HOME MOVIES HARDLY SILENT:

UNLOCKING OUR DEAF FOLKLIFE FILMS

  • Home Movies Hardly Silent: Unlocking Our Deaf Folklife Films

    By Matt Malzkuhn and Ted Supalla

    • Investigates Deaf people's innate motivation to record their family lives and histories

    • Celebrates the brilliance of deaf filmmakers during the silent era of amateur filmmaking

    • Examines American Sign Language as text on film

    Published by Oxford University Press

  • This book on Deaf made home movies takes readers on a journey through the first fifty years of filmmaking (from 1925 through the 1970s), highlighting how the American Deaf community utilized silent film technology. Home movies and the visual nature of emerging cinema technology of the time afforded Deaf people the opportunity, one that went largely unrealized by others outside of their community, to capitalize on this novel technology wherein all cultural activities preserved and shared on film were naturally embedded with sign language, therefore debunking the widely held belief that these home movies are silent only because they are without sound. Home Movies Hardly Silent covers the histories, methods and analysis of a significant area of filmmaking that is understudied.

  • Foreword by Dwight Swanson

    Chapter 1: Introduction

    Chapter 2: How Amateur Filmmaking Technology Gave the Deaf Their Voice

    Chapter 3: Krauel’s Journey as Amateur Filmmaker Pioneer

    Chapter 4: On the Authenticity of Amateur Filmmaking and Deaf Folklife

    Chapter 5: Designing Ethnographic Methodology for Manifesting Deaf Voice

    Chapter 6: Fundamentals for Organizing Film Collections

    Chapter 7: Theme Based Ethnographic Analysis

    Chapter 8: Tweaking Ethnographic Paradigms and Views

    Chapter 9: Leaving a Cinematic Legacy through Sign Language

    Chapter 10: Conclusion: In the Present and Looking Ahead

  • Matt Malzkuhn is an educator and entrepreneur who has developed resources related to Deaf Culture and American Sign Language. A former faculty at Gallaudet University, he is now a research consultant for the Sign Language Research Laboratory at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

    Ted Supalla is Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University. He is the co-author of Sign Language Archaeology: Understanding Historical Roots of American Sign Language. He also produced a documentary film on a Deaf filmmaker who recorded Deaf culture from 1925 to the 1940s.

AUTHORS’ COMMENTARY ABOUT THE BOOK

On Growing Use of Home Movies In Mainstream Media

Transcript

Matt: Additionally, the release of DPN (Deaf President Now) has sparked renewed excitement and interest. Someone commented about the amount of home movie film footage included in DPN. Excellent observation! You may have noticed that documentaries or films of historical nature, before they are fictionalized, use home movie footage to authenticate the reality of the subject matter or an individual. The viewer requires this to validate the veracity of the film, leaving no doubt that the events took place.

This realization has stressed the value of home movies and that we are good stewards of this data.

On Why the Book Emphasizes the Word “Authenticity”

Transcript

Ted: We needed to find a term for the all-encompassing lives of Deaf people and that of their extensive families and friends since the term Deaf Culture insufficiently describes the lived life of the Deaf community. Hence the coining of Deaf Folk Life. Depicting the authentic daily lives of individuals has always faced a permission barrier. Home movies have overcome this as individuals willingly participated, indirectly documenting their authenticity—a perfect solution! Our focus on authenticity throughout our book underscores the reality of these individuals and their daily behavior, rather than filming a scripted or made up film.

Sharing Our Gratitude for Deaf Families

Transcript

Matt: Another factor, possibly the most important, are all the Deaf families who supported this project. Just to name a few: the Jacobs family, the Spanbauer family, Bahan family, the Supalla family, my family, and the Arellano family in addition to the families who although did not contribute specifically to this project but who have been continuously engaged with home movies, helping to grow interest.

We are grateful to you, especially your parents and families, who documented everyday moments, solely out of their personal motivations. We are grateful to these individuals as they have given us new insights into Deaf Culture and Deaf studies. We are forever indebted to them! These movies are their history; we are only providing a different perspective to understanding them. We also hope there will be increased interest and awareness of the importance of shining a spotlight on our ancestors, including their hard work and their financial investment as well. We hope you share in our recognition and gratitude.

The Importance Of CODAs To This Project

Transcript

Ted: Codas have a vested interest in these home movies and naturally want to know what to do with films rich with sign language and Deaf people, many including extended family. Engaging Codas with groups who are actively involved in the preservation of home movies will increase the amount of Deaf Folk Life movies preserved.

Matt:  Codas are a part of the Deaf community and will most likely be the ones who are in possession of the home movies, inheriting them from their parents after they pass away. As we know, most children of Deaf parents are hearing so it is critical that we reach out to these Codas, informing them of these valuable artifacts, through discussion and collaboration, to cherish them and to protect them at all costs.