Mashpee cameraman filmed award-winning 'CODA' movie in Gloucester (2025)

For a week in August2019, Scott Lebeda spent almost every waking moment balancing his high-tech digital camera aboard the Angela Rose —a fishing trawler in Gloucester.

With about 30 people packedaboardthe 50-foot rust-stained vessel, Lebeda and his crew filmed scenes for “CODA” – a film that won Best Picture at the94th Academy Awards in March. The motion picture centers aroundRuby Rossi – a CODA (child of a deaf adult) who helps her parents run their family’s fishing boat.

The Angela Rose remained in constant motion as Lebeda, a camera operator and member of the International Cinematographers Guild, peered into his viewfinder – sometimes for 15 hours at a time.

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“We did all the filming with handheld cameras so we had to have people that could hold on to us and help keep us steady,” said Lebeda, who lives in Mashpee. “Those boats – they’re rocking the whole time, so we just had to kind of swing with it.”

While a portion offilming was done on the water, Lebeda worked on "CODA" for three months with deaf cast members such as Marlee Matlin, Daniel Durantand Troy Kotsur.

Matlin was the first deaf actor to win an Oscar for her performance in the1986 drama "Children of a Lesser God." Kotsur earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor forhis work in "CODA," making him the second deaf actor in history to win an Academy Award.

Throughout his time with the actors, Lebeda managed to pick up some sign language skills to communicate.

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“Mostly dirty words,” he said with a laugh.

But he also worked directly with sign language interpreters who made production smoother, he said.

“Maybe halfway through filming, we learned signs for things that we needed to do,” he said. “We did three months together and I've talked to them more now through Facebook and messaging, cause there's no barrier anymore.”

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For Lebeda, filming a movie that would go on to win Academy Awardsin all three categories in which it was nominated: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur, and Best Adapted Screenplay for director Siân Heder,is a highlight of his career.

But, what became more important, was his experience with the cast and crew of "CODA," and aheightened awareness surrounding deafmembers of society.Lebeda always tries to immerse himself into the various characters and actors he is filming, but "CODA" taught him about a segment of society he hadn't paid too much attention to before.

"I don't think people understand how many deaf people actually are out in the world that you run into all the time," he said. "They could bepartially deaf, or fully deaf and you don't realize that they are there."

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Shortly after Lebeda wrapped the filming of "CODA," he was at a local playground with his son, and there was a motherwith several children. Anotherparent was trying to talk to her and was annoyed that she wasn't answering. Because of his sign language training, Lebeda recognized the mother signing to her son andknew right away what the problem was.

"I saw her sign to her little boy and I said, 'oh, she's deaf. She can't hear you,'" he said. "She had been so frustrated with her not answering. She didn't realize or take a second to think that she was deaf."

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Often, Lebeda, who grew up in New Jersey,reminisces about his time onthe Angela Rose and thinks about what it was like for deaf cast membersto hit the open sea.

"Even when we were filming, that emotion wasincredible. I could look to the back of the boat and seesome of the crew get teary eyed," he said. "I think that's why it won best picture —cause itmade people feel things."

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Cape Cod Deaf Sailing sees itself in 'CODA'

One group thatcan identify with the "CODA" plot premiseis the crew of Cape Cod Deaf Sailing.a recreational sailing business operated by deaf co-captainsand first mateswho are fluent in American Sign Language, or ASL.

For four weeks every July, the crew takes mostly deaf passengers aboardBeneteau Oceanis 45 vesselsthrough Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cuttyhunk.

Co-founders Tom Peetsand Dave Staehle are both deaf, and established the company in 2009. The duo, who met in college, found the venture as a way to share their passion for sailing with the deaf community.

Peets, a boat captain, grew up in a “keen sailing family,” he said in an email, and in his youth frequently raced in regattas as a crew trimmer. Since 1986, Peets also conducted extensive bareboat charters along the coast from Maryland to Maine.

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“Cape Cod is where my heart finds the art of sailing,” Peets said. “A passion I want to share with the Deaf world.”

Staehle, who has a formal sailing certification, also founded Deaf Sailors Club in Maryland,which ran for four years. Staehle's love ofsailing began at age 10when he was given a toy sailboat byhis father. Sailing, he said, is a way to offer new experiences to the deaf community.

“Passengers find peace at sea and consider the art and science of sailing to be meditative, reflective and an engrossing experience,” he said.

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Kathie Holzwarth, coordinator and first mate of Cape Cod Deaf Sailing, is also deafand fell in love with sailing in 2011 after taking a trip with the crew.Since then, Holzwarth spends every Friday in July for four weeksaboard two charter boats, Summer Wind and Summer Fun.

"Being out on the ocean is peaceful, passionate, phenomenal and picturesque," she said.

While Peets and Staehle love to share sailing experiences with passengers, part of their job, is to also keep passengers safe.In addition to giving safety orientations on each charter, they also use smartphone applications such asDockwa to communicate with dockmasters,as well as MyRadar, WindAlert, and PredictWind. But what’s most important, Peetssaid, is to go beyond their sense of hearing and rely on their other senses —especially sight, smell and touch.

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“One time, when we sailed overnight along the Maine coastline, we felt cold salt air and wind gusts approaching. We knew that a thunderstorm was to take place,” Peets said. “We immediately furled the sails. Mostly it is based on our common sense.”

For Holzwarth, Peets, and Staehle, “CODA” was a well-presented film that made the whole Cape Cod Deaf Sailing team proud.

And with the wind in their sails, the crew will launch four chartered sailboats in July for the first time in deaf sailing history, and will add one week to bring 12 deaf sailing students out on the water in September.

“We as deaf sailing captains can do anything but hear. We are here to prove that we can overcome obstacles with trials and tribulations,” they said together in an email.

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Watch CODA at the Chatham Orpheum Theater

To continue the celebration of deaf sailing, "CODA" has made its way to the Chatham Orpheum Theater and will runthrough Thursday.

Because of limited theater accessibility, Kevin McLain, executive director ofthe Orpheum, said the theatercouldn’t show the movie when it debuted last summer, but was given the option of showing it by Apple TV after the film won big atthe Academy Awards.

“It was shot in New England in a fishing community,just like Chatham," he said. "There’s a lot of parallels to the day-to-day life that goes on in that movie and I thought it would be the perfect fit for a fishing village like Chatham.”

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One thing that’s unique to "CODA’s" film screenings is that it’s shown in open captioning, said McLain. Open captions always are in view and cannot be turned off, whereas closed captions can be turned on and off by the viewer. While the Orpheum has its own closedcaption devices for those who are hearing impaired or deaf, McLain said Apple TV added open captioning to the film, in part, to raise awareness about deaf Americans.

“Because of the subject matter, it makes perfect sense and it's actually really nice that the movie is only being shown in open caption,” he said. “It was unexpected, and we’ve never received a film ever that was solely open caption.”

Mashpee cameraman filmed award-winning 'CODA' movie in Gloucester (2025)
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