Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Star Trek: Check your volume, I guess

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Topic: Star Trek: Check your volume, I guess

Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 05-18-2009 04:33 PM

Just got a broadcast fax:

"In order to protect the integrity of the vision of the film makers, the producers of " STAR TREK " have requested that you play the film at a minimum sound level of 7 DB's so that the audience can experience the sound effects as they wre intended."

Yes, I know what they're trying to say, but "7DB's" (?) shouldn't be too hard on our trusty old amps, eh?

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 05-18-2009 04:53 PM

I always make a point of running my movies at 7db. That way I know the audience can really hear the air conditioning and be comforted in the fact that it is operating and they are getting their money's worth.

[Roll Eyes]

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Cameron Glendinning
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 845
From: West Ryde, Sydney, NSW Australia
Registered: Dec 2005

posted 05-18-2009 05:28 PM

Thats pretty funny, what are you going to do about it? Now I guess that 7db really means dolby 7? I guess that as the cars arrive you are going to have to install processors in all of them? Perhaps you could calabrate all the customers car stereos with a test film? Perhaps using a db meter you could do random checks of the cars, anyone not playing it loud enough will be asked to leave!

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 05-18-2009 05:55 PM

I remember when most movies came with memos "from the director" in the cans saying that the movie MUST be played at a volume level of "7". That doesn't seem to happen as much any more from what I have personally seen, though. With the typical shitty auditorium EQs I hear at local multiplexes, 7 would be much too loud. A better EQ enables higher volume levels since certain frequencies aren't slicing your ear apart. Most multiplexes seem to run at about 5.5, max. I run my movies at my theater at about 6.5 - 6.8 usually. NO complaints.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-18-2009 05:59 PM

I just use the old tried and true method of listening with my highly-sensitive ears and discerning the proper level. It must work because we virtually never get complaints either. Occasionally I'll hear a "Wow, that was LOUD!" comment, which I consider a compliment.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 05-18-2009 06:40 PM

Jane Campion faxed a note around to all cinemas here on opening day of 'Portrait Of A Lady' to play the film at '7' and no lower.

That thing was so freaking loud it ended up playing on 4.2!!! At '7' I could hear it in the booth...with the monitor turned down!

7! [Roll Eyes]

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 05-18-2009 06:42 PM

quote:
Thats pretty funny, what are you going to do about it? Now I guess that 7db really means dolby 7? I guess that as the cars arrive you are going to have to install processors in all of them? Perhaps you could calabrate all the customers car stereos with a test film? Perhaps using a db meter you could do random checks of the cars, anyone not playing it loud enough will be asked to leave!

Yah... pretty funny, if you look at it that way, but I'm pretty sure they weren't thinking about drive-ins.

They don't have to worry about us. I have more trouble with multi-megawatt subwoofers than people who can't seem to get enough volume out of their radios... part of the risk of having digital playback stuff! [evil]

quote: Joe Redifer
I run my movies at my theater at about 6.5 - 6.8 usually. NO complaints.

Paramount will arrive shortly, to remove all of your prints.

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Marco Giustini
Film God

Posts: 2713
From: Reading, UK
Registered: Nov 2007

posted 05-19-2009 06:55 AM

I usually screen all my movies and I set the fader setting for each of them.
Usually they run at 6.5/7. In my case Star Trek is being shown at 7.3

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-19-2009 03:23 PM

We just got a re-broadcast of the fax, now asking us to play it at "7 on the Dolby Fader." They must have realized that the original fax was becoming a joke on the industry's pre-eminent projection site.

However, what if you have DTS or heaven forbid, SDDS? I think we need another fax.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 05-19-2009 03:30 PM

What if I have an Ultra-Stereo processor?

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 05-19-2009 05:01 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
We just got a re-broadcast of the fax, now asking us to play it at "7 on the Dolby Fader." They must have realized that the original fax was becoming a joke on the industry's pre-eminent projection site.

Yes... and now that they've made that correction, I fully understand what they're requesting, and will make a concerted effort to confirm my fader setting is at "7"... thereby sending a little more, or maybe less to the 20 bands of digital processing circuits that make up the front end box in my FM sound system. Surely, my customers will appreciate the nuanced difference the change, if necessary, will make to their evening's enjoyment.

The producers may rest easy, knowing this concern will assure that my customers will hear everything, from the loudest explosion down to the softest Tribble "coo".

What teamwork!

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 05-19-2009 05:02 PM

quote: Joe Redifer
What if I have an Ultra-Stereo processor?

Then you need to push that Simplex down a bit more in that rubbish bin and make some room. [Razz]

quote:
assuming their air conditioner isn't running!

Why would they have air conditioning on? Surely you pipe it to each car. [Wink]

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002

posted 05-19-2009 05:04 PM

quote: John Wilson
Then you need to push that Simplex down a bit more in that rubbish bin and make some room.

Good one!

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Galen Murphy-Fahlgren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 405
From: Canton, MI, USA
Registered: Oct 2007

posted 05-19-2009 05:05 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
They must have realized that the original fax was becoming a joke on the industry's pre-eminent projection site.

Could you direct me to that site? I like jokes. [Razz]

I don't have Star Trek, but I have very rarely ever had a print that I could run at 7. When I first started in projection a couple years ago, I used the CP650 in the big house at that theater as a benchmark for changing mixes over time. My first few months, I was running a lot of things at 6.5 or so, but over the next several months I had to turn the fader preset down on average, to the point where when I left a last year, the thing was at 5.5-5.6 for most movies (Wall-E being a notable exception, I played it at 6.5). So, as unscientific as that is, I find it pretty compelling evidence that in just that space of time, prints were mixed increasingly poorly on average, and when someone wanted to mix it right (Pixar), they did.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-19-2009 06:37 PM

There is also the matter of personal taste. I enjoy seeing movies in our theatre at 7, I think it sounds great that way although the dialogue is a bit louder than I think it needs to be. So we run everything usually around 6 or 6.2 which seems to be a happy medium. I don't think we've ever gotten a "too soft" complaint.

I do remember running Wall-E at 7 - and will try it on the Trek movie this weekend.

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