Although most popular cinema releases are available with subtitles, not all 'subtitle' equipped cinemas show all available films. And many shows are at unsuitable times. Why? And what can we do about it? Please read below...
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Most cinemas are now equipped with new digital projection equipment. These digital systems have built-in subtitle readers.
So any cinema with 3D or digital facilities can screen most of the latest cinema releases with subtitles.
Subtitle 'files' are available for almost all popular cinema releases (including 3D films). These files can be 'read' by digital projection systems, overlaying subtitles on the cinema screen, to enable people with hearing loss to enjoy cinema.
Please contact digitally-equipped cinemas in your area and request that they utilise the built in subtitle features of digital projectors! And remind them that there's more chance of people attending if they publicise their subtitled shows on Your Local Cinema .com!
Note: as with DVD releases, the film needs to have a subtitle track included for it to be broadcast. These days almost all popular releases are released digitally, with a subtitle track.
Most film distributors ensure that their most popular releases are available with subtitles. The box office top 20 films of 2009 were available. 41 of the top 50 and 71 out of the top 100 were available.
In the UK most subtitle-equipped cinemas utilise their subtitle facilities regularly and every week there are more than 550 English language subtitled shows nationwide. Listings here: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/now.showing.html
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Most UK cinemas now have subtitle facilities, including almost all Odeon, Vue and Cineworld cinemas.
But not all digital cinema sites utilise their built-in 'access' facilities regularly, to screen available films with subtitles.
If many more digital cinema sites utilised their built-in subtitle facilities the number of subtitled shows could be increased. There could easily be twice or three times as many shows overall - many more opportunities for people to catch films.
3D is the latest thing in cinema, and until late 2009 people with hearing loss could not enjoy 3D films - no subtitles!
November 2009 saw the first 3D release with English language subtitles – Disney's A Christmas Carol. How appropriate, given that the Dickens story was an innovative, socially responsible tale of family, sharing and Christmas charity. Hard on its heels came a subtitled 3D version of James Cameron's Avatar. Throughout November and December, almost every capable cinema screened both these films with subtitles, many in 3D. In March 2010 came Alice In Wonderland subtitled, and Clash of the Titans subtitled, both in glorious 3D.
Disney Press Release here: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/christmascarol.PR.html
It is expected that more and more 3D films will be made available to cinemas - with subtitles. Watch the website for news.
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Back to 'regular' films.
Top films such as 'Mamma Mia', 'Quantum of Solace' and 'The Dark Knight' have each had around 1,000 English-language subtitled shows during their run, which enabled thousands of people to enjoy them. But for most releases a nationwide total of less than 150 subtitled screenings is the norm. The smaller films have far less shows.
As well as providing more shows overall, having more cinema screens equipped with 'access' facilities would enable cinemas to screen more films to people with hearing loss. Currently, most equipped cinemas show only around a third of the available subtitled films. (They only show one a week, yet two or three films are available most weeks).
Please contact cinemas in your area and ask if they are 'digitally-equipped'. If so, please ask them to start utilising their built-in subtitle facilities!
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Although most popular films are available with subtitles, not all the 'subtitle' equipped cinemas show all available films. Why? Well, one reason is that most of the equipped cinemas have a subtitle system in one screen only, so for a film to play with subtitles, it needs to be shown in that particular screen.
This is not always possible, as cinemas move films from screen to screen depending on how popular the film is. A big film might open on the biggest screen, then move to a smaller screen after a few weeks, when it has become less popular. If the subtitle system is connected to the biggest screen, then there may be subtitled shows in the films opening weekend. If it's in a smaller screen, then subtitled shows of that film may be shown a few weeks later.
Every cinema is different. Cinemas are most busy on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - especially the evenings. A multiplex cinema can put on more subtitled shows, at popular times, as they have more screens, so a 'special' subtitled show does not 'interfere' too much with their schedule. A smaller cinema with one or two screens has to consider how well attended the subtitled show will be, which explains why some smaller cinemas have shows at 'low attendance' times, such as daytime, midweek. Most people who don't need subtitles don't like them on films, so attendance for subtitled shows is usually pretty small - sometimes just deaf or hard of hearing people and their friends or families.
It's our job to create awareness of the problem, suggest solutions, and to empower people to do something about it. So we recommend that people contact cinemas in their local area and request better access for people with hearing or sight loss.
The best people to complain to are the people who run the cinemas - cinema managers in your local area. We suggest that you round up some friends and arrange a visit. The more people that point out the importance of 'accessible' cinema - subtitled shows for people with hearing loss - the more likely there is to be change for the better.
If your nearest cinema has not already done so, request that they become accessible, by 'going digital', which means subtitle facilities will be built-in, or installing a separate subtitle & audio description system. Hundreds of cinemas in the UK have already installed such a system.
