34TH Anniversary Of The ADA

Today, Crip Video Productions celebrates the 34th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Many of the actors that work with Crip Video Productions, including myself, have Cerebral Palsy, and the ADA allows us to be fully accommodated on set and in daily life. In many ways, Crip Video Productions would not exist without the ADA. Today, we honor activists who are no longer with us, like Neil Jacobson and Judy Heumann, who were involved with the passage, and those who are still with us, like Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, who crawled up the steps of the Capitol in the "Capitol Crawl." Today, we are grateful for the freedom provided by the Americans With Disabilities Act and so thankful to the people who fought to have it passed! Happy Disability Pride Month! We are excited to announce that new projects and collaborations are coming from Crip Video Productions. Be sure to watch our producer Dylan Rothbein's new videos on neurodiversity and genetic disability titled "My Genetics Journey" and "Judy Singer Interview." In this video "My Genetics Journey" you will learn Dylan Rothbein’s genetics life story. In this comprehensive science and personal story video, viewers will explore the intricate genetics behind several medical conditions and phenomena. The video delves into the genetic underpinnings of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a group of connective tissue disorders caused by mutations in specific genes. The video explores the biological links between EDS, intersex conditions, and gender dysphoria. It also covers ataxia, a neurological disorder characterized by loss of coordination, often linked to genetic mutations Pernicious anemia, an autoimmune condition preventing vitamin B12 absorption, is examined through its genetic causes. The video further explains the role of genetics in fetal development with ectodermal dysplasia, highlighting how genetic material from both parents shapes the growth and development of a fetus ectoderm. Additionally, the concept of gene overexpression is discussed, illustrating how increased gene activity can lead to various biological effects. This video "Judy Singer Interview" is an interview that Dylan and I conducted with Judy Singer who is the woman that came up with the idea that sparked a movement and a new type of disability studies under “Neurodiversity”. Join me as we discuss with Judy Singer the ideals of “neurodiversity” and the scholars she single handily inspired. Please continue to support Crip Video Productions https://cripvideoproductions.blogspot.com/ Dylan Rothbein Liberty Coalition and Teatro Paraguas this ADA anniversary!

Meeting and Teaching

On February 11th my actor John Diodato from “A Stroke Of Endurance”, and I met with the professor who screened my films and had me and my actors do presentations about disability like blindness and cerebral palsy, as it relates psychology and human behavior in for in Spring 2019 and Fall 2019. During the meeting we planned future screenings for Spring 2020 and the professor shared feedback her students wrote to me and John saying that their perceptions of disabilities changed. The students said they realized how independent disabled people can be and appreciated and admired our ability to talk about disability openly and honestly. One person even said they had never met a person with CP who could talk verbally before meeting me. They loved how my actor John approached life in general. 

On March 5th 2020 I was invited to show "Drama Sighted" as a teaching tool to talk with early childhood educators about the importance of privacy and consent for disabled students. I spoke about hidden and invisible disabilities in particular, like the eye condition Juvenile Macular Degeneration(sometimes called Stargardts) which the blind character Lisa has in "Drama Sighted" and about how chronic illnesses can also be invisible. The student teachers responded well and even allowed me to see how they write lesson plans for their future kindergarten students. 

More screenings are planned for the rest of March and April 2020! 

I have full permission to write this post from everyone involved. 

Screenings October 2019

Possible Spoiler Alert for “Drama Sighted”! 

On October 17th 2019, I(Margot) privately screened our first film “Drama Sighted” to teach about education and accommodations for disabled students like we did in April 2019. https://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/184588551231/spring-2019-screenings  During the Q&A, we discussed Individual Education Programs(IEPs), bullying and Invisible Disability. One student commented that she noticed the main character named Brandon internalized anger from being bullied and became angry himself, and angry at himself when in reality, it was not Brandon’s fault. Another student commented that people with disabilities wanted to be “noticed” and not have their disability ignored, and guessed that Brandon had his Cerebral Palsy ignored in the past before meeting Lisa. One person noticed how the female students at the beginning of the film liked Brandon at first but then turned on him. They thought the girls, Tina and Maggie, turning on Brandon was a very realistic depiction of bullying. Some people were inspired to share about their own disability experiences with things like ADHD, diabetes, and injuries, and some students shared stories about meeting deaf and intellectually disabled people who they thought had not been disabled at all at initially. We got into the topic of sensory overload and speech impairment in some disabled students. We discussed safety for disabled students in emergency situations in school environments and how teachers should never attempt to diagnose students on their own. 

On October 23rd, myself(Margot) and 2 actors from our films “A Stroke Of Endurance” http://cripvideoproductions.com/astrokeofendurance.php  and “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” http://cripvideoproductions.com/limpallowed.php spoke to a class of students about the 2 films to teach about disability as it relates psychology and human behavior. I was thrilled that the instructor wanted perspectives from multiple people with all different disabilities. We discussed Cerebral Palsy, bullying, blindness, diabetes, education, and mental health. One student was a mother to a disabled child and asked about the differences between being born with a disability and acquiring a disability later. One woman was newly disabled and was so touched by our stories that she cried while sharing her own story. This student asked to be part of Crip Video Productions future work. 

