Deaf film director can finally hear his films

Deaf film director can finally hear the soundtracks to his films - latimes.com

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he first thing you notice about the short film is that you never hear dialogue, only the dreamy, Daniel Lanois-type score. Instead, it's subtitled — even though the actors appear to be speaking in English.  In the opening scenes, a young woman falls on the street, and a young man approaches to help.  "What, are you deaf?" the subtitles have her saying. "I said go away."  "Actually, yeah, I am," he replies.

The music swells, but the actor and director, Austin Chapman, never heard it while making "Eleven, Eleven." The movie, which won the grand prize in Pepperdine's student film festival in 2010, was based on Chapman's experiences as a deaf person.  Two years later, the aspiring filmmaker's life changed: New hearing aids let him hear a wide range of sounds for the first time. One of the first things he did was watch "Eleven, Eleven." When it was over, the 24-year-old cried.  "It was like the first time I was kissed by a girl," he said. "Scary, but exciting at the same time."