Full details of shows nationwide can be found here: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com
All cinemas can screen foreign language films, such as Coco Before Chanel, Broken Embraces, Let The Right One In and Che. The subtitles are etched into the film print and do not require special 'subtitle' facilities to screen them. More details here:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/independents.html
But for a cinema to screen mainstream (English language) films with subtitles, the cinema needs to have a digital subtitle system.
Nowadays all major UK film distributors release almost all their films with subtitles and audio description, and many smaller distributors release their most popular films with these features. In the last five years UK film distributors have released almost 1,000 films with these features.
But fact is not all films are available with subtitles. Usually, the subtitle 'files' are supplied on CD-Roms which cinema subtitling systems 'read'. Think of it like a DVD without the picture or sound - just the subtitles (and an audio description 'narrative' track for people with sight loss) The disc sychronises with the film when it's played.
For digital-equipped cinemas, where the film is supplied on a hard disk. The subtitle file is usually included in that hard disk.
Most POPULAR cinema releases ARE available with subtitles - usually the top ten films every week are available. But less popular films are usually NOT subtitled. In fact although there were more than 500 films released in UK cinemas last year, only around 125 films were subtitled in English (there were more foreign language films subtitled in English!). The film industry is working to improve this figure.
It costs around £2,000 to subtitle a film. The big film distributors try to ensure that all their films are subtitled. For smaller film distributors, financial help with 'access' costs is sometimes available from government agencies such as the UK Film Council. All distributors should be aware of these funds.
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We believe the film industry should treat 'accessible' films and shows like other 'access' features such as wheelchair spaces, disabled ramps, lifts, toilets, loop systems etc. Not there to make a profit, but to enable people less fortunate than most to enjoy the cinema experience. The film industry's Disability Working Group meets regularly to make improvements in this area and things HAVE improved. Before 2000 the only subtitled films in cinemas were foreign language films.
If a cinema has subtitle facilities, please request that they make proper use of the facilities by screening REGULAR subtitled shows at SENSIBLE times.
When you attend a subtitled show and are purchasing tickets, ask cinema staff to please remember to switch the subtitles on at the START of the film (some have been known to forget to do so…)
Cinemas with subtitle facilities can simply overlay subtitles onto the latest films (if the film is available with subtitles - most popular ones are). The system can be turned on and off - similar to subtitles on TV or DVD.
The system is usually installed in only ONE screen of a multi-screen cinema building, although some cinemas have more than one system, and can provide a much better 'subtitled' service.
Informing cinemas in your local area of the need for accessible cinema makes them aware of it, and reminds them what they should be aiming for - access to their services for people with hearing loss. If many people made an effort to do this it would really help the situation. It is often the case that although cinema head offices are fully aware of access issues, many cinemas, run on a local level, are not.
For cinemas that have a digital subtitle system, a good choice of dates and times is necessary to enable more people to catch accessible shows. Most people have work or school to attend to, and many cannot just drop everything to fit into a cinemas schedule. People cannot be expected to take the time out to attend one or two subtitled shows at unsuitable times.
Some cinemas may be concerned that subtitled shows will have a low turnout. They are right - compared to the size of the general public audience, the number of people with hearing loss in each town is small.
Most people take a friend or family member to the cinema, which increases the audience figures, but it's still not a huge number. Bad attendance can also be attributed to the fact that many cinemas put on subtitled shows at the least popular times. Fact is that in every cinema 'regular', non-subtitled shows at the less popular times also have low attendance. Most people prefer to go to the cinema at weekends, especially weekend evenings.
Cinemas are used to fairly empty houses, so low attendance for subtitled shows should not make much difference. But a 'subtitle-equipped' cinema is unlikely to show EVERY available film with subtitles at popular times. Reason being is that around 125 cinema releases are available with subtitles every year. To show them all a cinema would have to show three different subtitled films a week. A fair number of subtitled shows would be at least 2 or 3 of each film.
So that's 3 different films, 2 or 3 shows each: 6 - 9 subtitled shows a week. A multiplex cinema can have two or three hundred shows a week, so it may be possible to fit that many subtitled shows into their schedule, but smaller cinemas could not afford to be so accommodating.
If a cinema needs more info, direct them to our website - there's info on digital systems available, government grants available, where to purchase and more. Many articles on the subject are available to read here:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/press.html
We hope the above info helps to explain the current accessible cinema situation. If you have any more queries please ask!
Thanks,
subtitles@yourlocalcinema.com
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IMPORTANT!
We receive accessible listings directly from cinemas. Unless urgent amendments are required, listings are updated on the website every Thursday. We take great care to ensure the listings are timely and accurate but can take NO RESPONSIBILITY for postponed or cancelled shows. If cinemas inform us of changes, we will tell you via the yourlocalcinema.com website. If they don't inform us, we can't inform you.