Today(October 24) One actor from our film “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” and I(Margot) did another screening presentation today where we discussed, Invisible Disability, Cerebral Palsy, IEPs(Individual Education Plans) bullying, and physical therapy. We made it clear that disability is NOT worse than death, or a tragedy, and grieving a disability is NOT like grieving a death. One person asked how IEPs could be improved. One person asked how physical therapy can be improved. One person commented that they wished the presentation and Q&A had been recorded. We are thrilled to impact hearts and minds in a positive way.

Please use our website contact page to get in touch, if you want to use the Crip Video Productions films as a teaching tool. 

Super Special thanks to the Professor(s) and students for inviting us!!! We have full permission to write this post from everyone involved.    

"A Stroke Of Endurance" upload anniversary archive

This is a special archived post from November 21 2018.

“A Stroke Of Endurance” upload anniversary

Please note! This blog post contains major spoilers for all 4 Crip Video Productions films. Please go to the “films” tab on our official website or simply scroll down to earlier posts to watch the films before reading this post!

Today is the anniversary of when “A Stroke Of Endurance” http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/167756665756/a-stroke-of-endurance-a-film-by-margot-cole-the  was uploaded. “A Stroke Of Endurance” has really come a long way in 1 year. As of this post “A Stroke Of Endurance” has 1,713 views and 13 likes on youtube(plus about 432 views and 5 likes on the open captioned version which is a separate video) In response to “A Stroke Of Endurance” many,many people asked me why I created Crip Video Productions. This writing is about my inspirations behind creating Crip Video Productions. 

Meeting my disabled friends and mentors inspired me in many ways. For the first time, I became interested in the lives of other people with disabilities. I originally wanted to write plays about my experience of being a disabled person. I heard about a playwriting contest in Bay Ridge Brooklyn called “A Playwright Grows in Brooklyn” when my mom took me to see one of their performances. Thomas Kane, the artistic director, suggested   that I write a play for the contest. I wasn’t even sure if I could write a play. My mom, who is also a playwright, promised to help me write the play. I decided to base the play called “Drama Sighted” on a little of myself plus other people I knew, creating a fictional story. I ended up winning the contest which was a huge surprise.  The prize for winning the contest was that BrooklynOne performed the 5 winning plays and the kids who wrote the plays would help direct the performance! I went to the little rehearsals of the winning plays every week before the performance. I quickly realized that directing was not easy. I had to teach an able bodied boy playing my Brandon character how to walk with crutches. My play was performed twice. I got my own “writer bio” in the playbill. That was very exciting. I felt like I was a real theater professional for the first time. As I watched my play both times on stage, I listened to see how the other people watching were reacting. Everyone,especially my mom, seemed to love it. One woman said my play was the best of the 5 plays being performed. During the second performance, a person I knew who also had CP came to see it. I didnʼt really think she would like it because she sees flaws in everything but she really enjoyed the play. All the winners were given these special award cerificates from the city council after the last performance with our names on them. The experience of winning the contest was a wonderful time in my life that I will always remember.

A few months after that another friend of mine with CP(who saw “Drama Sighted” performed as a play at BrooklynOne) told me to join a group called “DISLABELEDtv” which made videos about people with disabilities. One day during a meeting at a Mexican cafe with DISLABELEDtv one of the other members, Walei Sabry who is blind and has always been a fan of “Drama Sighted”, suggested I turn “Drama Sighted” into a short film. I agreed to the idea. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had to learn the process of filmmaking from scratch. As I have said many times it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I had to cast the film myself, direct it, and eventually find someone to edit the film. My friend with CP was disappointed that BrooklynOne had not casted disabled actors in “Drama Sighted” but this was simply not possible for BrooklynOne to do because the BrooklyOne cast was playing multiple roles in all five of the winning plays as an ensemble piece and the other five plays had no disabled characters and no disabled actors were part of that theater at the time. Regardless I was determined to cast disabled actors. I found an editor named Rich. The person who Lisa was roughly based on was kind enough to describe her blind spot to me so that Rich and I could make a special effect that looked like a real blind spot. Thomas unfortunately died before we finished editing “Drama Sighted”. “Drama Sighted” was uploaded to youtube on October 12 2011. Drama Sighted still gets positive feedback to this day! “Drama Sighted” has 2,315 views and 7 likes.

