Transcript: New cinemas with audio described sessions

Roberta: There’s no denying that the role described cinema in Australia has been a slower process than its caption cousin but momentum has picked up in the last couple of weeks with a number of venues commencing described sessions nationally. Ally Woodford from Media Access Australia is with us today to fill us in on the news, welcome Ally.

Ally: Hi Roberta, hi everyone.

Roberta: Now let’s get it straight, what are the new locations?

Ally: The locations are, we’ve got Chatswood Westfield with one screen, Chatswood Mandarin with two screens and the Mandarin Chatswood is also sort of in the Westfield complex and they’re both here in Sydney on the lower north shore. For people on New South Wales south coast, there’s Hoyts at Wyaralong and that has one screen.

The ACT has four new screens with Belconnen coming back online with the new digital system and Woden, that’s on the southern edge of Canberra, that got two screens as well. So they are all Hoyts locations, they are all in NSW and the ACT, so it’s a start and I know there are movie fans, I guess chaffing at the bit in other States to get an audio described session and I can promise they’ll commence, I just don’t know when yet.

Roberta: Yeah well like we always say Ally, as you said, it has to start somewhere.

Ally: Yeah.

Roberta: Now when we last spoke we were waiting on a schedule of locations to be announced which we expected to be some time in August, are these new locations part of that announcement?

Ally: Yeah these have come separately. I guess it’s still part of the announcement in a way but it, a more comprehensive list that will schedule the new screens coming online for the remainder of 2011, that’s still due, so there is still more to come.

Roberta: So how many audio description headsets are at each location? Because that is pretty important to know if you are going to get a headset.

Ally: It is and it’s something I still need to confirm, because the number hasn’t formally been given, but I suspect there’s five headsets at each location but I could be wrong and there could actually be ten, but there are definitely five at least.

Roberta: And is there a booking system in place for the headsets or is it still a first come first serve basis?

Ally: Yeah it’s pretty much still first come first served. The online booking system for Hoyts, as well as the other cinemas, are yet to allow for the booking of the equipment as part of the ticketing process, but there’s been some separate discussions that have taken place and that will continue to take place with a couple of the cinemas and that’s individually. 

And we’re also talking with the right people within the cinemas, the “techy” people, so the message seems to be getting through which is good but the changes are still going to take some time because the booking systems are actually via a third party so it’s an external company, a software development company that comes in to do that, so that is a case of involving more people there. So I think my advice at the moment, still it’s to make sure that you are there early, request a headset at the box office, then go and have a coffee before the movie.

Roberta: Yeah, well that’s always a good idea.

Ally: Oh yeah it’s not too bad.

Roberta: It’s a good idea to be early anywhere really isn’t it?

Ally: Yep.

Roberta: Question without notice, what have we got on DVD?

Ally: Well I was going to talk to you about that next time we talk Roberta.

Roberta: Oh okay.

Ally: Just I can tell you one that I can just think off the top of my head, The Fighter which won a few Academy Awards earlier this year. That is now out on DVD with audio description.

Roberta: That’s good.

Ally: But I think it’s one for the DVD, you know a rainy afternoon watching DVD’s on the sofa one day because it did obviously do so well at the Oscars.

Roberta: Hmm, but I do believe it was a good film but just misnamed I think anyway. Well how about telling us about your website, how can people get information?

Ally: The Your Local Cinema website?

Roberta: Ah hum.

Ally: Well it’s yourlocalcinema.com.au and each cinemas has its own dedicated page which mentions what the movies are on for each week and then it has a direct link through to the booking mechanisms for each location, for each cinema, and so we update that on a weekly basis.

We are reliant on the cinemas themselves updating their own websites to get that information and there are times when we actually prompt the cinemas going “Hey come on, where is your accessible sessions?” So we’re keeping our eye on them in order to get the information out there as quickly as possible. Not just on yourlocalcinema.com.au, but also on their own site.

Roberta: Well as Ally said it’s the best way to find out more about what’s happening is to go to yourlocalcinema.com.au and each cinema’s page will list the movie details on a weekly basis and general cinema news is posted on the home page. Alternatively give Ally a call at 02 9212 6242. Thank you Ally Woodford for today.

Ally: Thanks Roberta.

Roberta: I’ve been speaking with Ally Woodford from Media Access Australia and Media Access Australia are supporters of this program.