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Topic: Dolby's new sound system

William Kucharski
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 244
From: Louisville, Colorado, United States of America
Registered: Oct 2012

posted 08-06-2013 05:34 PM

Because advertising Atmos would cost money.

AMCs don't advertise anywhere anymore - AMC screens haven't been listed in my newspaper's theater listings in some time - though they sometimes note Atmos on their web site when they can be bothered to tell the web site programmers about it.

Frankly it's difficult at times to even tell which theaters are showing films in ETX.

I suspect AMC would prefer studios/Dolby pick up the costs for that, like the free "I Saw it in Atmos" tee I got when I saw A Good Day to Die Hard.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-06-2013 10:35 PM

Maybe they have their two or three "best" auditoriums equipped with Atmos, and those screens always have the two or three biggest movies playing, therefore attracting the most people, so most of the people coming to that venue are going to get the best experience even if they don't specifically seek it out.

They're figuring on people getting used to the big, bold Atmos sound and equating that with that particular theater -- then thinking, "Wow, this sucks" when they go to a competing non-Atmos theater. They won't necessarily know WHY the AMC is better but it will just seem that way.

I can see a marketing person thinking this way. Word of mouth is one of the best forms of advertising, after all.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-27-2014 12:39 AM

Having just started an Auro 11.1 thread and posting the brand imagery of that format I thought I would do the same for Dolby Atmos.

This first graphic is how the official branding looks.

I kind of prefer the version with the logo all on one line. It can be made larger on a movie poster, end credits, images on theater web sites. It's what's used in the Dolby Atmos trailers.

The two line version is more compact. Unfortunately, I've seen it reproduced on movie posters and theater web sites at very microscopic sizes. Sometimes a poster will have similar Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos logos stacked on top of each other. I see little point with including the Dolby Digital logo anymore, given so few theaters left are showing 35mm film and studios like Paramount are discontinuing 35mm print production. This two line version doesn't "flow" from the Dolby Double D icon nearly as well as the single line version.

I played around with previous Dolby logo systems and made a few brand lock-up alternatives. I'm sure Dolby or an ad agency hired by Dolby has poured through similar lock-ups.

Alternative 1 is a vertically stacked lock-up that might actually be more legible on movie poster artwork and end credits. I don't know for sure though.

Alternative 2 is a play off the previous Dolby Digital logo, which many movies avoided using in end credits, going with a version that didn't have the rule line.

Alteratives 3 and 4 are similar to the Dolby Digital Cinema and 3D Digital Cinema badges.

Alternative 5 is a retro throwback to the classic Dolby Stereo lock-up, but with all the type set in Morgan Sans.

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Buck Wilson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 894
From: St. Joseph MO, USA
Registered: Sep 2010

posted 01-27-2014 01:16 AM

Love the alternate 5! Alternate 2 is my second choice.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 01-27-2014 01:54 AM

Bobby your mock-ups (they are unlocked for me so they can't be called "lock-ups") might be too detailed. The current trend is minimalism. You need to be more minimal. That's what Dolby has done (especially with their second logo) but if they want to make the big bucks with their ATMOS thingy they need to be even more minimal. Lose the Double-D logo. Lose any semblance of a font (if that's possible). Make it as plain-looking as possible. Then you will win and Atmos will take over.

Jesus S Christ will I be happy when the minimalism fad ends. That can't happen soon enough.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-27-2014 02:36 PM

Here's a few more Atmos logo alternatives, including a couple more minimal versions. Sorry, the Double-D logo has to be present, as well as the Morgan Sans typeface. I could do something with a big "A" set in Morgan Sans, or just hand-drawn to get people to think about Atmos. Unfortunately with our country having the mindset it has many would confuse the big A for America, Ass, Scarlet Letter Adultery or just plain "fuckin-A."

Alternative 6 is styled after the 1995 Dolby logo system, but with Morgan Sans type instead of the classic Eurostile and Helvetica arrangement. Alternative 7 mimics that Dolby Digital logo I see so often in movie end credits. Alternatives 8 and 9 are more minimal, using the Double-D to get people to think "Dolby" rather than having it spelled out for them.

quote: Joe Redifer
Jesus S Christ will I be happy when the minimalism fad ends. That can't happen soon enough.

That kind of depends. A lot of so-called "flat design," which counters the skeuomorphism trend from the previous decade, does tend to look pretty stark. However a lot of skeuomorphism-based designs are pretty freaking cheesy looking. People were going crazy with all the filter effects, trying to mimic real world materials (glass, chrome, leather, etc.). That trend was really starting to get old.