After that DISLABELED told me to make a special trailer for Drama Sighted to be shown at their first film screening in 2012 with their brand new name DISLABELED Film Series. Once DISLABELEDtv changed their name to DISLABELED Film Series and decided to screen other people’s work instead of making their own films and media I had to branch out on my own with the name Crip Video Productions as soon as I had decided to go ahead and make “Only Those Who Limp Allowed”. “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” was roughly inspired by 2 people I knew who told me over the phone they each needed roommates but never wanted to be roommates with each other. In the plot of “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” and for a little bit of the plot in “Crips Not Creeps” I wanted to show the characters Nellie and Randy in a romantic relationship without objectifying the characters because I often saw disabled characters written as asexual or in a hypersexualized way and found both options extremely objectifying so I focused more on the relationship and how disability may or may not affect their interaction with each other. I decided to make this blog and, much later on, my official website, to keep all news and events related to Crip Video Productions in one central easy-to-access place. I had to take on a lot more responsibility with “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” compared to “Drama Sighted” like learning how to manage scheduling. I had to find my own voice a lot more with “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” has 9,731 views. 

Then I decided to make “Crips Not Creeps”. http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/109840448686/crips-not-creeps-enhanced-visual-quality-version  I started developing “Crips Not Creeps” just days after I uploaded “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” I knew I wanted to write a fictional mystery plot. I wanted to explore the idea of morals. I wanted to try to have the disability be part of the plot without the disability being the main point of the plot. Frank is a guy who has let his pride and jealously towards Brandon turn him evil. He is smart in a manipulative way and stops at nothing to get what he wants. He feels that his position in the world of disabled performers is threatened by Brandon’s presence. Before Brandon came along Frank would get a lot of attention and had a reputation for being a great actor. Now Frank and Brandon and often compete for similar roles in stage plays. Frank knows that Brandon is more talented than he is, so he feels he has to go to drastic measures to get Brandon out of the way. I wanted it to be clear in this film that Frank is NOT jealous of Brandon over physical abilities. Frank is not bitter over being disabled. Frank just has an intense fear of being replaced. I absolutely hate being falsely accused so I wanted to explore the idea of what would happened to Brandon if he was falsely accused by his able bodied ex girlfriend due to a misunderstanding. “Crips Not Creeps” involved a lot more planning in regards to locations and visuals. I was honored to work with all of the cast and crew. “Crips Not Creeps” quickly became the fan favorite in 2015 before “A Stroke Of Endurance” was released and replaced it as fan favorite.  

Since “Crips Not Creeps” has been uploaded, my films have been getting a lot of attention in the form of good feedback,interviews, reviews,http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/167846364446/autistichistorymonth-astrokeofendurance  and successful screenings in  Santa Fe New Mexico,Kingsborough Community College and various outreach events. We did outreach for the Russian-American disability advocacy group where my words about the film “Crips Not Creeps” and my mission were translated to Russian and the film clips were played in English. http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/131307985176/charity-event-and-self-advocacy

October 2015 was Crip Video Productions film outreach month essentially because we did one outreach after the other. The 2015 and 2018 New Mexico screenings were special bittersweet experiences because I got to see some very old friends who I have not seen in years. I would advise anyone reading this not to take anyone they love in their life for granted. In terms of impact, I was able to teach an able bodied girl that CP comes in many forms, not just the most severe forms commonly seen in media and teach her about visual impairments. Like I mentioned in the previous posts I met someone who injured himself in such a way that it caused his body to tense up tremendously. His alignment was actually a lot like a person with CP after this happened. He ended up asking me about my physical therapy experiences after seeing my films and I hope I was able to assist him in this area. Like many people I know, he found physical therapy to be incredibly boring. This person was able to look at the films and be encouraged in his road to recovery. Hopefully his bout with spasticity will not be permanent, but even if he has continued muscle issues he knows tight muscles and loss of some balancing ability is not the end of the world. Life goes on either way. I think something people have to remember is unlike a person with CP like myself, who are born with a disability, people who become disabled later in life need to adapt to the new disability and may need that extra encouragement that some other disabled people don’t want or find patronizing. 

I happened to do an educational talk about Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Cerebral Palsy http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/130787737671/brain-injury-presentation  where I met people with types of brain damage that I had never even heard of before, such as brain damage that affects sleep patterns and sensory processing. These types of brain damage are almost completely invisible. I see from meeting these people that these types of brain injury are a night and day difference from my own. These people had to adjust to doing things differently which was emotionally difficult because the disabilities happened instantly but they accepted it as just part of life just as the characters in the films do. 

I got to meet people with conditions that I hardly understood like diabetes and epilepsy. For whatever reason these people felt that they could share the details of their conditions with me after seeing the films. The person with diabetes told me what low blood sugar episodes felt like. The person with epilepsy told me what a seizure felt like. I’m honored that these people were affected by the films in such a way where they would trust me without even really knowing me. It was a very brave thing for them to do. I also got a message online from somebody all the way in Italy who saw Crips Not Creeps. I don’t know how this person got around the language barrier since my films are only available in english on youtube at the moment(we would love to translate the films to other languages in the future perhaps,) but it sounded like he was somehow able to read the open captions in english or translate the open captions to Italian on his own judging from his comments. He said he appreciated my work since he had been disabled through polio. I have been contacted multiple times by both disabled and able bodied film students for advice. One of our actors, Dustin Jones, who plays Frank in “Crips Not Creeps” has also gotten a lot of attention when he appeared in various TV ads after the films release.  I have built connections through the films that I never knew were even possible! A Sociology professor even offered to show my films to her classes as a teaching tool in 2016. A Biology professor asked permission to use the films as part of his lessons in 2017 and 2018.

