Ep 046: Vision Loss and Blindness on Sight Unseen
Today's guests, Karen and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy, are the co-creators of the new CW and CTV show, SIGHT UNSEEN. The series is about a homicide detective who rapidly loses her vision and has to quit the homicide force. When she leaves, she’s haunted by the cases she’s left behind and is determined to solve them with the help of her visual guide via a visual assistance app.
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In this episode, we discuss sight loss, the representation of vision loss and blindness on SIGHT UNSEEN, and what considerations had to be made when creating a television show for viewers across the entire vision spectrum.
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Music: Deppisch
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ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Karen (aka Kat) Troubetzkoy is Co-Creator, Writer, and Executive Producer of the one-hour detective thriller Sight Unseen (the CW/Bell Media/Blink49) along with her sister, Nikolijne Troubetzkoy. Partly inspired by Kat’s experiences with retinal degeneration, Sight Unseen is the sisters’ first onscreen collaboration. Previous to Sight Unseen, Kat was Consulting Producer on the UK thriller Culprits for Disney+Star and Character7, Exec Producer on Amazon’s The Lake, and Exec Producer of the long-running sci-fi drama Killjoys (SyFy/ Space). Kat was also a Consulting Producer on Orphan Black S2 (BBC America/ Space) and Co-Created, Wrote and Produced the Award-Winning comedy 18 To Life (ABC / CTV) as well as the teen drama 15 Love (FR2/ YTV) which won Gemini Awards for Best Writing and Directing. As a network executive, Kat oversaw development of the police drama Flashpoint (CTV/ CBS). Her Producing debut, the BBC miniseries Magician's House, received a BAFTA nomination and won an International Emmy.
Nikolijne (Niko) Troubetzkoy is Co-Creator, Writer, and Executive Producer of the upcoming one-hour detective thriller Sight Unseen (the CW / Blink 49 / Bell Media). Previously, Nikolijne served as Writer/Co-Executive Producer on Paramount+ and CBS Studios’ high-octane rescue drama SkyMed, writer/producer on the CSA Award-winning Transplant (NBC/Bell Media) and writer/producer of the hit procedural Departure (Global/ Peacock/Universal TV UK). Niko got her start writing for sci-fi phenomenon Orphan Black (AMC/Space) and critically-acclaimed police drama 19-2 (Bravo) as well as the out-of-the-box award-winning comedy series Call Me Fitz starring Jason Priestly. Niko has received numerous accolades for her writing including a Canadian Screen Award nomination and several Writer’s Guild Award nominations for outstanding writing in a television drama.
TAKEAWAYS
The co-creators of Sight Unseen, Kat and Niko Troubetzkoy, have personal experiences with sight loss, which influenced the development of the show.
The show aims to portray the spectrum of vision loss and challenge the traditional portrayal of blindness in the media.
The visual representation of sight loss on the show was done in-camera to create a more immediate and visceral experience for the audience.
The show also explores the impact of sight loss on crime-solving and the different ways of seeing and perceiving the world. The motivations behind living vicariously through others and the desire to connect with others while maintaining a sense of safety
The universal experience of confinement during the pandemic and the exploration of agoraphobia
The importance of accurate representation of vision loss and challenging stigmas
The challenges of filming from a character's point of view and the use of sound and visual effects to help create that experience for the audience.
REFERENCES
Instagram: Kat - @kat.troubetzkoy and Niko - @Nikolijne
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You’re Not Alone: How Stigma Hurts Everyone - Episode 036
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