Film mixers rejoice! Now 4.1 audio!!! / Theatre Sound Horror Stories

[Jfriah]

Hey folks, just wanted you all to know: apparently there has been a change in spec and now 4.1 mixes are allowed for theatrical playback.

(of course, I'm dripping with sarcasm here, so roll with it)

I have just heard a verified tale of a Digital 3D room (can't divulge where--part of the fun) playing in glorious 4.1 (one of the fronts was just not even ON), and it has been running that way since... are you ready?

December 18.

NOBODY has complained, according to management, except one person who happens to be a mixer.

So this makes me feel good about my next feature. I'm just going to mute a front channel and see if my clients notice. If they do, I'll say: "Hey, they did it for Avatar and it was nominated for Best Sound!" Because apparently audiences don't even notice... hahahahahaha.


and

[Sonsey@mac.com]

But wait... next week they're bringing out the 1.1 Spec... That's Left and Sub only!

But seriously... I've been mucking about in projection rooms a LOT in the last year (long story... but very educational in a lot of ways...) and I can say it's a MIRACLE we have any sound at all! From half connected wiring harnesses, to blown power amps to equipment that was out of date 20 years ago (in some "flagship" cinemas I might add) the sound in many cinemas is obviously little more than an afterthought... I once politely complained to the Manager at a local "MegaPlex", telling her that there was a problem with the sound in the theatre I had just been in. All the center audio was also coming out of the right speaker... Her answer- "Sir, Dolby was just here..." yes, she ACTUALLY said that! And I thought it was only an expression... I guess some things WON'T change with Digital Cinema!...

End rant...

[Jfriah]

And I always add my
"why is it so quiet?"
"Well, it is in 5.1 so the volume is at 5.1"
"thank you."

Story at a screening.

And, during a Resident Evil movie when a vehicle came out of nowhere and SLAMMMMED into another car (surprise!!!), I went to talk to the manager of the theatre I was at about the very loud levels. "Well, sir, it is a very dynamic action movie so the loud sounds are going to be very very loud."

I didn't explain that I kind of work in this area. I did, however, say "Ok, well, just so you know, your speakers just clipped into protection mode."

[tilman]

Oh my good,
no center speaker? doesn´t that mean there was hardly any dialog?!?

I once saw Transformers2 with no sub in a big multiplex. It was realy borring.
Wanted my money back but I had no luck.

The more I think I don´t want to know these stories. It´s not very motivating.
But hey isn´t sound 50% sometimes 90% of the movie?

[Jfriah]

Sorry, Tilman. No, never said Centre Channel. I should have specified. It was one of the front L/R speakers. I would HOPE TO JEEEEEEZ that if a C-Channel was out, more than one person would complain about the sound...

hahahaha

[Steven1145]

Originally Posted by Jfriah

Sorry, Tilman. No, never said Centre Channel. I should have specified. It was one of the front L/R speakers. I would HOPE TO JEEEEEEZ that if a C-Channel was out, more than one person would complain about the sound...

hahahaha

And why do you think that sometimes you hear dialog coming from L or R instead of C ?... That's right, blown center speaker, with the channel repatched to L or R... Arg..

[postprosound]

Here in new york, at one of the most visited theaters in the city i was told by the manager, who incidentally, was just turning 13 the next week, told my wife and I that no one notices these kind of problems. The manager was adamant not to comp us for our bad experience. For a business that is based on customer service, and the kind of business that these huge multi-plexes take in, i though that rather bad form.
After we mentioned that we both work in the movie business, (my wife is a picture editor), and weren't going to relent, he turned us over to the lead projectionist fro the tri state area. He then went back to his pokeman and checked to see if beard had started to grow or not. The lead projectionist was very cool. He comped us for our bad experience and told us his own frustration with this debacle. He said many theaters only really cared about the digital first run theaters. If you try to miss the crowds and go to a smaller theater, too bad.
Its frustrating when we in the business work so hard to make a quality product, only to have it trashed by the few poor workers who don't get it. Can't people take pride in their work?