For “A Stroke Of Endurance”, it was roughly based on my experience with my Professor who had a stroke in November 2015. When I first met him I could immediately see he was very kind,generous, and very smart,and not just book smart. He could understand people very well and had good instincts. He was very expressive with his body language when teaching and had a vast knowledge of many subjects. On the first day of class after the other students left, he asked “You have Cerebral Palsy?” in one of the most honest ways I had ever heard. His curiosity was refreshing. Weeks later he had a stroke. When he returned to class told me he had the stroke on campus and was rushed to the hospital near the college. “I don’t even live here!” he exclaimed. 

On his second day back to class after the stroke he had a bad dizzy spell. He had signed an accommodation form for somebody then looked up at the ceiling with his mouth open in a weird expression, panting in distress, as his eyeballs rolled up and back and then side to side. His eye drifted down towards me at one point so I looked away to save him any embarrassment and stop me from panicking. When I looked back he had his head turned away with his hand over his closed eyes. “How are you?” he said to the class. “Good. How are you?” I said. “I’m a little dizzy” he replied. “Oh! Do you need help or anything?” I asked worried. “No” he said smiling as he turned off the classroom computer. He looked fine for the rest of the semester and said he guessed he had gotten dizzy because he was tired. 

Through my experiences in making “A Stroke of Endurance”. I realized that I knew things about life because of the CP that could be valuable to others. 

Some of the emotion behind "A Stroke Of Endurance” was also inspired by when one of my friends had a bad health scare with complications that could have killed her caused by a different type of blood clotting issue. I said some bad things to her face a week before she had the health scare and because I was young I exaggerated things like the Ava character did about Professor Ben’s stroke. Ava’s anxieties are highly, highly exaggerated versions of my own anxieties. So it’s the most emotional film. With “A Stroke Of Endurance” I wanted to show disability comes with both good and bad, because I felt certain movies only put emphasis on the bad aspects of disability. Putting emphasis on only the bad aspects of disability turns disabled characters into one dimensional stereotypes that are plot devices, because they focus on an external surface of a character the character has no control over. Since I kept seeing mass produced movies about disabled characters who wanted to die shortly after becoming newly disabled I wanted to make a film about a newly disabled person who wanted to live, not to die. My Professor had this vibrancy where he would embrace life head on. He did not let fear control him. If I could re create even just a small piece of that spark, the bright light I saw in him, I knew I would create something wonderful.  I wanted people who were new to the experience of life with a disability to know that they can come to us who have lived with disability from birth or childhood for support. “A Stroke Of Endurance” was the first time I attempted to act in a lead role. Up until that point I had only played secondary characters so I did my best to use all of the skills I learned from my acting mentors to bring Ava to life. 

During the writing process in 2016 I spoke to a lovely lady who had a stroke for an hour with her full permission as research to add to the realism of Professor Ben’s stroke and physical and emotional recovery. I’m forever grateful for her insights and generosity!

During the production one creative experiment I wanted to try was to see if I could make a disabled actor appear able bodied for a scene that takes place before Professor Ben becomes disabled from his stroke. I really wanted a disabled actor to play Professor Ben and I needed to show Professor Ben before he has the stroke for the story to make sense. When we shot the film the actor Tim Snoha simply stood behind a desk in such a way that his Cerebral Palsy was not visible. Later on at the shoot, Tim Snoha suggested a shot in which we see the students looking down at Professor Ben from his point of view that he filmed with his iphone while sitting on the floor. I wanted to show that while Ava was the main character, it was really Professor Ben who was experiencing the stroke directly. Ava is only an observer of Professor Ben’s experiences. Tim’s suggestion was an extension of my storytelling idea. I already had the scene where Professor Ben sees the ceiling spinning from his point of view in the script, so Tim’s idea made perfect sense. To improve the audio we had the dialogue as a separate audio layer recorded with a small recording device separate from the camera.

Through making this film, I was reminded that God gave me Cerebral Palsy and writing talents so I can help others with my films. It is my hope that my current and future work can let people know that disabled people have lives that are highly valuable. 

