While there are only a view shows that I watch on a regular basis, I am exposed to a number of other shows that my children and husband watch. I finally settled on "Everybody Hates Chris". I missed the beginning credits of the show so as I watched it on mute, I had no idea there was narration to explain the story. I watched a wife come home and appear to be unhappy about a situation in which she talked to her husband about. Her face showed anger and frustration and her hair looked like she was in a wind storm. Her husband appeared to not want to engage with her as he rolled his eyes and pretended to sleep. Later on she calls her children into the room while continuing to appear upset. The children entered the room with their shoulders down and the looks on their faces made me believe they were in trouble for something. The show then flashed to a school scene in which two middle school children were competing for school president. At first, I believed the first boy would win as the audience was smiling and clapping while nodding their heads. The second boy appeared to be nervous as another classmate smiles at him and pats him on the back. The first candidate then appeared to be a bully as he hit the second candidate in the head as he walked off the stage. I witnessed his confidence build in his speech as his body language went from reserved to comfortable and his arm movements increased. The audience was whispering to each other then moved into clapping with enthusiasm and laughing. The second candidate won and the teachers cheered while the first candidate slumped in his seat.
After watching the show with the volume on, my assumptions were correct with a mother and father role and two children. I found the narration helpful as it explained the backstory and I was unaware of this venue of communication while I watched it on mute. I did learn that the second candidate was also the third child of the family. I was utterly moved by his speech and how he connected with the other students on a person level by talking about things that affected all of them and how he wanted to make a change for the student community instead of a select few. I wanted to vote for him!
I actually enjoyed the show and the comedic theme behind growing up in a diverse neighborhood. I would have liked to watched additional shows and saddened that I missed the run. I do believe that I would have had a deeper insight into the show if I were familiar with the story line prior to watching on mute. I also believe that I would have watched the show on mute as closely as I did if I had known the characters. I struggled with just watching their body language and attempted to lip read most of the story. I wanted to know what they were saying!
I was not familiar with the show you described, yet I was able to learn a lot about the communication styles and plot based on your detailed review of what you watched without dialogue. I thought it was interesting that you were trying to lip read to get more information on what you were watching. It seems this would be a natural response for people who are used to relying on spoken dialogue for many communication cues—I also had to consciously try to avoid lip reading for the show I watched. Not only did this exercise help us to hone in on nonverbal cues, it also gave a brief glimpse of context for folks who are hearing-impaired, if only for a few minutes. -Susan
ReplyDeleteI struggled with trying to watch the body language as well. I could make out many words at time that the characters were saying. I have heard of the show you watched, but have never seen it. I think that the power of body language is powerful in explaining part of the story. However, since we rely on hearing so much, it is a great way to get way to get an insight on how someone who is hearing impaired perceive and try to rely on other cues to understand a scene of a show or real life conversation.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this show and I agree if someone were to watch it with no sound they would have no idea their was a talker while things were going on. It is a funny show but if you cant hear it, it probably is harder to understand what is happening.
ReplyDeleteArlene
ReplyDeleteI am not familiar with this show, I will try to watch it. When watching a show without sound, it is difficult for me to guess at the details of the story when I only have the character's body language. Although I have experience in reading body language and facial expressions due to my limited English skills, I also rely on sound to understand the story.