Innovative Practice 2019 on Independent Living and Political Participation
Mobile App Providing Captioning and Audio Description in Cinemas
| Name of Innovative Practice: | GRETA app |
|---|---|
| Organisation: | Greta & Starks |
| Country of Implementation | Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Belgium |
PROBLEMS TARGETED
Accessibility in cinemas is often limited to specific barrier-free screenings, significantly reducing choice and access for people with visual or hearing impairments.
SOLUTION, INNOVATION, AND IMPACT
Copyright: Sozialhelden e.v.
Using GRETA, cinemagoers download the free app to their own smartphone and choose which films they want to see. They then select whether they want to use the audio description or the subtitles feature. Once in the cinema, the app uses the phone’s microphone to automatically synchronize with the start of the film’s soundtrack. No additional equipment is needed. Users use their own headphones for audio description and can adjust the size of the text for subtitles on their smartphone screen. The app also works in open-air cinemas and with DVDs, video on demand services, etc.
Greta & Starks works directly with film distributors, from large international distributors such as Disney and Warner Bros., to smaller, independent companies. They have also worked with film festivals to facilitate accessible screenings. Started in Germany in 2014, the app is now also available in Austria, Switzerland, France and Belgium.
FUNDING, OUTLOOK AND TRANSFERABILITY
Greta & Starks was initially grant-funded and is currently commissioned by film distributors, with a turnover of €170,000 in 2017. The distributors pay a fee per film that includes the provision of both the audio description and the captioning for three years. The accessible content is therefore available for all distribution formats, including cinema release, DVD and Blu-ray. In most countries, these costs are subsidized by the federal or national cinema associations. As a social business, Greta & Starks reinvests any profit in further development, for example, of headsets and easy language services.
Greta & Starks is currently developing a social franchise model to offer its innovative audio synchronization technology, updates, and training for a small license fee. As the GRETA app is software-based and uses a phone’s own microphone, it is easy to transfer. The company has already replicated to France and has had interest from organizations in Israel and South Korea. Moreover, it is keen to support disabled people’s organizations to take on the franchise themselves.
Copyright: Sozialhelden e.v.
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