Many cinemas schedules are 'SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTIFICATION'. Sometimes the files necessary for a subtitled or described film are not available, or are not delivered to the cinema on time. The only way to be 100% sure is to check with the ACTUAL cinema before you plan a visit. But DOUBLE check, preferably with a manager. We recommend that you should always request confirmation that a show is definitely on.
We cannot provide cinema tickets. Please contact your cinema directly for these. For suggestions, corrections or just to contact us please visit:
http://yourlocalcinema.wufoo.com/forms/subtitlesyourlocalcinemacom/
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"Have you ever tried to lip-read a masked super hero or villain? Or an animated rat, fish, car or robot? Without subtitles we just watch the pictures and guess the story"
"After losing most of my sight four years ago I gave up on cinema - only to discover audio description some months later. I've since watched many more films. Watching 'Avatar' I felt just like one of the crowd, reacting with amazement just like the other people in the cinema. I actually felt like I had my vision back."
"I have lost my sight. You think I can't enjoy the cinema? Imagine the scariest film you know, only SCARIER!"
"I enjoyed A Christmas Carol a lot. I can hear well with my digital hearing aids, compared to many deaf people I know, but the unfamiliar, oldie-style Dickensian words would have been lost on me without subtitles."
Click here to read selection of quotes and reports from people with hearing or sight loss who have discovered - or rediscovered - the joys of cinema-going, thanks to subtitles and audio description:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/quote.html
Complaints? Praise? Add your own quote or report!
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About cinema subtitles & audio description.
"Fact is that as we age, loss of some hearing or sight is inevitable... Access to film via subtitles & audio description is something that we all may appreciate, eventually"
Cinema subtitles/captions are displayed along the bottom of the cinema screen. They include the spoken text as well as descriptions of sounds such as 'door creaks', 'footsteps approaching', 'gunshot' etc.
Cinema audio description is a recorded narration which explains - in gaps in the dialogue - what's happening on screen. It's delivered through wireless headphones - only the wearer hears the audio description soundtrack. One blind cinema-goer has likened the experience to listening to a Harry Potter audio book, but with all the actors voicing their own parts, and the addition of the film soundtrack - in fabulous surround sound.
'It's the accessible cinema experience: SEE the dialogue! HEAR the action!'
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Your Local Cinema .com is a non-profit group sponsored by the UK film industry and would not exist without the input and assistance of the groups below:
AIM - All Industry Marketing
CEA - Cinema Exhibitors' Association and UK cinemas
FDA - Film Distributors' Association and UK film distributors
ITFC, DTS, Dolby and more.
Please visit our sponsors: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/sponsors.html
Interested in part-sponsorship? Please contact subtitles@yourlocalcinema.com
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Visit the website to:
View nationwide subtitled & audio described cinema listings - by film or location.
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/now.showing.html
View the latest movie trailers - with subtitles.
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/subtitled.trailers.html
Listen to audio described trailers & film clips.
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/ad.mp3samples.html
Read the latest articles on cinema access.
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/mags.html
Apply for a 'years cinema going for a fiver' discount card for carers.
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/cea.card.html
WIN cinema tickets! 2 minute survey:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/survey.html
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Winner!
The Your Local Cinema.com service won two high-profile awards in 2009, voted for by the cinemagoing public: the British Telecom 'BT Remote Workers' Award' and the Daily Mail 'People's Choice' Enterprise Award. Furthermore, the service made the final three in the 'Best Arts Project' category of the National Lottery Awards, broadcast live on BBC1. If you voted for us - THANKS!
And, on a personal level, our founder Dean won the 'Student of the Year' Award! And he recently won a goldfish at the local fair! Good year!
More info here: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/award.09.clip.html
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Remember folks...
"It is not tragic to have a disability. Disability only becomes a tragedy when society fails to provide the things one needs to lead one's life". (Anonymous)
The UK leads the world in accessible cinema – subtitled and audio described films for people with hearing or sight loss.
Most UK cinemas, including all 3D and digital-equipped sites, now have facilities for subtitles, and almost half - 320 - have audio description facilities.
UK distributors ensure that most popular releases are available in both audio described and subtitled versions.
Most of these cinemas utilise their access facilities regularly and every week there are more than 550 English language subtitled shows, and thousands more audio described performances. Listings here: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com
If you have sight loss and require audio description listings only, please email us at: ad@yourlocalcinema.com or visit the audio described section here: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/ad.html
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To be notified of new subtitled films, dates & times in your area every week, just contact us:
For suggestions, corrections or just to contact us please visit:
http://yourlocalcinema.wufoo.com/forms/subtitlesyourlocalcinemacom/
Email us at subtitles@yourlocalcinema.com
Phone us on 0845 056 9824 (24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, local rate)
Textphone / Typetalk on 18001 0845 056 9824.
SMS / Text message to 0793 1341 377 (normal mobile rate).
Or fax us on 0845 056 9824.