How do Deaf audiences experience suspense in film?

What happens when the tension in a film depends on a sound you cannot hear?

This project explores how Deaf British Sign Language users experience suspense in film, and what the screen industries can do to make subtitles more creative, useful and inclusive.

From the warning music in Jaws to the silence of A Quiet Place, sound often shapes how a story feels. But when subtitles miss the mood, timing or meaning of that sound, Deaf audiences can miss part of the cinematic experience.

Working with Deaf audiences, researchers, filmmakers, designers and captioning specialists, this project shows how better subtitles can help more people feel the full power of film.

Accessibility is not an add on. It is part of the story.