----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Watkins" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2025 9:56 PM
Subject: Star Wars on FOX- with Descriptions
Sending this special note out to movie fans. Some of you may have been on
the MoPix e-mail list when Star Wars Episode 1 debuted in movie theaters
with captioning and description in the summer of 1999. The movie will now
be airing on tv, and the access features remain!
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Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Debuts on FOX Sunday Evening
Descriptive Narration Brings The Force Home to Millions with Vision Loss
The much anticipated network television premiere of Star Wars Episode One:
The Phantom Menace (TM) marks yet another major television milestone: the
first commercial network broadcast of descriptive narration for viewers who
are blind or visually impaired. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
airs Sunday, November 25 (7:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. The movie will also
air with closed captions for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Following the movie, FOX will broadcast a special "mockumentary" entitled
R2-D2: Under the Dome, tracing the background of everyone's favorite droid.
This program will also be described and closed captioned. Description for
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace is funded by FOX. Description
funding of R2-D2: Under the Dome is provided by the U.S. Department of
Education. Caption funding for R2-D2: Under the Dome is provided by FOX.
The Media Access Group at WGBH created the descriptions and captions for the
debut of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in movie theaters in May,
1999. That summer, fans drove for hours to experience The Force in a theater
equipped with Rear Window Captioning and DVS Theatrical, innovative
in-theater access systems developed by Boston public broadcaster WGBH.
Come Sunday evening, viewers who desire this supplemental narration need
travel no further than their own living rooms.
Descriptive Video Service (DVS) provides descriptive narration of key visual
elements, making television programs, feature films, home videos and other
visual media accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. Key
visual elements are those that visually impaired viewers would ordinarily
miss, such as actions, costumes, gestures, facial expressions and scene
changes. Inserted within the natural pauses in dialogue, audio descriptions
of important visual details help to engage blind viewers with the story.
For a list of FOX stations across the country that will offer descriptions
via the SAP channel on this film, visit the DVS Web site at dvs.wgbh.org,
click Star Wars on FOX/station guide (complete list will be availble on the
DVS site as of Wednesday, Nov. 21).
Viewers access description on their stereo-equipped televisions or VCRs
through the Second Audio Program, or SAP channel. Stand alone SAP receivers
are also available (these can be used with or without a television, a list
of vendors can be found on dvs.wgbh.org). Most TVs or VCRs purchased within
the past 8 years are SAP equipped.
To hear the narrated visual descriptions through your stereo TV or VCR,
simply activate its SAP feature via the remote control.
Descriptive narration is currently available on a wide variety of programs
broadcast by PBS, as well as selected films on the Turner Classic Movies
cable network. For a complete list, visit dvs.wgbh.org, or call the
toll-free DVD Information line at 800 333-1203.
Contact: Mary Watkins
Media Access Group at WGBH
617 300-3700 v, -2489 TTY
[log in to unmask]
access.wgbh.org
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