person would enjoy hearing their language spoken on their film. That’s not quite the case for me. Simply because of the common approach they used with American Sign Language, the script is always originally written in English (just like how hearing people would speak it) and then is translated into ASL. Because of that, the original spirit of ASL is lost.
There’s much that’s difficult to explain, but essentially, the natural feel of ASL is not there because of the original script in English. So because of this approach, I am unable to have ever seen an ASL scene that’s loyal and true to the authenticity of the deaf characters, and for me to actually relax, enjoy and feel the characters for once.
In “Beyond Essays” I have chosen to “write” in ASL originally, have the actors get the signs directly from me, and make it work with their characters, just