The Dark Room

Alex and Lee discuss their 2025 experiences at the Sundance and Slamdance film festivals, including a recap of the movies they saw there. They also chat about the aspects of film festivals they appreciate in terms of accessibility, as well as identifying areas of continued growth they would like to see. If you have any questions or comments about anything covered in this episode, please e-mail us...

Alex and Lee chat with JC O’Connell, who performs live audio description for many performing arts events in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. In our conversation, JC discusses her process and preparing for the unexpected.  If you live in the LA/OC area and would like to get in touch with JC, please e-mail her at jcoconnell2020@gmail.com If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilm...

Alex and Lee chat with Dr. Joel Snyder, known as the pioneer of audio description. He is also the president of Audio Description Associates LLC and founder/senior consultant of the Audio Description Project. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience, which he shares in this insightful conversation. Visit the Audio Description Project here: https://adp.acb.org  Check out YOU Describe here: https:...

Alex and Lee chat with Roy Samuelson, an audio description performer, voice actor, speaker, coach, and author of the book, A Voice Actor's Guide to Audio Description Performance: Crafting Immersive Entertainment Experiences for Blind Audiences. In our discussion, Roy highlights what makes for a good audio description performance and chronicles his experiences in the accessibility field. Learn...

Alex and Lee host the 2nd Annual Audio Description Roundtable. This year we are featuring the audio describers behind Anora, Dune Part Two, and The Substance.  If you would like to reach us, feel free to e-mail us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com and be sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe on YouTube to @darkroomfilmcast. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival hosted by our sponsor, Ben Fox: h...

Listen to an excerpt from the Succeed Without Sight Summit interview Alex did while at the Sundance Film Festival, hosted by Kristen Smedley.  If you would like to reach us, feel free to e-mail us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com and be sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe on YouTube to @darkroomfilmcast. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival hosted by our sponsor, Ben Fox: https://www.blindc...

Alex and Lee sit down for a chat with visually impaired writer, Marc Muszynski, who has worked on shows such as “Dexter” and “Polly Pocket”. Marc chronicles his journey with visual impairment and talks about his experience in the writers' room. Check out the Honest trailer for “Frozen” here: https://youtu.be/Zb5IH57SorQ?si=llA9Qhz6hGn_PCFH If you would like to reach us, feel free to e-mail us...

Alex and Lee present their top 10 films of 2024. We want to take a moment to acknowledge the devastation and losses people are experiencing during the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires. our hearts are with the city of Los Angeles and everyone affected by this natural disaster. For anyone looking for fire recovery resources, please visit: http://recovery.lacounty.gov/resources If you would like to reac...

Happy New Year! As we look ahead to 2025, Alex and Lee share their most anticipated films of the year and some fun life updates. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram and YouTube at @darkroomfilmcast. Lee’s award-winning short film, Audio Description: https://youtu.be/NdHN94XRrf0?si=MXlKjcsnPkrjUyc3 Check out...

Alex and Lee sit down with Rhys Lloyd, the Studio Head of Descriptive Video Works to discuss everything that goes into creating live audio description for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Paralympics, and Saturday Night Live, which has AD for the full season for the very first time! Contact Rhys Lloyd: rhys@dvworks.com Contact Descriptive Video Works: info@dvworks.com Email us with questions, feedback or...

We sit down with Nefertiti Matos Olivares, a band audio description narrator, writer, and advocate. She has done live audio description for the Academy Awards for the last two years among other notable projects. Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Council for the Blind's Website ! Find transcripts of our episodes on our hosting site, Buzzsprout ! Subscribe...

Alex and Lee sit down with the team behind the world-class audio description of The Mandalorian (and the rest of the Mando-verse), which includes AD writer Justin Sohl and narrator Nicol Zanzarella. The Mandalorian and the rest of the Mando-verse is now streaming on Disney+. Huge thanks to Justin, Nicol, Disney, Deluxe, and LucasFilm! Find Nicol at: http://www.nicolzanzarella.com/ If you have any...