One thing I do like about "flat" logos is they make my day job a LOT easier. A logo that's entirely vector-based and able to be reproduced in a single ink color is a lot easier to turn into various types of signs. I can rout a single color, vector-based logo out of all sorts of materials. The same is not possible for logos created in pixel-based form within Photoshop, complete with all kinds of bevels, drop shadows, softened edges, etc. Any good logo should have a base version that's very simple and vector-based. Designing a logo in Photoshop and then trying to vectorize it and simplify it later is absolutely counterproductive. It ends up costing clients a bunch of money later when they need the logo produced in mediums other than the printed page or a computer screen.

Flat design is kind of a throw-back to pre-digital conventions in design -particularly the late 1950's through 70's period where the Helvetica typeface and Swiss design grew incredibly popular.

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Terry Lynn-Stevens
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1081
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2012

posted 01-27-2014 03:18 PM

quote: Joe Redifer
The current trend is minimalism. You need to be more minimal. That's what Dolby has done (especially with their second logo) but if they want to make the big bucks with their ATMOS thingy they need to be even more minimal. Lose the Double-D logo.

Although I wish Dolby had a little more security over using the Atmos branding on a non Atmos movie, I actually like the new Dolby Atmos logo. The minimalism is good. The brand lock-up 1 has the best look.

quote: Joe Redifer
Lose the Double-D logo.

The Double-D logo should not go anywhere.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 01-27-2014 03:54 PM

ITT: People taking things far too seriously.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-27-2014 10:00 PM

The whole "in selected theatres" thing has been stupid since it was first introduced with the original Dolby system. It makes it sound as if Dolby decided which theaters would get the system.

It should say, "in better theatres." That way it gives the high-end feel you desire when you put in the latest technology and gives the customer a reason to seek you out.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-27-2014 10:37 PM

I agree the term "in selected theatres" sounds like Dolby picked the theaters it thought were special enough to receive the gear. I don't think the term "in better theaters" would be a good replacement. It's kind of off putting to potential customers looking to upgrade.

"In Premium Theaters" might work, but that could be misunderstood to mean any premium priced theater would have Atmos. I remember seeing the term "In Premiere Theaters" applied to the Cinema Digital Sound logo on the credits of Edward Scissorhands. I'm not sure if average movie-goers would understand "In Flagship Theaters." It kind of has the same problem as the premium or better theaters thing.

quote: Terry Lynn-Stevens
Although I wish Dolby had a little more security over using the Atmos branding on a non Atmos movie, I actually like the new Dolby Atmos logo.

The only thing Dolby can do is try to educate theater operators when they should or should not play the Atmos snipes. If Dolby hounds theater operators too much about that issue the theater managers might adopt a policy of not playing the Atmos snipes at all.

Dolby can't have a company rep looking over the shoulder of every booth employee in an Atmos equipped theater when the employee is building a movie play list.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-27-2014 11:10 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
I don't think the term "in better theaters" would be a good replacement. It's kind of off putting to potential customers looking to upgrade.

I don't see what you mean. If I had the opportunity to suddenly have my theater be included on a list of "better" theaters I would be inclined to try to join that list, not be put off by it.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 01-27-2014 11:59 PM

Perhaps. But not everyone is going to interpret that "better theaters" thing the same way. I also see the "better theaters" thing as a potential problem because it implies that theater is always going to be better than its competition. I've been in a few THX certified theaters and wondered how they got their certification. I've been in theaters that installed a certain digital sound format and then didn't maintain the sound system, or even do the B-chain correctly.

I guess it's kind of tricky to say "Dolby Atmos, it's in a limited number of theaters" and still have it the verbiage seem nice.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 01-28-2014 12:07 AM

Mike has a good idea. "In selected theaters" sounds pretty generic. There's nothing special about them. They've just been selected. A reason why they have been selected is not even given. But the word "better" sounds pretty basic and, well, "layman". So how about:

In High-Quality Theaters
In Top Theaters
In Cutting-Edge Theaters
In Theaters Worth Experiencing™
In Advanced Theaters

Sorry if I offended anyone by me spelling it as 'theaters' instead of 'theatres'. It was intentional. Funny though, theatres is the one that's underlined in red for a spelling error which means I got it right in the list above.

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Lyle Romer
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1400
From: Davie, FL, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 01-28-2014 06:37 AM

quote: Bobby Henderson
The only thing Dolby can do is try to educate theater operators when they should or should not play the Atmos snipes. If Dolby hounds theater operators too much about that issue the theater managers might adopt a policy of not playing the Atmos snipes at all.

They can make the snipes without a standard LPCM soundtrack and have the DCPs only contain the Atmos soundtrack. Better yet, have the LPCM track have a voice saying "This auditorium is not equipped with Dolby Atmos. If it is equipped, the Atmos soundtrack is not playing properly, please alert the theater manager."

I always thought that the 35mm digital sound snipes should not have contained an analog soundtrack.

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Kenneth Wuepper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1026
From: Saginaw, MI, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 01-28-2014 07:18 AM

Lyle,

You are one of those brave circus performers that fly without a net.

"Send in the Clowns"

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