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This topic comprises 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5
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Author
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Topic: DTS Trailers?
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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"
Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 09-30-2003 09:54 PM
All of our digital installs are Dolby now -- we've done some upgrades and there is new construction in the works. Our DTS units have been reassigned to smaller houses.
We're not exactly selling off the DTS units but we're not as high on the format as we used to be. The main reason is the apparent inability to get the discs to ship with the prints but -- as I've said elsewhere -- we do get our prints an extra few days in advance, up to a week. Still, we would often receive the discs as "chasers" in the final week of run and, by that time, the movie was no longer in one of the premiere houses. For that reason, DTS is not viable as a premiere format in my opinion.
But the trailers were also a factor. On the one hand, we have a sound system we would like to exploit to its fullest potential but, on the other hand, we don't want to bore the audience with the same old tired trailers. Once upon a time there was an $80 - $90 charge for a set of DTS trailers, too. They're available at no charge now...but who wants them!?
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 10-01-2003 10:42 AM
As impressive as movie soundtracks played back in DTS can be, I do agree that the "flying disc" trailer was very unimpressive. Especially when you experience the Dolby Train trailer...
Since almost all theaters in the last couple of years have neglected to play any THX or digital sound trailers before films, the only place I've heard the Sonic Landscape trailer is before a movie on DVD. I thought it was a nice treat to see a digital sound trailer on a DVD, but it didn't make me ooh and ahh over it.
The THX Tex trailer does a pretty decent job of showing off the separate back channels, but that one gets old after the second time you view it.
Maybe DTS hasn't produced a new trailer because they realize that not many theaters are showing them any longer...
When I go to a movie, I want to see the THX and digital sound trailers, but they are never played. I think I've seen more of the Dolby trailers on DVD's than I have in the theater.
What would be cool, but expensive, is for the trailer to match the movie in some way. Kind of like the "liquid metal" THX trailer in front of a Terminator movie, for example.
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 10-01-2003 05:45 PM
quote:
Maybe DTS hasn't produced a new trailer because they realize that not many theaters are showing them any longer...
Mike calls this a dumb excuse. But I would not call the excuse dumb if commercial movie theaters were the only venues where a DTS trailer could be seen. The situation on DVD negates any excuse about theaters not playing the trailers.
I have a lot of DVDs that feature audio tracks encoded in DTS and have the trailers to go with them. All of my Sony "Superbit" DVDs have the DTS flying disc trailer on them. The flying disc clip appears on several of my DreamworksSKG DVDs (with the rest being the piano trailer). I don't understand why "American Beauty" has the flying disc clip while "Gladiator" has the sonic landscape piano one. Lots of Fox and Universal DVDs use the piano trailer.
I have only two movie release DVDs which feature Dolby Digital trailers ("T2 Ultimate Edition" and "Akira" --both of which use the "Aurora" trailer).
Anyway, with DTS obviously getting some special treatment in the eyes of home video distribution companies --their two trailers get used a lot more often than Dolby's 9-- it would seem like they would feel a little more moved to improve the variety.
As for cost of production, yes it is not free or exactly cheap. However, cost of production for a lot of CG work has come down. Professional 3D tools have become much less expensive. Over the past year, NewTek dropped the price of Lightwave3D from nearly $3,000 down to $1,500 and now only $1,299. You can buy a basic version of Maya for under $2,000. Computers have become much more powerful, cutting rendering times waaaay down. That's one reason why I'm pissed about the enduring 2K standard for CGI.
Anyway, one could take an ordinary Mac or PC and load it with LW3D or Maya and generate a new DTS trailer with the same or better quality as the original flying disc clip.
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Dean Kollet
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 591
From: Florida State University
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 10-02-2003 01:44 PM
In my opinion, the DTS/Dolby/SDDS trailers are not impressive at all. Ok, SDDS Jungle and Dolby Train are cool, but to me it just doesn't knock my socks off like it's supposed to. I'm 20 years old, and I can still remember seeing the first THX trailer, that trailer still blows me away; not so much b/c of the sound b/c they had the balls to put on the screen "Cinema Speaker system have not changed in 30 years, until now..." and you heard it, and at least where I was, it hit you hard.
