11.25.2006

Description 27 - Doodlescription!

Okay, so what's this "movies for the blind" thing? I finally explain and demonstrate with help from one of the hottest bands to come out of Canada - just ask your four-year-old nephew. Don't let the kid listen in, though, unless you want him to learn some nasty language.

Take the Pledge and subscribe!
Pull the Rope and download direct!

Associated links:
AudioVision
VoicePrint Canada (our sister company, where you can hear some of our stuff)
The Canadian Government tries to explain what I do.
The BBC explains how to get it in the UK.
What the heck is SAP?
The Official Doodlebops Site
Together Forever, the best Doodlebops fansite

For video examples of described video we've done for the NFB, scroll down to the end of the listing for Description 24.

Could've put this up earlier, but I was on my holiday in Montreal, where I racked up enough audio for probably three shows. I did do most of the editing for this episode (what? there was editing?) on the VIA train when I should've been listening to my Fodor's French For Travelers on my nano. Yeah, that would've made a ton of difference. :-)

Props to The Doodlebops: Lisa J. Lennox plays pink-haired keyboard player Deedee with a voice like a bell, Chad McNamara plays Rooney the blue-dreadlocked guitar gearhead with that touch of musical theatre flair, and Jonathan Wexler plays the impetuous breakdancing drummer Moe, whose hair colour has always been a source of frustration for me (is it red? orange? red-orange? How can there be so much Doodlebop trivia, yet no one's settled on this?!). The legendary Jackie Richardson plays manager Jazzmin. You didn't get to hear John Catucci as Bus Driver Bob, which is a drag, because my favourite part is when he comes out at the end of the Get On the Bus song with "Hey! Yeah! We're gonna take a bus ride!" Frickin' hilarious. Really. Okay, so maybe you have to be there.

Anyway, on the rough DVD version I get of the show initially, when the band first performs the featured song for the episode, they sing it live on set to a very minimal backing track while doing their dancing, and it's very impressive. Now those three kids have been touring their colourful little asses off for months with their wigs and makeup and oversized fingers, so God bless them.

I've learned that when I get back to work Monday, I have to start describing this year's edition of Stars On Ice. Yes, for the first time, we describe figure skating for the vision-impaired.

So you wonder how the hell I'm gonna do that?

I'm wondering too. Stay tuned...

11.02.2006

Epilogue to the Epilogue

So I emailed our Board of Elections friend Katie with that bit from the Ohio Voter Information site linked in the previous post, and here's the reply I received:

Ok Valerie,

Please vote for the Federal Offices.
Thank you for your concern.
Also, I am sorry for the confusion!

Have a great day!

So when I got my big manila envelope for non-service people that she'd promised, I took my big ballot and only filled in the little SAT circles for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, and off it goes via courier to Jefferson. Will it also meet the fate of the Boo-Boo Box? Only time will tell...or maybe not.

But if you have been properly warned by my little tale of intrigue, and you're a U.S. person who'll be in the U.S. voting on Election Day and you happen to have a video camera, the fabulous Arthur Masters tipped me to something you may want to consider doing, a little something called Video the Vote.

Yes, here's another embedded video. I promise, no more for the rest of the year.