You-Tube Gems

Many American with free time nowadays may find themselves perusing You-Tube.  Although I cannot say that this is one of my favourite sites (it can be difficult to navigate), on occassion I have found some great video clips.  The clips below are some great videos that offer striking examples of how effective and influential video can be on  the perception of disability.

 The following link is to U.S. teenager, Benjamin Snow’s brilliant short film about Hollywood’s obsession with portraying characters with a disability in a patronising and pitiful way.

Thumbs Down to Pity – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BszOnGFC9E4

Unfortunately, although this video is one of my favourites, without the video description or a friend who’s willing to tell you some of the great visuals, you might miss out on some of the clips from famous films that Benjamin uses to illustrate his point.

Next is a two-part video called ‘Talk’ from the U.K. Human Rights Commission.  It is an award-winning piece that portrays a society in which non-disabled people are a pitied minority and disabled people lead full and active lives. Jonathan Kerrigan, of BBC’s ‘Casualty’ fame, plays a business executive whose negative preconceptions of disability are dramatically shattered.  I thought it profoundly amusing and a quite striking illustration of what the world would be like in a ”role reversal.” 

Part 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZfOVNwjFU0

Part 2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9a2ZqLhuAw

It is also available on You-Tube in subtitled and signed format.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find an audio described version as yet, however it is understandable (or at least I could follow it).

I hope at some point to be able to include descriptions to go with the videos.

Showing All Sides of Yourself – Disability and Acting

Article from ‘Backtage – The Actor’s Resource’

The link above includes the responses from several Latino actors and others in the film and television business for their thoughts on the industry — from obstacles and expectations through inspirations and successes and advice. What is interesting is how much their replies mirror some of the frustrations of people with disabilities in trying to get into film and television and reminds us that we have to ‘go beyond’ to make sure we are seen as professionals capable of playing an extensive breadth of characters and not just “disability” roles.

In particular, I would like to quote Yareli Arizmendi who has been in films such as A Day Without a Mexican, Fast Food Nation, Like Water for Chocolate and was a regular on ‘24′ as Karima Naiyeer, Reza’s mother, in Season 2.

“Not only have I been discounted, but worse: not even considered for a role I know I could have filled to the nines. In its search for efficiency, the Hollywood casting system — addicted to Breakdown Services and a factorylike production schedule — is by nature one that discounts actors by ethnicity, age, abilities or disabilities, gender — in short, everything tat makes up a person’s physical image. It takes a creative, not-so-incredibly-pressed-for-time casting director and/or agent to think outside the box, to give an actor a chance to show producers/directors an angle not yet discovered by the system. As an actor, one is responsible for finding 1,001 ways of showing all sides of yourself.”