Over thirty years ago, WGBH, Boston's public broadcasting station, revolutionized television and video for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing by providing program dialogue as text or "captions" on the lower third of the television screen.

WGBH then worked to develop a technological tool to enable people who are blind or visually impaired access to visual images. The result was the introduction of Descriptive Video Service® or DVS® in 1990. DVS provides narrated descriptions of key visual elements during pauses in the soundtrack of a program. Together these two technologies enable thirty-six million people to fully enjoy television programming independently.

Building on its past success in pioneering access solutions, in 1992 WGBH began researching captioning and description in movie theaters to enable independent access to films. WGBH successfully developed two innovative technologies that make it possible to provide closed captions and descriptive narration for deaf and blind patrons, without the need for special prints or screenings or altering the experience for the general audience. Collectively these systems are known as Motion Picture Access or MoPix.

The patented Rear Window® Captioning System displays reversed captions on a light-emitting diode (LED) text display which is mounted in the rear of a theater. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons use transparent acrylic panels attached to their seats to reflect the captions so that they appear superimposed on the movie screen. The reflective panels are portable and adjustable, enabling the caption user to sit anywhere in the theater. The Rear Window System was co-developed by WGBH and Rufus Butler Seder of Boston, Mass.

DVS Theatrical® delivers descriptive narration via infrared or FM listening systems, enabling blind and visually impaired moviegoers to hear the descriptive narration on headsets without disturbing other audience members. The descriptions provide narrated information about key visual elements such as actions, settings, and scene changes, making movies more meaningful to people with vision loss. These technologies have been available in specialty theaters--such as large format movie theaters and theme parks--for several years.


The following theatres offer the MoPix Caption Service:

Squire

Bounty Hunter
Friday, March 19 - 4:40pm, 7:10pm, 9:40pm
Saturday, March 20 - 11:40am, 2:10pm, 4:40pm, 7:10pm, 9:40pm
Sunday, March 21 - 11:40am, 2:10pm, 4:40pm, 7:10pm
Monday, March 22 - Thursday, March 25 - 4:50pm, 7:50pm

Chelsea

Shutter Island
Friday, March 19 - 11:10am, 2:15pm, 5:45pm, 9:00pm, 12:10am
Saturday, March 20 - 11:10am, 2:15pm, 5:45pm, 9:00pm, 12:10am
Sunday, March 21 - 11:10am, 2:15pm, 5:45pm, 9:00pm
Monday, March 22 - 11:10am, 2:15pm, 5:45pm, 9:00pm
Tuesday, March 23 - 11:10am, 2:15pm, 5:45pm, 9:00pm
Wednesday, March 24 - 11:10am, 2:15pm, 5:45pm, 9:00pm
Thursday, March 25 - 11:10am, 2:15pm, 5:45pm, 9:00pm

New City

Brooklyn's Finest
Friday, March 19 - 4:00pm, 9:30pm
Saturday, March 20 - 4:00pm, 9:30pm
Sunday, March 21 - 4:00pm
Monday, March 22 - 4:00pm


Shutter Island
Friday, March 19 - 6:50pm
Saturday, March 20 - 1:00pm, 6:50pm
Sunday, March 21 - 1:00pm, 6:50pm
Monday, March 22 - Thursday, March 25 - 6:50pm

Parsippany

Our Family Wedding
Friday, March 19 - Saturday, March 20 - 1:20pm, 4:20pm, 7:20pm, 9:40pm
Sunday, March 21 - 11:50am, 2:10pm, 4:30pm, 6:50pm, 9:10pm
Monday, March 22 - Thursday, March 25 - 2:10pm, 4:30pm, 6:50pm, 9:10pm

Succasunna

Repo Man
Friday, March 19 - 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Saturday, March 20 - 12:10pm, 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Sunday, March 21 - 12:10pm, 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm
Monday, March 22 - 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm
Tuesday, March 23 - 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Wednesday, March 24 - Thursday, March 25 - 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm

Mansfield

Remember Me
Friday, March 19 - 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:10pm
Saturday, March 20 - 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:10pm
Sunday, March 21 - 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm
Monday, March 22 - Thursday, March 25 - 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm

Kinnelon

Bounty Hunter
Friday, March 19 - 2:15pm, 4:45pm, 7:15pm, 9:45pm
Saturday, March 20 - 11:45am, 2:15pm, 4:45pm, 7:15pm, 9:45pm
Sunday, March 21 - 11:45am, 2:15pm, 4:45pm, 7:15pm
Monday, March 22 - Thursday, March 25 - 2:15pm, 4:45pm, 7:15pm

Middlebrook

Remember Me
Friday, March 19 - 2:10pm, 4:40pm, 7:15pm, 9:45pm
Saturday, March 20 - 1:30pm, 4:00pm, 6:40pm, 9:15pm
Sunday, March 21 - 1:30pm, 4:00pm, 6:40pm
Monday, March 22 - Thursday, March 25 - 2:10pm, 4:40pm, 7:15pm

Headquarters 10

Green Zone
Friday, March 19 - 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Saturday, March 20 - 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Sunday, March 21 - 12:00pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:40pm
Monday, March 22 - 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:40pm
Tuesday, March 23 - 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Wednesday, March 24 - Thursday, March 25 - 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:40pm

South Orange 5

Lightning Thief
Friday, March 19 - 4:00pm, 7:00pm, 9:45pm
Saturday, March 20 - 1:00pm, 4:00pm, 7:00pm, 9:45pm

Sunday, March 21 - 1:00pm, 4:00pm, 7:00pm
Monday, March 22 - 4:30pm, 7:00pm
Tuesday, March 23 - Thursday, March 25 - 4:30pm, 7:00pm