I mean, look at what can be done. Dolby, SDDS, DTS should be able put out a trailer that absoutely knocks the shit out of the audience, I mean it's their sound format. And I still think they should make one for horror/scary movies, think of what they could make. And it can't be that expensive to make something that short, so why not make them genre specific (not like comedy, drama, etc...), but ones for action movies and ones for horror movies. I know a lot don't come out, but it would be cool...
just my 2 cents
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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"
Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 10-02-2003 08:04 PM
quote:
I can still remember seeing the first THX trailer, that trailer still blows me away; not so much b/c of the sound b/c they had the balls to put on the screen "Cinema Speaker system have not changed in 30 years, until now..." and you heard it, and at least where I was, it hit you hard.
Okay but you seem to be admitting in your post that, back then, you were underexposed to good cinema sound (as we all were). So I am wondering if it is at all possible that you've simply gotten so accustomed to hearing good sound...and now you want even more?
I'm just asking because I wonder about this at times -- Have we gotten spoiled?
I agree that the logo snipes should match or surpass the average trailer. Dolby needs to lighten up on the "subtlety" angle. Seems they got bullied into making warm and fuzzy trailers when folks complained about "Train" and "City" being too aggressive but I think it's time for the pendulum to swing back the other way now.
Enough of these nature trips! First we got "Canyon," "Egypt" and "Temple" and then "Rain," "Waterfall" & "Aurora." Just aim a cannon at the lens and let 'er rip!
"Dolby Cannon" -- ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) Now THAT'S exciting!
EDIT: I've had time to think about this...Here's my script:
quote:
BLACK SCREEN.
AMBIENT SOUND (all channels) of an audience murmering.
SOUND of heavy, squeaky wheels from off-screen (left). A cannon is wheeled into position (center-screen) illuminated by a follow-spot.
CLOSE SHOT on a match being lit, then the fuse.
Back to the cannon. A VOICE OFF-SCREEN (back-centre) yells "Duck!" as the sparkling fuse grows shorter and shorter.
KA-BOOM!
To our surprise, a duck comes flying out of the cannon!
THWACK-SQUISH! (back-centre) followed by a final, pitiful "Squawk..."
INSERT -- DIGITAL SOUND LOGO
FADE OUT
How about that?
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 10-02-2003 11:55 PM
When the THX folks were naming trailers by fashion of best picture Oscar winners like "Wings" "Broadway"(Broadway Melody), "Cimarron", "Grand"(Grand Hotel) etc., I was trying to pitch them on one for the "It Happened One Night" slot. For this one, I figured the natural title would be "THX Happens". Aside from the title, I had some unique subject matter in mind.
Out here in this part of Oklahoma we have a number of Air Force bases and Army posts. Altus AFB is home to a rather large wing of C-5 Galaxy and C-17 cargo jet transports. Neither of these jets has ever been depicted correctly in movie history with the right characteristic sound. This especially goes for the signature scream/whirr bass-laden sound of a C-5. The C-5 Galaxy is the largest correctly operational jet in the world. That Soviet-made Aeroflot (or whatever it was called) is slightly larger, but hardly ever flies due to many many technical problems.
Anyway, my idea for the trailer is a simple front to back audio pan tracking an oncoming C-5 barrelling toward the audience through the heat-mirage of a hot Oklahoma runway. The jet takes off and screams over the audience leaving behind a big military cammie decorated THX logo on the screen. With the sound correctly recorded, mixed and delivered the impact would just simply be devastating.
Here in Lawton, C-5s and C-17s fly near my house on the way to the runway on Fort Sill for quick touch-and-go exercises. I know the sound of either of those jets miles away and out of sight. You cannot simply map the audio of an L-1011 or Airbus jet over for the sound of one of these "heavies." You gotta do the sound right. And isn't that what THX is supposed to be about?
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