Once the film was released I heard from stroke survivors who said they thought the film was very accurate to their experiences. One stroke survivor loved how the Professor Ben character mentioned the stroke itself was not physically painful at all.  One person whose mother had a stroke told me they finally understood stroke from the stroke survivors perspective because of the film.  They were used to seeing films about stroke only from the caretaker perspective, not the perspective of the person with the stroke. Another caregiver to a person with a very massive stroke that caused the stroke survivor to need a ventilator also connected with the film a lot. I heard from someone in the Netherlands who loved the film and said their father-in-law had a stroke. I had comments from people saying they connected with Ava’s love of Biology. A nurse found the film helpful to her medical training. A woman in India told me she prefered my American film style to the Hindi Bollywood movies produced in India. A woman who survived a brain cyst causing a stroke told me her entire survival story after seeing the film. I had screenings for colleges where I introduced the film and we had a Q&A. Tim said he approached Professor Ben’s character as “How would it feel to not be sure if you can communicate as well as you used to and do your job, because the professor loves to teach.” and used his Cerebral Palsy as a reference. On May 10th 2018, I did a small private screening for a writing class. http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/173896946731/image-description-group-of-good-looking-college  We discussed the theme of empathy in the film. Part of the discussion was also about the effects of trauma and I was able to bring up how the effects of the physical trauma to the brain in Cerebral Palsy and Stroke led to certain symptoms. One student in that class asked how long it took to make the film. Many of the actors from “A Stroke Of Endurance” were inspired by the process of making the film to continue acting and were accepted into acting classes and other film based projects. 

In August 2018 Crip Video Productions finally managed to release audio described versions of all of our films. I knew what audio description was in 2009 even before Crip Video Productions was made but providing audio description proved more difficult than we imagined. http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/155491546901/learning-to-audio-describe-film  After multiple failed attempts at trying to edit audio description directly into all of the films from scratch that were ruined by hard drive failures on my end, we finally discovered the free service “YouDescribe” provided by youtube. http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/177003288296/a-stroke-of-endurance-audio-described

I hope to keep making more films and inspiring others creatively in the future.

Crip Video Productions films audio described!

This is an archived post from August 2018:

https://youdescribe.org/video/KIZProYn7R4?ad=5b730bb0e6cc7f461fb09d43

http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/177003288296/a-stroke-of-endurance-audio-described 

“A Stroke Of Endurance” audio described by Tucker Salovaara 

Synopsis: A film about friendship, faith, and endurance. The story, written and directed by filmmaker, Margot Cole, is about how a college student named Ava, who has Cerebral Palsy and her classmates must deal with varying forms of fall-out when mid-semester, their professor has a stroke that leaves him disabled. 

Starring (in order of appearance)

Margot Cole as Ava

Jorgiana Cole as Ava’s Mom

Syndia Batise as Disabled Student 1

Emma Lemanski as Disabled Student 2

Betty Lewin as Professor 1

David Salsbery Fry as Professor 2

Jill Marrello as Academic Advisor

Tim Snoha as Professor Ben

Mark Pauling as Student 1

Pedrin Villaman as Student 2

Johnny Diodato as Student 3

Krysta Williams as Student 4

Ashley Villanueva as Student 5

Izabela Ginda as Bella

Ketrina Hazell as Alice

Written and Directed by Margot Cole

Story editing by Jorgiana Cole

Casting by Margot Cole

Cinematography by Jorgiana Cole. Additional Cinematography by Tim Snoha, Johnny Diodato, Krysta Williams

Music composed by Walei Sabry

Special thanks to

Kingsborough Community College

Lori Zucker

JoJo Tarnoff 

Super special thanks to Jorgiana Cole 

This film is audio described for blind and low vision viewers. Crip Video Productions is offering audio description on our films for the very first time. Crip Video Productions apologizes for taking this long to provide audio described versions to our blind/visually impaired/low vision fan base. We attempted to add audio description to the films multiple times http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/155491546901/learning-to-audio-describe-film    https://plus.google.com/103662816758572885430/posts/QYAUkTfeQQv  Unfortunately the pervious attempts failed due to technical difficulties on my end. Luckily Tucker Salovaara who acted in our film “Crips Not Creeps” was kind enough to use a service called “You Describe” to audio describe the films for us. Special thanks to Tucker! If anyone reading this would like to use the audio described versions for screenings please contact us using our contact page http://cripvideoproductions.com/contact.php our main email cripvideoproductions@yahoo.com or our screenings email screenings@cripvideoproductions.com for instructions and details. 

©2017 Margot Cole  

https://youdescribe.org/video/KLl1NzexjP8?ad=5b71c97f7c83643ee058a9b4 

http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/177002764186/crips-not-creeps-audio-described

“Crips Not Creeps” audio described by Tucker Salovaara 

Synopsis: A few months after the events of “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” Brandon and Randy (who both have Cerebral Palsy) are still living together and things are going well, until Brandon gets accused of stalking his ex girlfriend Madison and must prove he is innocent before he loses Randy’s trust and possibly everything else he has ever worked for.

This film is audio described for blind and low vision viewers. Please note that the use of the word “Crip” (which is a shortened version of the word cripple that people in the disability community use as a slang term to refer to physically disabled individuals) is not meant as an offense to anyone who is physically disabled (such as the characters in these films) or mentally disabled, or otherwise. All of the characters in the film who are disabled are portrayed by actors who are disabled in real life. We have full legal permission to use all of the locations seen in the full film. This film has cursing in it and may not be suitable for very young children.

