Project Goal: To create a video series to teach children and young adults who are deaf about the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Organization: The National Catholic Office of the Deaf (NCOD) wished to produce a videos series for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Strengthened in Faith: Confirmation is a program consisting of a video with lesson plans to assist in preparing individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. For many individuals who are deaf, American Sign Language is the language used to communicate and learn. The lessons in the video are in American Sign Language (ASL), voiced in English, and open captioned to meet the needs of a variety of deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Storytelling in ASL is a vital aspect of the Deaf experience. Thus, in this DVD, lessons include the dramatic telling of a saint’s story, and the lessons are narrated by a deaf priest. All performers in the production are deaf. In addition, the crew included a deaf ASL consultant, coach and co-director.
CANCAN’s Participation:
- Edited scripts in English that became the videos’ captions
- Cast actors
- Designed costumes
- Organized and managed crew
- Led an ADA-compliant set with American Sign Language interpreters.
- Co-directed
- Filmed on green-screen
- Cast and managed voiceover artists
- Designed and developed the visuals for the video series
- Edited videos
- Open captioned videos — Captions are on screen at all times. At CANCAN, we are captioning experts. We are highly skilled at knowing how to pace captions and break up sentences of dialogue for readability for the Deaf and hard of hearing viewer.
Other Notes:
In the video series, there are three ways to ensure comprehension for all viewers. The deaf viewer watches the ASL, whereas the hard of hearing viewer watches the captions, and the hearing viewer, such as teachers or parents who are following along with their deaf students or children, listens to the voiceover. The NCOD video series also often uses screen cues, including: slates for questions, pause screens for reflection/discussion, homework/further study screens, and on-screen graphics to explain important concepts. We are currently working on a Spanish version of the video series.