WATCHWORD FOR AUDIENCES
Who is WatchWord for?
WatchWord is a closed captioning solution for cinemas, developed over the last 3 years in the UK. It is designed to increase choice for people who are Deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing, so they can attend any film screening, at any time, choosing which film to watch based on its title, rather than its time slot.
How does it work?
When you go to the cinema, you collect a pair of smart glasses and a handheld controller, which works like a smartphone.
When you put them on, you will see the dialogue appear through the glasses as captions. You can look at the screen and enjoy the film with captions.
On the handheld controller, you can change the size, position, colour, focus and brightness of the captions.
There is a lanyard on the controller to make it easier for you to move around the venue.
Can I wear my own glasses too?
Yes, the glasses can be worn over your own glasses, and with hearing aids or a cochlear implant processor.
You can adjust the nosepiece so that the glasses feel comfortable on your nose.
How much does it cost to use?
The glasses are free for you to use. If your cinema has WatchWord, you just need to add the glasses to your booking, either online or at a customer services at the cinema.
Which cinemas can I go to?
Click here to find out which cinemas have WatchWord. From January 2024, there are three cinema venues that are trying out the system.
From April 2024, more cinema venues will have WatchWord and when new cinemas join us, they will be added to this website.
How can I find out more?
If you would like to help us with our trials, or you have any questions, please get in touch here
What are closed captions?
Closed captions are displayed on personal devices like the smart glasses that WatchWord uses.
Many films that come to cinemas have closed captions included. When captions are included, WatchWord can broadcast them to audiences wearing the glasses, providing an ‘always-on’ captioning service.
Open captions is when films are screened with subtitles that are displayed on the screen. They are called ‘open captions’ because everyone can see them.
Cinemas already have some screenings with open captions. WatchWord closed captioning aims to increase the total number of subtitled screenings, offering more choice to D/deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people
