[nfbwatlk] Release: A&E's Touch the Top of the World to be accessible to blind audiences (fwd)

[Mike Freeman]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2006 11:05:08 -0700
From: Cindy Burgett <wcbprez at msn.com>
To: WCB-L <wcb-l at wcbinfo.org>, Pcb-l at wcbinfo.org
Subject: [Wcb-l] Release: A&E's Touch the Top of the World to be accessible
     blind audiences

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Watkins" <mary_watkins at wgbh.org>


A&E Network's Touch the Top of the World to be Accessible to Viewers who are
Blind or Visually Impaired

Film Based on Erik Weihenmayer, First Blind Climber to Summit Mt. Everest

Boston, MA - A&E Network and the Media Access Group at WGBH announce
availability of a descriptive narration track on the A&E Web site for TOUCH
THE TOP OF THE WORLD, which premiers on A&E Network on SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 2006
at 8-10PM ET and PT / 9-11PM CT.

Audio description of the visual elements of TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD will
be available via A&E Network's Web site, http://www.aetv.com/touchthetop/.
At the site, visitors can access an audio stream that includes
moment-by-moment descriptions of the action in the movie, including
gestures, costumes, settings, who is speaking and text that appears on
screen. The described track will be available for three months from the date
of the film's debut on A&E, June 18, 2006.

A behind the scenes look at how description was created for this film will
be posted and available next week at
http://club.aetv.com/
(sign in necessary)

Touch the Top of the World - The Film
Peter Facinelli (Six Feet Under, Fastlane, The Scorpion King) portrays Erik
Weihenmayer, the first blind man ever to climb Mount Everest in the
suspenseful, action-packed adventure film. Bruce Campbell (The Adventures of
Brisco County Jr., Homicide, X-Files) co-stars as Erik's father.

In 2001, Erik Weihenmayer began his ascent up the tallest mountain in the
world, Mt. Everest.  This was a journey that began very early in life when
he was diagnosed with a genetic disorder that ultimately led to total
blindness by the time Erik was 13.  With the support of an amazing family,
Erik never allowed his handicap to hold him back.  In the wake of the sudden
death of his mother, Erik and his family began taking treks into remote
mountain areas to keep their lives intact.  Soon Erik was taking on greater
challenges, including rock climbing, while finishing college and starting
his teaching career. While teaching, Erik met and fell in love with a
colleague, Ellie.  They married and moved to Denver.  After conquering
numerous major peaks, Erik decided to confront his biggest challenge yet --
Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.  Along the journey, Erik and his
team faced unbearably treacherous conditions and witnessed the frozen
remains of those who had failed in similar attempts years earlier.  Finally,
Erik and his colleagues made it to the top of Mount Everest, quite literally
the top of the world.

Video Description
Video descriptions make television programs, feature films, home videos, and
other visual media accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired
by providing descriptive narration of key visual elements in programs that a
viewer might otherwise miss. When described, these elements- including
actions, costumes, gestures and scene changes -can fully engage a blind or
visually impaired viewer with the story. A carefully written script is
prepared by a trained describer, read by a professional narrator, and mixed
in a professional audio production suite for broadcast-quality results. A
full Descriptive Video Service/DVS® mix consists of the main program audio
combined with these narrated descriptions.

WGBH, Boston's public broadcaster and a pioneer in the field of assistive
and accessible technology developed description for television, home videos
and feature films. A&E and The Media Access Group have worked together for
years to make a variety of A&E programs accessible via closed captioning to
viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.  Touch the Top of the World
presented the first opportunity to work together to make an A&E film
accessible via video descriptions to blind and visually impaired A&E
viewers.

Film Credits
TOUCH THE TOP OF THE WORLD is based on Erik Weihenmayer's memoir of the same
name.  The screenplay is by Peter Silverman, multiple Emmy-nominee who
credits include Something The Lord Made, We Were The Mulvaneys, and Hill
Street Blues. The executive producers are Howard Braunstein, Michael Jaffe
and Mark Sennet.   The director is Peter Winther, who directed The
Librarian, the top-rated cable movie of 2004 and worked on a number of major
Hollywood blockbusters, from Independence Day to Godzilla to The Patriot.
The film will be distributed by Sony Pictures Television.

About A&E Network
Now reaching more than 90 million homes, A&E Network brings viewers a
diverse mix of high quality entertainment; ranging from critically acclaimed
original movies to the very best dramatic series, the most successful
justice shows on cable to the Emmy Award-winning BIOGRAPHY® series. Not to
mention, the A&E Network's powerhouse Real-Life Series franchise. In 2005,
A&E Network holds the distinct record for the most Primetime Emmy
nominations (10) for a basic cable network.  The A&E Network web site is
located at www.aetv.com and the Biography® website is located at
www.Biography.com.   The A&E Club is located at www.aetv.com/club.  For more
information and photography please visit us on the web at www.aetvpress.com.

About the Media Access Group at WGBH
The Media Access Group is a nonprofit service of Boston public broadcaster
WGBH, with offices in Boston and Los Angeles. The Group includes DVS, which
has made television, film and video more enjoyable to audiences who are
blind or visually impaired since 1990, and The Caption Center--the world's
first captioning agency--which has made audiovisual media accessible to
audiences who are deaf or hard of hearing since 1972. The third branch of
the Media Access Group, the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
(NCAM), is a research, development and advocacy entity that work to make
existing and emerging technologies accessible to all audiences. Members of
the Group's collective staff represent the leading resources and experts in
their fields. For more information, visit http://access.wgbh.org

Contact
Mary Watkins, WGBH
mary_watkins at wgbh.org
617 300-3700 voice
617 300-2480 TTY

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