Crip Video Productions is offering audio description on our films for the very first time. Crip Video Productions apologizes for taking this long to provide audio described versions to our blind/visually impaired/low vision fan base. We attempted to add audio description to the films multiple times http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/155491546901/learning-to-audio-describe-film 

https://plus.google.com/103662816758572885430/posts/QYAUkTfeQQv  Unfortunately the pervious attempts failed due to technical difficulties on my end. Luckily Tucker Salovaara who acted in our film “Crips Not Creeps” was kind enough to use a service called “You Describe” to audio describe all of the films for us. Special thanks to Tucker! If anyone reading this would like to use the audio described versions for screenings please contact us using our contact page http://cripvideoproductions.com/contact.php our main email cripvideoproductions@yahoo.com or our screenings email screenings@cripvideoproductions.com for instructions and details. 

A Crip Video Production. “Crips Not Creeps” is the sole property of Margot Cole/Crip Video Productions.

https://youdescribe.org/video/zmE3aeMd1yc?ad=5b72fbc17c83643ee058a9d4 

http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/177002446116/only-those-who-limp-allowed-audio-described 

“Only Those Who Limp Allowed” audio described by Tucker Salovaara 

Synopsis: The sequel to “Drama Sighted”. Brandon, now 23, is adjusting to life with a roommate named Randy who also has Cerebral Palsy after breaking up with his girlfriend. Randy sets Brandon up on a blind date in an effort to help him move on. Tensions arise as conflicting thoughts on disability, dating, and identity are brought into the open.

Please note: This film is audio described for blind and low vision viewers. The use of the words “Gimp”, “Cripple”, and “Crip” (which is a shortened version of the word cripple that people in the disability community use to as a slang term to refer to the physically disabled such as the characters in these films) is not meant as an offense to anyone physically or mentally disabled, or associated with these films or otherwise. All of the characters in the film are portrayed by actors who are disabled in real life. This film is for educational and entertainment purposes only. We sincerely apologize for any camera shaking which may make it difficult for those prone to dizziness/vertigo or certain types of seizures to watch the film. 

Crip Video Productions is offering audio description on our films for the very first time. Crip Video Productions apologizes for taking this long to provide audio described versions to our blind/visually impaired/low vision fanbase. We attempted to add audio description to the films multiple times http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/155491546901/learning-to-audio-describe-film     https://plus.google.com/103662816758572885430/posts/QYAUkTfeQQv  Unfortunately the pervious attempts failed due to technical difficulties on my end. Luckily Tucker Salovaara who acted in our film “Crips Not Creeps” was kind enough to use a service called “You Describe” to audio describe the films for us. Special thanks to Tucker! If anyone reading this would like to use the audio described versions for screenings please contact us using our contact page http://cripvideoproductions.com/contact.php our main email cripvideoproductions@yahoo.com or our screenings email screenings@cripvideoproductions.com for instructions and details. 

https://youdescribe.org/video/WvxTwlzEAYk?ad=5b719fd25673f74614a1e3c6


http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/176961547671/drama-sighted-audio-described  

“Drama Sighted” audio described by Tucker Salovaara 

Film Synopsis: A teenage boy with Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy named Brandon learns first impressions can be deceiving when he meets a drama teacher with Juvenile Macular Degeneration(a rare form of blindness)

This film is audio described for blind viewers and open captioned for deaf viewers. The characters in the film who are disabled are portrayed by actors who are disabled in real life. We were advised by someone who has Juvenile Macular Degeneration in real life when making the special effects. The special effects are based solely on this persons’ description of their disability. “Drama Sighted” was originally a one-act play that was performed at BrooklynOne Theater’s “A Playwright Grows In Brooklyn” youth playwriting contest in 2009. “A Playwright Grows in Brooklyn” was a short one act play writing contest for teens created by artistic directors Thomas Kane (who unfortunately passed away) and Anthony Marino of BrooklynOne Theater. Then it was turned into a short film. If you watch the film on Youtube you will see a logo saying “DISLABELEDtv Productions”. DISLABELEDtv was a media organization for and by people with disabilities. All the members had some sort of disability. Their original goal was to make a TV series and other short video projects centered around disability. “Drama Sighted” was one of these projects. Since “Drama Sighted” was a collaboration you may notice some slight style differences from other Crip Video Productions films. In 2012 DISLABELEDtv became “DISLABELED Film Series” http://dislabeledfilm.wordpress.com https://www.facebook.com/DislabeledPhilly which is modeled after the screening series disTHIS. https://www.facebook.com/disthis Once DISLABELED decided that they would no longer be making videos I had to branch out on my own with my own name “Crip Video Productions” “Drama Sighted” is the sole property of Margot Cole/Crip Video Productions.

Crip Video Productions is offering audio description on our films for the very first time. Crip Video Productions apologizes for taking this long to provide audio described versions to our blind/visually impaired/low vision fan base. We attempted to add audio description to the films multiple times http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/155491546901/learning-to-audio-describe-film 

https://plus.google.com/103662816758572885430/posts/QYAUkTfeQQv Unfortunately the pervious attempts failed due to technical difficulties on my end. Luckily Tucker Salovaara who acted in our film “Crips Not Creeps” was kind enough to use a service called “You Describe” to audio described the films for us. Special thanks to Tucker! If anyone reading this would like to use the audio described versions for screenings please contact us using our contact page http://cripvideoproductions.com/contact.php our main email cripvideoproductions@yahoo.com or our screenings email screenings@cripvideoproductions.com for instructions and details. 

