AES New York 2013
Workshop W20
Saturday, October 19, 5:00 pm — 7:30 pm (Room 1E13)
W20 - What's Right and What's Wrong with Today's Motion Picture Sound?
Chair:John F. Allen, High Performance Stereo - Newton, Massachusetts USA
Panelists:
Mark Collins, Marcus Theatres - Milwaukee, WI, USA
Douglas Greenfield, Dolby Labs - Burbank, CA, USA
Brian A. Vessa, Sony Pictures Entertainment - Culver City, CA, USA; Chair SMPTE 25CSS standards committee
Abstract:
Do you think movies are too loud? Do you admire their sound quality? Why do so many complain about motion picture sound? The answers may come as a surprise. To fully understand the complexities involved, one must separately explore both the way movies are made and they way they are played.
This workshop consists of a panel of experts that actually work in both creating and presenting motion pictures. Their candid presentations will begin by exploring the often inaccurate way sound system measurements are interpreted. Complicating matters, the resulting equalization errors are different for different parts of the audio spectrum. Theater sound system mis-calibration errors cannot only diminish the sound quality but can cause significant unintended playback level increases as well. This presentation will not only describe these problems but will offer solutions as well.
These and other issues are the focus of the recent standards work. The obstacles presented when sometimes working at the limits of technology will be described by a senior studio sound engineer who is also the chairman of the largest SMPTE committee assigned to motion picture sound.
Movies mixed all over the world must be created with such consistency that they can all be played in a theater without the need to adjust a fader or an equalizer. Perhaps no part of the audio production industry is closer to achieving this goal than motion pictures. This demands hours of work and many long days often diplomatically supporting movie makers and assisting them in building the final product they are striving to create. One of our panelists in a leader in this rather exclusive field.
After years in the making of a film, it all comes down to theatrical presentation. Building and maintaining hundreds and even thousands of screens is an art in itself, often executed with mixed results. One of exhibitions most accomplished technical directors will detail the day to day challenges one faces in such a role.
