Todays Movies, and there Audio

[SinisterDeath]

We all know with the advent of digital music/movies/ect, that the quality of not only the film has increased considerably from the 90s, just like how standard TV To VHS increased the quality of the film we saw then. But hopefully I'm not alone in this, it seems to me, that the people making these newer movies (Specially action packed ones) are forgetting one simple thing.

To actually listen to there own movies.

 

I'll give an example from the last two movies I saw in the theater, Star Trek, and Transormers. Star Trek had alot more dialogue (real dialogue, not GO GO GO), and Transformers had alot more 'splosions. But heres the problem I found in these movies.

The Audio Levels were entirely the same through out the movie, what I mean is, If someone is whispering, you can barely hear them. If they are shouting, its to damned loud. If they are talking while theres noise in the background... well You can barely understand them. Sure, it maybe more realistic, but When someones talking, I want to be able to hear them. Ever try to watch an action movie like Push at home? "WAHH I can't hear what he's saying" you crank up the volume. "aww, I can hear it now" Then out of nowhere 'splosions' "GOD DAMMIT MY ears! AWWwww". So you respond by making the 'splosions bareable. then people start talking, and you can't hear them again. Thankfully at home you can adjust this, Theatres? Nah, they keep it at one level, basically just below the level where your ear drums rupture on those noisy parts, but just below the part where you can hear someone who isn't yelling.

 

I really don't know what the hell is up with this trend in movies now days, it seems particularilly worse on HD movies. Its like in the balance to distrbiute 'high quality film and audio', they've forgot to actually balance out the sound levels through out the movie. Sure, splosions should be loud, but if someones talking you SHOULD be able to hear them, with out having to adjust the volume! If I were making a film, it might be difficult to balance it, simply because you as the director, know the movie inside and out, you almost don't even need to actually 'hear' what they are saying to know whats going on.

 

Its gotten to the point, when I' actually watch a movie (and not just put somethign on, ignore it, while shooting brain eating zombies all night) I just turn the subtitles on. That way I don't go deaf over the 'splosions, or those freaking screaming women every 5.5s in horror movies... Dunno whats worse, Shriekers causing your ears to bleed, or 'splosions that rupture your ear drums...

 

Oddly, when it comes to video games, like Metal Gear Solid 4 (which had something like 30 hours of cinematics), even with all the dialogue and the 'splosions, this doesn't seem to be much of a problem... Then again, I turn on subtitles on every game I play, just so I don't miss what was said, incase I've got some annoying background 'people'

[ironcross]

i think its just anuther symptom of the gereral decay of the movie industry in our country.  along with the lack of effort to come up with a "new" plot, inability to devlop the caricters, and the total lack of acting ability has come a sort of apathy to the overal quality of the movies.  i tend to blame tecnology.  every movie has to have spetial effects, whether its a scifi shoot em up or a romance.  i think they spend all thier time an monie on the effects and not the rest.  i think they are also just seeing it as another job, another thing to get through.  that was somthing that relly impressed me with LOTR, the people who worked on that had passion for what they were doing and if it wasent right they would do it again, and even if it was right they would still see if they could do it better.  there were some sceans in that that took longer to shoot then most movies do.  i think if you see that kind of passion put into a movie the whole quality of the movie is much improved.