Theater vs. Home Theater?

[JSE]

figures you would think that...

Oh, please forgive my lack of knowledge about "Sound Design".

I knew when I said 'Sound Design' that you would probably try to say that falls into the picture/sound category, but what I am referring to here is NOT the playback quality, but the key word: design of the film's sound in terms of how the sound enhances the narrative structure. There are many films that use sound as narrative cues for instance, which does not really have to do with the quality of that sound, but rather the score, soundtrack, on-set sound effects, off-set sound effects, etc etc etc. If you are familiar with the film THE PASSENGER starring Jack Nicholson there is a brilliant scene in which Jack is playing back a tape that he recorded of himself earlier. As he is listening the camera moves to where we are unable to see Jack and then when he reappears we have gone back in time to where he is recording the message. This is a brilliant transition using non-diagetic sound in order to build a certain narrative structure. There are many other instances of how the sound design can be used to also contribute to the overall narrative of the film, but I don't think I need to go into how important the overall sound (not quality necessarily) of a film is vital to the films overall impact.

Um........yeah, that's still covered by Audio.

Check please!

JSE

[PeruvianSkies]

Oh, please forgive my lack of knowledge about "Sound Design".

JSE

You're forgiven.

[Troy]

The Passenger is Jack Nicholson's worst movie. Unwatchable. Hitchcock used delayed and overlapping sound effects in the 40s anyway. Altman's overlapping conversation schtick was a big change too, but these stylized things are all common now. Aside from higher-fi and electronic, synthesized sound, sound design for film hasn't advanced much in the last 30 years.

I'm with kex, the next quantum leap in "film" entertainment (bigger than sound, color or 70mm) will be from film itself into some kind of immersive, but passive, 3D experience. Virtual Reality was the term for it back in the 80s, but someday, when the processors catch up, that will be the reality.

Maybe "Brainstorm" was really prophetic . . . That Douglass Trumbull always was a visionary.

Yep, That mass-human experience of a theater full of laughing people will be missed. Another step backwards for human experience.