The great thing about being on a film set is the dark, moody atmosphere with crew scurrying around, moving cameras, lights, audio equipment and the miles upon miles of cable.  The not-so-great thing about being a low-vision person on a film set is the dark, moody atmosphere with crew scurrying…  Well, you get the idea, especially when it comes to the miles upon miles of cable.  There is a position called a cable wrangler.  I am a cable tripper.

Blind Movie Screenwriter
It’s been my life’s dream to write novels and work on film sets, both of which I have accomplished, and before the age of 30.  Ironically, the most difficult aspect of realizing my dreams was working around the fact that I’ve lived my life legally blind.  I was born this way, and there was no way around it.

When I was 12 years old, I wrote my first novel and got involved in theater.  I knew then what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  My family was skeptical because of my disability, but I was determined.

Published for the first time at age 24, I had tons of typos in my manuscript, but luckily my writing ability won my publisher over.  The same thing happened in my career in the film industry, which I essentially fell into three years ago when I was supposed to write a prequel novel for an epic historical piece, and ended up writing the screenplay for it when the original screenwriter backed out at the last minute.

Blind Movie Technology to the Rescue
I thank the Muses for the text-reading ability in Movie Magic Screenwriter, a screenwriting program which has the ability to read the screenplay to the writer, including using a different voice for each character as well as the directives.  This helped me in my limited visual capabilities to create a solid screenplay that made sense and could make a movie.

I’d have to say the biggest obstacle I’ve had to overcome is that of a dark movie set.  Unfortunately, that won’t be disappearing anytime soon, and a talking screenwriting program won’t help that.  In this case, it’s all up to helpful set production assistants who want to earn brownie points by helping the writer step over those never-ending cables!

Traveling Blind - Literally
Another issue with working in the film industry – and many other industries – is the travel part.  I have traveled across the country to film sets, to meet with producers as well as to meet with actors and writing partners.  The problem with this is the many different cities and airports I’ve had to find a way to navigate.  I’m sorry, but airports weren’t designed for blind or low-vision folks.  One thing I’ve managed to develop in my life of low vision is an excellent memory: luckily, I traverse many of the same airports in layovers in my travels, and have been able to memorize these airports so have to ask for less and less help.  Even so, the staff in airports is usually very willing to help me locate the various areas I need to be: i.e. baggage claim, gates, etc.

I remember the first film set I traveled to in 2007, which was in St. Augustine, Fla., at the Castillo de San Marcos, a fort built by the Spanish in 1672, and a very dark location during our overnight film shoots.  I’m completely embarrassed to admit this, but as I was walking across the drawbridge into the interior courtyard, it was so dark, I got lost and took a wrong turn, ending up in the old jail cell area – very creepy, might I add – rather than the makeup room where I was trying to go.  Being a low vision person, this is common practice for me and frankly, it sucks!  But, ultimately I found my way and managed to save a bit of dignity.

Blind Movie Director
In the ensuing years, I’ve not only become a screenwriter, but also a film director, working at present on a feature film here in Denver, Colo., called Self Portrait, which I co-wrote.  It’s sometimes difficult, as a director’s job is not only to make words come to life in the actors, but also to bring images to life.  I’ve had to find those that I trust to use as my second set of eyes to double-check my vision – literally and figuratively – to make the best film possible.

I’ve worked with some amazing actors and some amazing people, meeting heroes in the process, such as Joel Schumacher, who inspired me to direct at the age of 15 with his film Flatliners, and who now has some of my books in his personal library, and actor Christian Boeving – who starred in Batman & Robin, Kingdom of Heaven and Daredevil – who is a very dear friend of mine, and also a writing partner.

Regardless of how difficult my visual issues have made my life, I’m deeply grateful for them.  My inability to see the world around me in crystal clear clarity has allotted me crystal clear clarity into the human condition and soul, allowing me to make a living with my greatest passion: writing.  I write from the heart, not from the visual world.  Sometimes a disability can actually be a super ability, allowing us to see what those who can see never will.