The Dark Room

In this episode, we’re joined by Dakota Green and Ren Leech, the audio description writer and narrator, respectively, for the Emmy-nominated HBO series THE PENGUIN. They share their creative process behind crafting AD for the dark, gritty Gotham world and discuss the power of inclusive storytelling through an authentically disabled AD team. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at making The Pengui...

Alex and Lee chat with Ariel Baska, disabled film maker and horror activist, about the Access: Horror Film Festival happening in New York on August 1. In our discussion, Ariel chronicles their journey with disability, getting the horror film festival off the ground, and what attendees can expect this year at the Access: Horror event. Sign up to attend the Access: Horror Film Festival by July 29 he...

Alex and Lee kick off Disability Pride Month by welcoming disabled actors, Tobias Forrest and John W. Lawson, to the show. They discuss their award-winning film DARUMA and the importance of authentic disability representation in the entertainment industry. DARUMA is currently available to stream for free with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. To get the accompanying audio description track, down...

Now that the final installment is out, Alex and Lee rank all 8 Mission: Impossible films and discuss their favorite stunts, as well as the audio description tracks for the franchise. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to share your MI rankings with us, please email darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel at @darkroomf...

Carl Richardson and Kim Charlson are the co-chairs of the American Council of the Blind's Audio Description Project, or ADP. They join Lee and Alex to discuss the various media-related committees of the ACB and how they are helping to advance accessibility in the entertainment industry. We also discuss the upcoming ACB virtual and in-person conference, as well as the panels that will be avail...

Alex and Lee are pleased to welcome special guest, John Stark, to the show as we proudly introduce the Blind Film Critics Society (BFCS). The BFCS was formed to bring blind and low vision voices to the film criticism space, and we are honored to present the nominations and winners for the first annual BFCS awards. Please note that our selections represent the 2024 calendar year in film. If you are...

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...