Earcatch

GOING TO THE CINEMA IF YOU ARE BLIND, VISUALLY IMPAIRED, DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING

Everyone should be able to enjoy a film at the cinema, even if you are blind or partially sighted, deaf or hard of hearing. That is why Pathé is working in partnership with the Audiovisual Accessibility Foundation (SAVT) and the free Earcatch app.

Thanks to Earcatch, more and more films at Pathé are accessible with audio description (AD) or subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (ODS). This means you can go to the cinema independently and enjoy a wider range of films.

Earcatch

AS A BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON, HOW CAN I GO TO THE CINEMA?

Are you blind or visually impaired? If so, you can use Earcatch at Pathé to watch films with audio description.

Audio description is a spoken description of what is happening on screen. For example, a voice describes characters, facial expressions, locations and important events that you cannot gather from the film’s soundtrack.

To use this service, you’ll need your own smartphone or tablet and a pair of headphones or earbuds. The audio description runs automatically in sync with the film, so you can watch the film alongside the other audience members.

 

HOW DOES AUDIO DESCRIPTION WORK AT PATHÉ?

 

  1. 1.

    Download the free Earcatch app onto your smartphone or tablet.

  2. 2.

    Search for the film you want to see in Earcatch.

  3. 3.

    Download the audio description before you go to the cinema.

  4. 4.

    As soon as the film starts, play the audio description in Earcatch.

  5. 5.

    Earcatch synchronises automatically with the film.

 

So you don’t need to attend a special screening. If audio description is available, you can use it for that particular film.

EARCATCH

CAN I GO TO THE CINEMA IF I AM DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING?

Yes. Earcatch is providing subtitles for deaf and hard-of-hearing people for an increasing number of Dutch films.

These subtitles include not only the spoken dialogue, but also important information about sounds and music. This means you can follow the film even if you cannot hear all the spoken dialogue or sounds.

You can use your own smartphone or tablet for this too. The subtitles automatically synchronise with the film being shown in the cinema.

 

HOW DO SUBTITLES WORK FOR DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING PEOPLE?

 

  1. 1.

    Download the free Earcatch app onto your smartphone or tablet.

  2. 2.

    Search for the film you want to see in Earcatch.

  3. 3.

    Download the subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing before you go to the cinema.

  4. 4.

    As soon as the film starts, launch the subtitles in Earcatch.

  5. 5.

    Earcatch automatically synchronises the subtitles with the film.

 

You can follow the subtitles on your own smartphone or tablet during the film. The other audience members in the cinema won’t notice a thing.

Earcatch

WHICH FILMS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO BLIND, VISUALLY IMPAIRED, DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING PEOPLE?

More and more films shown at Pathé are available with audio description or subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. The Earcatch app and www.earcatch.nl list the current selection of accessible films. This makes it easy to check in advance whether the film you want to see is available with audio description or subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

 

New films are added to the selection every day.

Earcatch

WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE CINEMA FILMS ACCESSIBLE

Pathé is committed to providing a cinema experience in which visitors with visual or hearing impairments can also enjoy films independently. Earcatch helps to make this possible by making audio description and subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing available for an ever-increasing number of films.

 

The Audiovisual Accessibility Foundation develops and manages Earcatch and is constantly working to further expand and improve accessibility.

You can find more information about Earcatch and the films available in the Earcatch app or at www.earcatch.nl