CINEMA OF THE SENSES

In 2005, the production company Silence Club called into being a very unusual exhibition project: to show their short films to the visually impaired. Project deviser Cristiane Oliveira had, as the leading character of her first short, Messalina, a blind woman, and the question, or the insight it aroused was: Do blind people go to the movies? And the answer: Yes. And more questions: How do they watch the movies? And the answer: They depend on someone with “normal sight” to describe the images.

OK, but then couldn’t we insert the description in the movie itself? Yes. But what seemed relatively simple turned out to be a challenge. In the synthetic narrative of short films, every code is very important. Plus, the short film is, in its essence, a space for aesthetic and narrative experimentation, for commonplace transgression.

From these issues were made and remade the “writings” of post-scripts, and also reading rounds. Unlike those made in order to get an opinion from your filmmaking peers, those readings were simply meant to be heard, heard and nothing more, preferably with eyes shut. And after that came the voice selection and more doubts: should the description simulate emotions or not?

What would be best? And the mixing: how to mix descriptive audio over sounds already designed?

One thing if for certain: not all doubts have been definitely answered and, at each screening, new opinions and new answers will come up.

But there’s one thing really certain: the blind also go to the movies.


Silence Club
Contact
Clube Silêncio clube@clubesilencio.com.br
Cristiane Oliveira
Tel: (55) 51 3227 9564 / (55) 51 3225 0729


The production of descriptive audio had the support of Kiko Ferraz Studios and Brailleana Produção. The first screening was held on December 20, 2005 at Santander Movie Theater, in Porto Alegre, followed by a round table with filmmakers and the audience.

Selection

CINCO NAIPES / FIVE SUITS - Fabiano de Souza - Brasil

INÍCIO DO FIM / THE BEGINNING OF THE END - Gustavo Spolidoro - Brasil

MESSALINA - Cristiane Oliveira - Brasil



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