22 August 2010 Interview with Ally Woodford

22 August 2010 Interview with Ally Woodford (I: Interviewer P: Participant)

I: According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 87% of Australian households own a DVD player. And with audio description on DVD becoming more abundant, it is not so rare these days for households where there is a person with a vision impairment to be included in this statistic. To tell us what 87% of Australian households can pick up from the new release DVD shelves with audio description, I’d like to welcome Ally Woodford from Media Access Australia to the program. Hello Ally.

P: Hi Roberta.

I: So, what are our latest big name titles that have been audio described?

P: We have Alice in Wonderland and that’s a quirky Tim Burton directed adaption of the classic. Tim Burton, for those that don’t know him, he’s renowned for dark, visually rich productions and I think this would be an amazing movie to see. We’ve also got Invictus, and this film may be about rugby, but moreso it’s about how Nelson Mandela used rugby to bring together his rainbow nation. And I’ve actually seen the movie and Morgan Freeman is brilliant as Mandela, and there’s stirring music and Matt Damon pulls off a really acceptable South African accent.

I: Good.

P: The last one we have for the big names is The Hurt Locker and that won this year’s Oscar for Best Movie, so say no more there.

I: I’ll tell you now I saw that, and a friend wanted to see it, I’m not sure I did but I did see it and I’m glad I saw it.

P: Okay, good.

I: Cos now I understand why it won.

P: Right.

I: It puts you right in the shoes of those guys over there.

P: Yeah.

I: Now that’s three blockbusters, so what are the titles that will make us laugh this time round?

P: Okay, in the comedy department we have Old Dogs, and that’s got Robin Williams and John Travolta in it. There’s also Tooth Fairy, and that’s where a big name ice hockey player’s punishment for an indiscretion is to spend a week as the tooth fairy, and lastly there’s Post Grad. A post grad university student has to

of 3 move back home with her eccentric family while she finds a job and works out what she really wants to do with her life.

I: Now, are there any titles that will keep the kids amused on a wet weekend or any weekend?

P: Yeah well for the kids we’ve got three titles as well. There’s The Princess and the Frog, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, not the sequel but the squeakquel. And Fantastic Mr Fox, which is an adaption of Roald Dahl’s book of the same name.

I: Yes it is and it’s a good one too. So, what rounds off the list?

P: Okay to start with there are two that people should take note of. We’ve got a drama called Everybody’s Fine, and that’s starring Robert De Niro, and there’s also a thriller called The Wolfman. Now both of these don’t have the AD logo on the covers but they are definitely audio described. So that’s Everybody’s Fine and The Wolfman. Our other movies are, we’ve got some horrors in Carriers, Long Weekend and Afterlife. Two thrillers, The Heavy and Armoured. An adventure movie called Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and also The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, and that was Heath Ledger’s last film by the way. A few dramas in Law Abiding Citizen, Brothers and Shutter Island. An action movie in Ninja Assassin and a crime movie in Double Identity, and to round them out we have a romance in Dear John.

I: There’s something there for everybody.

P: Everyone, yes.

I: That’s really good to hear. Now, have we missed out on anything lately?

P: From this search, just one and that’s Bright Star which is an Australian film. It was audio described in the UK, so that’s not nice to think that they got it over there and we didn’t get it here with AD when it’s one of our own. There’s also a couple that I should mention because previously I’ve mentioned they were audio described, but it’s come to light thanks to a fan of AD DVDs that they’re not. And they are Meryl Streep’s film It’s Complicated, and also a Roadshow horror title called Captivity. So they both say they’re audio described but the discs aren’t, so just be wary of those.

I: What a shame, because It’s Complicated asks to be audio described because there’s a lot of looking in it you know.

P: Yeah yeah, it would’ve been great, you know and the cover says it is and yeah.

I: What a shame, well you sometimes get some that don’t have it on the cover and it is audio described so you’ve just got to really ask about and talk to each other I guess.

P: That’s right.

of 3 I: Well, despite missing out on a few titles recently, there are plenty of others to keep us entertained and if you have any questions about audio description on DVD, they can be directed to Ally or her colleagues at Media Access Australia at [email protected] or you can phone 02 9212 6242, 02 9212 6242. Alternatively you may find the answer at audiodescription.com.au – thank you Ally Woodford for that today.

P: Thanks Roberta.

I: And I’ve been speaking with Ally from Media Access Australia, and Media Access Australia are supporters of this program.