Submitted by StarChild413 t3_1171am2 in television
apescaper t1_j99tgfw wrote
some quotes:
""There are a number of root causes," says Mark Mangini, the Academy Award-winning sound designer behind films like "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Blade Runner 2049." "It's really a gumbo, an accumulation of problems that have been exacerbated over the last 10 years ... that's kind of this time span where all of us in the filmmaking community are noticing that dialogue is harder and harder to understand."
"Mangini says that in the old days, "you could count on an actor's theatricality to deliver a line to the back seats." But acting styles have changed so dramatically over the years that it has become much more difficult to capture great sound on the set. When actors adopt that more naturalistic style, "it's even harder for the production sound mixer to capture really quality sound. Now we get those compromised microphone positions here in post-production, reaching for a dialogue line that is barely intelligible or maybe even mumbled because it's an acting style, and already, we're behind the 8-ball in trying to figure out a way to make all of those words intelligible."
"What we see from our brothers and sisters in production is a never-ending [complaint] that they don't get the respect they need to get the microphone where it needs to be to capture the sound clearly," Mangini says. "That's because as movies have matured in the last 15 years, movies have become more visually exciting. And because of that, it is less likely that you're going to be allowed to put that boom mic right where the actor is, because it's probably going to drop a shadow because it's in front of a light that the camera team insists has to exist to get the perfect look of the shot. So [the visuals have] taken precedence over what we hear."
https://www.slashfilm.com/577777/christopher-nolan-sound-mixing/
Specifically speaking about the sound design of Interstellar, Nolan said, "We got a lot of complaints. I actually got calls from other filmmakers who would say, 'I just saw your film, and the dialogue is inaudible.' Some people thought maybe the music's too loud, but the truth was it was kind of the whole enchilada of how we had chosen to mix it."
Nolan has spoken about this topic in the past, but here he is once again confirming that he is well-aware how his movies sound, and yes, he's making them sound that way on purpose.
"It was a very, very radical mix," he went on. "I was a little shocked to realize how conservative people are when it comes to sound. Because you can make a film that looks like anything, you can shoot on your iPhone, no one's going to complain. But if you mix the sound a certain way, or if you use certain sub-frequencies, people get up in arms."
Its not a singular issue, it affects both tv and movies.
IndyRevolution t1_j9cceiq wrote
Bravo Nolan, people are "conservative" because they want to hear important plot exposition instead of sailboat noises and droning booms. Truly an underappreciated visionary.
bob1689321 t1_j9ct9hn wrote
While I get why people criticise his mixes, when it works it really, really works. The Dark Knight and Inception are 2 of the best sound mixes I've ever heard. A lot of the time I rewatch them solely because of the sound.
Tenet took it too far for the most part, and it's caused people to crap on all his movies.
Optimal_Plate_4769 t1_j9fqw6z wrote
there isn't a single nolan movie where important plot exposition depends on the clarity of a line.
you're missing the story because you're focusing on the least important part of a scene.
he obviously has you hear dialogue when it matters.
like TENET has fucking incredible sound, it's amazing. people are mad because of some lines spoken on the F50 catamarans? come on.
IndyRevolution t1_j9jghz7 wrote
Maybe just don't record the audio on the boat like a lunatic?
It's because he refuses to do ADR like a sane person. Aiden Gillan talked about how he knew he was going to be mocked for the plane scene while he was filming it because he asked Nolan's DP "Are they gonna ADR us?" and the DP said something like "Oh no, Nolan would take that as having done the scene wrong." So the actual scene has the audio all fucked by plane noises and awkward line delivery.
My source is this interview, of which I can't find the full VOD for, but here's a snip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgOCCi8VQO0
Optimal_Plate_4769 t1_j9jshvs wrote
> Maybe just don't record the audio on the boat like a lunatic?
... why NOT?
>It's because he refuses to do ADR like a sane person. Aiden Gillan talked about how he knew he was going to be mocked for the plane scene while he was filming it
what's wrong with that plane scene? it's probably the coolest thing about that movie?
at some point it might come down to taste. i think the delivery and so on in TENET is fucking fantastic. so is the audio.
you don't need to hear EVERY line of dialogue. i can't help but feel this is the result of a babied audience that isn't used to not being catered to in every respect.
IndyRevolution t1_j9kg116 wrote
Are you implying that classic Hollywood films were like this? Audio was paramount in those films to the point that many stars were ADRed by voice actors for extremely minute reasons.
Optimal_Plate_4769 t1_j9o8vdb wrote
i am not, in fact, saying that at all. almost entirely the opposite.
Wagnaard t1_j9det99 wrote
People get up at arms because they can't hear the dialogue in a movie. He says it like its a silly plebian way of looking (listening) at things.
PainStorm14 t1_j9dl8e7 wrote
What? You don't have personal IMAX theater with professional Dolby sound system at your mansion?
Silly pleb...
Wagnaard t1_j9ex8jo wrote
I feel like a complete joke right now. :(
CptNonsense t1_j9djsse wrote
Nolan is an auteur bag of dicks about sound design
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