One of the most common cultural activities that Westerners engage in is going to the cinema. There are movies in countless genres that are available to viewing audiences, and each of them gives a unique sound experience. Some movie goers also claim that the shape of the movie house, placement of speakers and other elements also add to the overall acoustic experience. There are also different types of sound systems that studios use in order to give the audience a superior experience. Sound is one of the most important senses a human being can use to rate their overall cultural activity. This paper will outline the movie watching activity of the film “Victoria and Abdul” by the writer and companion.
The specific theater that the movie was played in was a standard size and shaped theater. This was expected since the theater was part of an international corporate chain. Seating does play a major factor into whether or not the sound experience is a positive or a negative one. Jean-Michel (2017) writes that when sound is coded onto film, certain ones will be amplified more than others and is controlled by the equipment in the projection area. The sound rises and falls according to what is happening in the film. Being as how this particular movie was mainly dialogue, the sound in the film was at a fairly constant level. After the movie ended, the sound was reduced but there was also difficulty in hearing the end credits because of the people getting up, talking and exiting the theater.
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"Sound in Cinema".
The aurality of the venue was that of a standard movie theater. Its seats and rows are close together so the company can place as many seats in as possible to maximize profit. With that said, one can only imagine the sounds heard in addition to the movie. An audience member can overhear private conversations, cell phones that have not been turned off, and even people eating their snacks. Fortunately this performance of the film was at a time and day that is not typically busy at a movie theater, so seats away from the other audience members were readily available. This made it a great deal easier to concentrate on the film and more importantly the actual dialogue between the characters. Sometimes when watching a historical or dramatic piece like “Victoria and Abdul”, the dialogue is softer than the background music or the other sounds which makes it hard to understand what is being said.
One might be curious if there are any types of cultural or technical practices which can affect the aurality of the film. Besides the above-described manner in which movie theaters are typically designed and seated, the technical aspects of sound in film affect this as well. Scott (2016) mentions that some studios use DTS technology while others use Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. DTS sound is less compressed than Dolby 5.1 Surround; therefore many believe that DTS allows the aurality of the film to come through better. This also explains why the space in question would affect the aurality of the film’s viewing; the closeness of audience members can be distracting to those who are trying to fully enjoy the overall experience.
Historically speaking, sound in the cinema has been an evolving science. Scott (2016) writes that sound systems have evolved from mono sound to simple stereo, THX now to DTS and Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. Movies that are from the early years of Hollywood have been converted from mono to a more modern sound. In the case of this specific film, it was played with DTS sound which was good quality. In previous decades this is the type of movie that would have been recorded in mono or stereo sound, but overall DTS improves the quality of the overall experience. Scott (2016) further explains that historically with the different types of sound systems available for films, studios have a choice in what soundtracks are recorded with versus having only one system.
It is still a cultural norm that moviegoers will keep their cell phone on and audible during their movie going experience. This has a negative effect on the experiences for other audience members because of how distracting surrounding noise is. It is a major reason why the writer usually chooses to catch films when it is a time and day that is typically not busy; there is nothing more annoying than hearing someone’s cell phone call or text notification go off in a dark theater. Jean-Michel (2017) states that there is currently no method to screen out background noise during a movie, but theater chains have been asked about investigating the science behind such technology. Background noise can severely impair an audience member’s overall experience because of the distraction is causes.
In conclusion, the overall cultural experience was positive because of the writer’s expectations. Sometimes it is difficult to predict how well watching a movie will turn out, but this was a film that was truly enjoyable. The sound did contribute greatly to the enjoyment, especially since it allowed the audience to hear the dialogue better. It also had a great soundtrack and it was all around a great film. Most people like to go see a movie for the social experience, but there are ways such as sound to get them to better appreciate the product that is on the screen in front of them.
- Jean-Michel, R. Ã. (2017). Musical Sound Effects: Analog and Digital Sound Processing. John Wiley & Sons.
- Scott, T. (2016). From One to Many: A Short History of 20th Century Multichannel Cinema Sound. SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, 125(6), 93-98.
