Thursday, May 13, 2010

Deaf Performers Can Struggle In Entertainment Industry Like Anyone Else

Fans with Actor CJ Jones in Santa Monica, Calif. May 2010





Photo: Courtesy of Hilari Scarl (above poster) and others by Megan Clancy

Hilari Scarl, director of "See What I'm Saying?" documentary, wanted to film deaf people about their lives for a long time. Scarl originally planned on writing a film about deaf people, but she felt it made more sense to film deaf people themselves and produce a documentary, according to Scarl. Scarl started filming four performers: CJ Jones, Robert DeMayo, TL Foresberg and Bob Hiltermann in 2007. Their real lives have a much more empowering effect compared to what I can invent, Scarl said.

Microsoft sponsored the film by covering fees for open captioning, and this film is the first film at a theater that came with open captions, Scarl said. Scarl hopes to influence other filmmakers and people in the movie industry to do the same--to allow open communication access for both communities, hearing and the deaf.

Sprint was the film's title sponsor, covering fees for their opening music video that had both singing and sign language.
See Bob Hiltermann host Greater Los Angeles Agency for the Deaf (GLAD)'s annual fundraising brunch at House of Blues here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjjS-eAE2_I.

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