[Sonsey@mac.com]

Originally Posted by postprosound

Its frustrating when we in the business work so hard to make a quality product, only to have it trashed by the few poor workers who don't get it. Can't people take pride in their work?

It's sad because the theatre end of things has become a "McJob", staffed largely by high school students who thought it might be "cooler" to work at a theatre than at McDonalds. Remember when there was a Projectionists UNION and being a Projectionist was a full time job... not what the ticket counter worker does for 5 mins between taking tickets? But hell, I'm old enough to remember when an usher WALKED you to your seat with a flashlight, so what do I know....

[Thomas W. Bethe]

I have had the same types of problems with the same types of replies from the 14 year old "theater manager" I went to see Transformers II and there were no side channels just the front speakers and sub. I went to see the manager and he said that the movie was "played back in the format received and that is the way is was suppose to sound". I went to see another movie and I could tell that something was terribly wrong with the sound. It was all distorted and sounded like it had a frequency response of 300 to 3000 Hz. I walked out of the theater to tell someone and found the "manager" who said. "yes we are getting a lot of complaints from lots of people about the sound quality of this film. We assume it was done for some type of effect" I asked him if they had ever checked the sound system and he said "not recently"

My favorite was when after the movie I talked to the manager about the excessive levels of the film I had just seen. He looked at me and said with a strait face " well lots of people who are older like you can't hear so we jack the sound up when we see a lot of older people in the audience"

A lot of theaters are expensive to attend, the sound systems are not kept in good repair and if you complain they nod their heads and don't do anything to accommodate you or to fix the problems. I have stopped going to theaters where they act like they don't want to fix anything. I still find that Cinemark theaters are by far the best for projection, sound and popcorn. Even there sometimes you wonder who is minding the asylum when I saw the previews and the person doing the splicing had left in the the "start here" message on every preview. The audience did not even notice.

[Jfriah]

Originally Posted by Sonsey@mac.com

But hell, I'm old enough to remember when an usher WALKED you to your seat with a flashlight, so what do I know....

I think they still come by with flashlights looking for those nasty people bringing cameras into theatres... (sad chuckle).

Side rant: I pee on all those people who just help the download madness, which results in more people lost to 'instant, free access' as opposed to being a person who pays to enjoy the experience and picture and sound of a theatrical projection.
(ok, complete with talkers, cell-phone users, texters, noisy eaters, hahahahaha)

Jeff

[Jfriah]

Originally Posted by Thomas W. Bethe

I saw the previews and the person doing the splicing had left in the the "start here" message on every preview. The audience did not even notice.

.......sadly hilarious.

[Gohanto]

Well, I will add that one of the goals of sound (most of the time at least) is NOT to be noticed. So it's a double edged sword when the system's screwed up.

So long as the center channel is working, I doubt most audiences could pin point what was wrong, and it just results in them not having as much fun at the movie overall.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by Gohanto

Well, I will add that one of the goals of sound (most of the time at least) is NOT to be noticed. So it's a double edged sword when the system's screwed up.

So long as the center channel is working, I doubt most audiences could pin point what was wrong, and it just results in them not having as much fun at the movie overall.

I was with my niece. We were in the theater to see the latest Chipmunk movie. The movie started but there was no sound. The audience sat there for about 5 minutes until some one decided to get up and tell the management that something was wrong. I would have done so but I was in the middle of the row and did not want to climb over a lot of people. If it had gone on for more than five minutes I would have done the climbing.

Same theater 1 month before the move is suppose to start at 11:30 and nothing and there is just a notice on the screen that the main feature will start soon. About 11:35 some guy in the front row gets up goes out of the theater and about a minute later the film starts, When he returned everyone clapped.

This happened years ago. My friend and I were in a movie theater waiting for the film to start. Nothing happens and then the usher comes in and says the projector is broken and will we all please clear the theater. My friend and I got up to leave and about 1/2 way down the aisle out of the theater the film starts. I guess it was someone's idea of a joke. I spoke to the manager afterward and he was not amused.

What do these theaters expect when the oldest employee in the theater is still in High School?