Spring 2015 screenings archive

These posts are archived posts from Spring 2015. Older posts on the bottom.

May 16 2015: New Mexico screening report! 

We just had our screening at Teatro Paraquas Theater in Santa Fe New Mexico less than an hour ago!!! It was a SMASHING SUCESS!!!! My friend JoJo Tarnoff from Teatro Paraguas, who I met around 2007, at what was then called “Southwest Children’s Theater” (now “Teatro Paraguas Children’s Program”) first started discussing the idea of doing a screening soon after the online release of “Only Those Who Limp Allowed”. We delayed the screening when I realized I wanted to make my 3rd film Crips Not Creeps because we decided it would be better to show all 3 films at one time. 

In February 2015, immediately after Crips Not Creeps” was uploaded we went into some serious planning stages. Luckily we were able to learn from what I had done for the Kingsborough Community College screening as inspiration for marketing and presenting. We did a little dress rehearsal the day before the screening where we figured out how to get the giant projector to work. The sound quality in the theater was great, much better than the sound quality youtube can provide. Tonight I(Margot Cole) and our music composer Walei Sabry were at the screening via Skype. We had to do the introduction and Q&A via Skype because I was not able to travel to Santa Fe in person. JoJo did a fantastic job hosting the screening. I gave a little synopsis of each film. I wish I had said more about the films. I need to improve my public speaking. Walei Sabry was able to give his 2 cents and explain our composing process where we use the software Garage Band. I usually describe the film visuals to him and give him a basic idea of what I want and then he runs with it. 

Then all 3 films were played in order. First Drama Sighted. Then Only Those Who Limp Allowed. Then Crips Not Creeps. I got to watch the entire screening via my Skype connection. I got to hear a bunch of neat audience reactions like laughs and “Aww!”s that helped me see which parts of the films resonate effectively and what parts could be improved. I don’t get that kind of feedback on my website or this blog or youtube so it was highly valuable on a multitude of levels. After each film the applause got louder and louder. As soon as the films ended Walei and I did a tiny Q&A about the films. Overall Crips Not Creeps was the audience favorite. Somebody who had seen my films online previously said my films looked much better on a big screen, particularly Rich Brotman’s edits. People were really curious about what my next film projects would be. I am sorry that I cannot give any spoilers or details on future projects on this blog as of yet. The best news came at the very end when one of the audience members wanted to set up a 2nd screening of my work at another well known popular location in Santa Fe New Mexico. The offer of another screening was beyond my wildest dreams! I am beyond thrilled at the news! Therefore if anybody from the Santa Fe New Mexico area missed this screening stay tuned to this blog and our screenings page for a 2nd opportunity to see us! Super special thanks to JoJo Tarnoff, Jeff Tarnoff and Argos MacCallum  for allowing me to have this once in a lifetime opportunity! Super special thank you to Walei Sabry for joining us and making the event even more amazing! Thank you to the audience for venturing out in the snowy weather!

Please RSVP for NM screening!

If anybody is interested in our Santa Fe New Mexico screening at Teatro Paraquas on May 16th 2015 at 6:00pm http://cripvideoproductions.com/screenings.php please be aware that we are now asking for people who want to attend to make reservations/RSVP.  PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SEAT(RSVP)!! by calling 505.424.1601 

EDIT: This screening has already happened.

May 4 2015

Crip Video Productions founder Margot Cole was interviewed by Able Pathways Media about the making of the films, our mission, and our Santa Fe New Mexico screening!

April 28 2015 screening: Kingsborough screening. 

In March of 2015 I started college. When I was taking a test in the Access-Ability office some of the people in the office took interest in the little postcards I use to advertise my films and brought up the idea of using at least 1 of the films for their “Disability Awareness Week” in April. A few weeks later I had a meeting with one of the people in the office to discuss which of my 3 films would be shown. They decided on screening “Drama Sighted” because “Drama Sighted” touches on bullying and their bullying prevention week would be happening around the same time. They also liked that “Drama Sighted” was originally filmed at Hunter College which is also a CUNY college. The plan was to have a bullying prevention group called “Enough Is Enough” at the screening for a discussion about the themes in the film. We decided that we might show 2 films if the discussion/Q&A didn’t take too long. I figured only “Drama Sighted” would be shown so I didn’t get my hopes up too high about the possibility of 2 films being shown. I was thrilled “Drama Sighted” would finally get a public screening. Up to this point only the “Drama Sighted” trailer had been shown in public in March of 2012 as part of DISLABELED Film Series. A few weeks after the meeting the college sent out the following on an email blast:

