The following was passed along to me by Brie Rumery of Fedora Outlier, LLC. I thought some folks might be interested in the event described below. Rick Boggs, founder of Audio Eyes, LLC, is going to be a guest on Fedora’s Access Chat, Tuesday evening event via Twitter on May 6.
Blind Media Professionals Open Hollywood’s Eyes to Watching TV
Make Media Accessible Event and Live Streaming Interactive Webcast Set for May 14; Entertainment Industry, Educators and Disability Community Invited to Attend
Los Angeles, CA. (April 29, 2014) — Nationally renowned video description expert Rick Boggs, of Audio Eyes, LLC. and his team of production professionals who supply video description for broadcast TV networks, will demonstrate the process they use to produce effective video description in a May 14, 2014 event and webcast at webinar.dcmp.org
The event, “Inside Video Description: How Pictures Become Words,” will take place from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. (PST) in Burbank at the Dolby Labs, Umlang Theater, 3601 West Alameda Avenue Burbank, CA 91505, along with the live interactive webcast on webinar.dcmp.org.
“This is a unique opportunity to bring together Hollywood executives, TV producers, educators and a number of professionals from within the disability community to reveal state-of-the-art techniques on ways professionals with vision loss are adding value to the description production process,” says Rick Boggs, whose company, Audio Eyes LLC, provides accessible media services to the entertainment community.
Boggs and his team will demonstrate his company’s Quality Control Process to those attending the event as well as broadcast it online in partnership with the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP), the nation’s largest free-loan educational described and captioned media library.
Boggs believes all these communities have a great deal to learn from one another in making commercial and educational media accessible.
Josh Miele, director, Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC) agrees. “We all find ourselves wondering how to make media more usable and enjoyable for persons without sight. We wonder about the cost and the time involved in making media accessible, and how to tell whether the video description accommodation is effective and worthwhile to students and consumers,”
In particular, Miele and Boggs believe this process offers the film and television industry, the creators of America’s most powerful cultural and economic export, a new opportunity to make media inclusive and to work inclusively with “disabled” professionals.
A television celebrity host and a nationally renowned video description expert will lead a demonstration and discussion to review the process and to answer questions.
“Holding the event in Burbank will give executives and producers from Hollywood who attend the chance to see firsthand the live demonstration of the critical video description quality control process, with plenty of time to ask questions about how the process can impact their work,” says Boggs.
He adds that blind consumers who attend the web event will be invited to submit their comments and questions live during the video description process. He also notes that those with vision loss will have an unprecedented opportunity to learn about professional opportunities in the field of accessible media.
About Audio Eyes: The company is a leading provider of video description and accessible media for broadcast television networks, major movie studios, independent filmmakers, educational institutions, and government agencies. Based in Los Angeles, Audio Eyes was founded by Rick Boggs, a blind audio engineer and pioneer who has championed the inclusion of blind professionals in the production of description and accessible media. His commitment saw him awarded the California Governor’s Trophy and the Barry Levine Memorial Award for Audio Description. Audio Eyes describers, engineers and producers have delivered Video Description for first run and syndicated TV shows, theatrical movies, DVDs, award winning documentaries and online published videos. Additionally, they have extensive experience producing audio dramas, audio books, music, radio programs, radio ads, and a variety of business-to-business audio products. For more information, visitwww.audioeyes.com.
About The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP): The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) provides the nation’s largest free-loan educational described and captioned media library. DCMP also offers an accessible media information center, providing information on accessible media, a database of accessible media available for purchase, and guidelines for vendors and other wishing to learn to add description and captioning to media. DCMP has also developed an accessible event/webinar platform, providing an accessible event experience for attendees who are deaf or blind. The DCMP is administered by the National Association of the Deaf and is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. More information is available online at www.dcmp.org
For information contact:
Rick Boggs: 818-439-9698
Email: rickb@audioeyesllc.com
Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
Micah Grossman: 818-815-5865
Email: micahg@audioeyesllc.com
Rick Boggs, General Manager
Audio Eyes, LLC
www.AudioEyes.com
Studio: 818-678-0880
Mobile: 818-439-9698
email: rickb@audioeyesllc.com
Recipient of the 2013 Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description