the new requirements such as CC, AD, 3D, 7.1 sound etc. The digital installations are all done at the same time and then undergo exhaustive testing. The other factor that also needs to be considered is that the equipment needs to be on hand for the installation to be completed. Whilst every effort is taken to ensure 4 receipt of these items at the time they are required, they may arrive late or in separate orders which delays installation.

Can I use my own headset with the AD system?

All AD systems require headphones to plug into a standard phone jack, so patrons may bring their own headphones (or ear buds) to connect to the system at the cinema. The current Cinema Access Implementation Plan has a timetable set for achieving the goal of 242 screens by the end of 2014. Will these targets be met? The overall commitment to provide 242 screens by the end of 2014 has not changed. Cinemas expect to meet their targets. Village Cinemas completed its roll-out at the end of 2012. Hoyts anticipates it will complete its roll-out by mid-2013 and Event is expecting to complete its roll-out by the end of 2013. Reading cinemas anticipates completion of its roll-out prior to the end of 2014. What is the process for considering other forms of technology? Cinemas have agreed to consider other technologies as they become available. There is rapid change in the accessible technology environment and ACAG is committed to maintaining an awareness of these developments. Further information on accessible cinema technology is available on the Media Access Australia website at www.mediaaccess.org.au/cinema-the-arts/access-to- cinema. Why did the four cinema chains win a Human Rights Award? In December 2012 the four cinema chains won the Business Award category of the Australian Human Rights Awards 2012. The award recognises businesses that have made a commitment to the promotion and advancement of human rights and/or human rights principles in the Australian community under the banner of corporate social responsibility. The four cinemas are on track to achieve their target of 242 accessible screens by the end of 2014. In 2010, 12 screens provided captioning.