11:30-12:30pm | Location: Room V219
“Drama Sighted” a short film; to be followed by a discussion.
Student/Director Margot Cole and Enough is Enough Committee
The short film tells the story of Brandon, a teenager with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, who learns that first impressions can be deceiving when he meets a woman with juvenile macular degeneration—a rare form of blindness. Originally a one-act play that was performed at BrooklynOne Theater’s A PlaywrightGrows in Brooklyn youth playwriting contest in 2009, “Drama Sighted” is the sole property of Margot Cole (Crip Video Productions) who is currently a student at Kingsborough, and features actors who are disabled in real life.
Crip Video Productions make short independent films that increase understanding of disability through engaging characters and storytelling. The films are created by people with disabilities and are written, directed, and produced by Margot Cole in collaboration with
able-bodied people, and those with a variety of disabilities.“

When I got to the screening this morning the people I knew from the disability office we in the room setting up. I met a women in charge of “Enough Is Enough” and she said she was really excited to see “Drama Sighted”. They showed me a desk in the front of the room that looked similar to the set up I had seen on TV for panel discussions. I sat at that table as more people came in. It was quite a good turn out, especially since I didn’t know most of them and they probably had never even heard of my work before. Peter who was in charge introduced me and read my mission statement out loud. Then I was able to tell the backstory of how “Drama Sighted” came to be i.e how it used to be a play and how DISLABELEDtv helped me make it into a film. People were rather quiet as the film was being played in the projector. It was cool to see “Drama Sighted” on such a large screen. People clapped when the film ended. I’m sure I must have blushed. The women from Enough Is Enough asked the audience if any of them had ever been bullied like Brandon was. Almost every hand in the room went up. It broke my heart. I was happy that at least “Drama Sighted” was fulfilling the purpose I always hoped it would serve: To help people deal with bullying. Some people told stories of disabled friends who had been bullied. Peter picked up on my intent to show how Brandon basically bullied Lisa too. We talked about how bullying snowballs from person to person. I had the opportunity to explain what Juvenile Macular Degeneration was and the interactions that inspired Lisa’s part of the film. One guy described how some disabled people were combative towards him when he would try to help them. There was still 20 minutes left after the discussion so to my surprise we were able to show “Crips Not Creeps” as well. People loved that I inserted myself into “Crips Not Creeps” as an extra. The woman from Enough Is Enough loved that “Crips Not Creeps” depicted Brandon as advocating for myself. Enough Is Enough may add the youtube links to my films to their own website. If they do I will re blog their website here. After my screening I stayed for a Poetry and Prose reading of work written by writers with a variety of disabilities. I was thrilled that a lot of the writers had Cerebral Palsy like myself. Cerebral Palsy needs more attention in media and art. Special thanks to Kingsborough Community College for allowing me to screen my films to push the message that disabled people are just people with the same desires,hopes, and frustrations as every other human being. I am forever grateful to Kingsborough for this once in a lifetime opportunity!!  I have full permission from Kingsborough Community College to write this post! 

If anybody would like a chance to see my films screened in public check out our official screenings page

Broadway World Press

A website called “Broadway World Albuquerque” shared the information about our Santa Fe New Mexico screening. Our director/founder Margot Cole also recorded a podcast interview last night which will be released online soon. 

EDIT: This screening has already happened 

SLS 

Save Lilo & Stitch was kind enough to make us a Facebook event page for our Santa Fe New Mexico screening! Mucho Mahalo(special thanks) to Save Lilo & Stitch and Wayne Simons! Our website screenings page and the Teatro Paraguas website has been updated with all of the info for the screening. 

EDIT: This screening has already happened.

New Mexico screening press release!

For Immediate Release:
Teatro Paraquas in collaboration with Crips Video Productions, is presenting a screening of three short films on May 16th at 6:00pm at the Teatro Paraquas studio located at 3205 Calle Marie, Ste B in Santa Fe.
Crips Video Productions makes short independent films that increase understanding of disability through engaging characters and storytelling. The films are created by people with disabilities and are written, directed and produced by Margot Cole, (a former student of The Childrens Theatre and currently a student at Kingsborough College in New York).
The films being shown are: Only Those Who Limp Allowed, Crips Not Creeps, and Drama Sighted. There will be a q&a following the screening with the producer/director. Admission is by free will donation.
For more info: Teatro Paraquas http://www.teatroparaguas.org 505.424.1601 www.cripvideoproductions.com
Margot Cole cripvideoproductions@yahoo.com

PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SEAT(RSVP)!by calling 505-424-1601

EDIT: This screening has already happened

New Screenings page!

A new page has been added to the official Crip Video Productions website http://cripvideoproductions.com/screenings.php It is a page for possible public screenings of our films. 2 screening possibilities are in the works, I can’t release anything more at the moment but more announcements will come in the next few weeks. Each announcement will appear as its own tumblr post. The screenings page was built by Web Design By Wayne www.webdesignbywayne.com  a website building service by Wayne. Wayne also mentioned Crip Video Productions in his latest Save Disney Shows video blog Special thanks to Wayne!