Tripod Captioned Films Transitions To: Insight Cinema

Los Angeles - TRIPOD CAPTIONED FILMS, an outreach program of the Tripod Education Program that was created to bring The Big Screen Experience to Deaf and Hard of Hearing movie going audiences, is now its own 501c3 nonprofit with a new name, InSight Cinema.

Nanci Linke-Ellis, former Executive Director of Tripod Captioned Films, will continue her outreach and advocacy efforts under the new organizational umbrella and will be joined by David Keith, former Senior V.P., Sales Operations for New Line Cinema and founder of the David Keith Company and Mike Doban who spent ten years at United Artists before leaving to head up Trans Lux Cinema Consulting.

"It's an exciting moment for all of us involved in TCF," Linke-Ellis commented. "Tripod set the stage for the deaf and hard of hearing to go to the movies in 1982 when it screened an open captioned version of "The Big Chill" at a Hollywood premiere. "We have grown to such a level," stated Linke-Ellis," that it's time for us to let the Tripod educational program get back to its family services and resource mission and allow this new entity, InSight Cinema, to focus on increasing awareness and improving the accessibility of movie-going for deaf and hard of hearing audiences."

There are currently 28 million Americans identified as deaf or hard of hearing in the U.S. With the aging baby boomers starting to lose their collective hearing after years of loud rock concerts and escalating noise pollution, that number is expected to increase over the next ten years.

Open captioning is enhanced English subtitles that are 98% verbatim with audio prompts for slamming doors, doorbells and off screen dialogue (radio broadcast). Unlike subtitles in foreign films, open captions are placed directly beneath the person speaking on screen. Open captioned films ensure movie patrons of a complete onscreen experience. No equipment is needed to be installed by the theatre operator. An open captioned film is so flexible that it can play on every screen in any theatre.