In honor of Venom: The Last Dance' s release, Alex and Lee debate the best and worst of the 9 Spider-Man Films! Email us and let us know what you think of the Spider-Man films! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Council for the Blind's Website ! Find transcripts...

Alex and Lee welcome filmmakers , Aaron Sauerland and Dustin Little, to the show to discuss their upcoming short film “In Case Of Fear”. We also recap our favorite horror films of 2024 so far.  If you would like to partner with Aaron and Dustin on “In Case Of Fear” which will have audio description, you can contribute to their campaign here: http://www.seedandspark.com/fund/InCaseOfFear#story Also...

For this episode, Alex and Lee take a detour from the film world to discuss the video game landscape with Ross Minor, a blind accessibility consultant. Ross has played a huge role in advancing accessibility for video games within the blind and low vision communities and he discusses his experiences with us. TRIGGER WARNING: There are discussions of murder, suicide, and domestic abuse early in the...

Alex and Lee chat with Tristan Snyder, blind audio describer and sound engineer. In our discussion, Tristan talks about his journey into the world of audio description and sound engineering and the way he navigates this being blind. Tristan’s website: https://ear2earsound.com Find video versions of Tristan’s audiobooks here: https://dcmp.org  Questions? Email us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com Searc...

Lee and Alex discuss the accessibility and history of movie trailers with special guest Kensuke Nakamura. He discusses his process when making audio described trailers. NOTE: This episode resulted in the Alien Romulus trailer getting described by Kensuke, you can find it, along with his other trailers. at the link below. Kensuke's Audio Described trailers: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app...

Alex and Lee give their reactions to the 2024 Oscars ceremony and winners and review DUNE: PART 2. Please follow us on Instagram and YouTube at @darkroomfilmcast and if you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you! You can email us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival hosted by our sponsor, Ben Fox: https://www.blindcan.com Find transcripts of...

Now that the Oscars are over, Alex and Lee look ahead to the rest of the year and discuss their most anticipated films for the remainder of 2024.  *** Please note: this episode was recorded prior to the release of “Dune: Part 2”. Questions? Email us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Council for the Blind's Website ! Find tran...

Alex and Lee continue their celebration of the accessible world of Disney with part 2 focusing on Disney animated films. They review the latest Disney animated feature “Wish” and share their favorite animated movies from the Disney cannon. Image Description: The words "The Dark Room" are in the classic 90s Disney Home Video white Font sitting over the iconic light blue Disney Castle. The...

Watch the video version of this episode here ! Alex and Lee are pleased to present this special panel presentation, featuring audio description writers and narrators who worked on 7 of the 10 Oscar-nominated Best Picture films. In their conversation, they celebrate the works of these wonderful individuals who made these films accessible and highlight specific audio description aspects of each proj...

Alex and Lee are joined by returning guest Jamie Gagnon to discuss Alex and Jamie's trip to Sundance 2024, the slate of films they saw, and the overall festival's accessibility. Watch the Thelma Post-Screening Q&A! (minor spoilers) Watch Jamie's newest horror shorts here! Questions? Email us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com Search for Audio Description availability for any title on...

Alex and Lee reflect on the films of 2023. They reveal their favorite audio description tracks and movies of the year! Questions? Email us at darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Council for the Blind's Website ! Find transcripts of our episodes on our hosting site, Buzzsprout ! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel ! Support us on Patr...

Alex and Lee chat with Ashley Eakin, a disabled director and writer, who has worked on projects for Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+. Ashley recounts her journey into Hollywood, and what navigating her disability has looked like, as well as how her experiences have influenced her storytelling. She also discusses her experiences utilizing audio description on her projects. Ashley's Instagram: @...

Lee and Alex chat with Michele Spitz, a speaker, philanthropist, audio, describer, and grant provider for filmmakers. In this episode, Michele discusses her journey into the audio description world, and the way she has been able to advance accessibility for blind and low vision viewers. Michele Spitz's Woman of Her Word website: https://www.womanofherword.com/ Support the show