Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: A New THX Trailer

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 10-08-2003, 01:03 AM:

Just found the story at ComingSoon.net

THX Trailer

THX Debuts New Theatrical Trailer for 20th Anniversary Source: THX Ltd. Tuesday, October 7, 2003

To commemorate its 20th anniversary and celebrate its achievements in the cinema industry, THX Ltd. announced today that it is launching a new theatrical trailer in THX Certified Cinemas worldwide. Developed by some of the most respected names in visual effects and sound design, the new THX trailer incorporates sound clips from memorable moments in motion pictures of the last 20 years. The trailer will be distributed to THX Certified Cinemas starting this fall.

"THX cinema trailers have become tremendously popular among moviegoers. Audiences anxiously await our signature 'Deep Note' crescendo; it creates a sense of anticipation and eagerness for the feature presentation," said Ann Brighouse, director of marketing at THX Ltd. "This, the 11th cinema trailer we've produced, is especially memorable because it celebrates our achievements in the film and entertainment industry, and recognizes how we've improved the presentation quality of many great films over the past 20 years."

To create the 20th anniversary trailer, THX assembled a team of visual effects artists and sound designers from the world of feature filmmaking. They included Gary Rydstrom, the seven-time Academy Award® winning sound designer; Van Ling, the renowned visual effects supervisor and DVD producer; and Steve Boeddeker, a sound designer from Skywalker Sound. Working with THX, the team conceptualized the visuals and selected the seventeen clips for the trailer from thousands of potential sound clips. The result is a treat for the senses. The heart-pumping montage of sound clips, drawn from some truly great moments in filmmaking, peaks with the THX "Deep Note."

"Sound designer Gary Rydstrom's idea was to go back to the roots of THX in film sound presentation, and create an audio montage of movie moments that would stir one's memories and emotions," said Van Ling. "Creating supportive visuals to the sound mix -- rather than the other way around -- gave us a chance to show the evocative power of sound and how THX has been there to help reflect the filmmakers' vision to the audience."

This sounds mighty interesting.

AJG

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 10-08-2003, 01:08 AM:

I wonder if it's Creative?

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 10-08-2003, 01:11 AM:

Heck Ya! 17 clips. That'll be a long trailer. But in a good way. Waiting patiently to see it... [Big Grin]

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-08-2003, 01:53 AM:

I am having trouble with my Sound Blaster card. Can anyone help me fix it? I hear that Sound Blasters are really not supposed to work, and certainly not supposed to work [u]well[/u]. Should I just stick with the Yamaha sound card that has worked fine for me instead? The Sound Blaster can not even input and output sound simulataneously. How wimpy is that?

PS - The [u]underline[/u] tags seem to be broken.

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 10-08-2003, 12:26 PM:

I got an ivite to the launch of the new trailer, its called 'Bounty'
The invite card is cool, when you open it, the 'deep note' plays!

Im awaiting prints of it later this month.

Darren

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 10-08-2003, 01:45 PM:

Why oh why can't we get THX certification. I want to see that trailer!!

AJG

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 10-08-2003, 05:24 PM:

I just hope they can fit the audio for it on DTS CD-ROMs --instead of pulling a DD-only "Cimarron" type of thing.

Posted by Daniel Schulz (Member # 1881) on 10-08-2003, 07:59 PM:

The THX Bounty logo will be compiled into the DTS trailer lineup.

Posted by Jean-Michel Grin (Member # 1360) on 10-09-2003, 05:25 PM:

Hi Joe,

Better if You buy a MacIntosh.....

I don't understand nothing on theses damned PC....

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 10-09-2003, 09:11 PM:

quote:
The Sound Blaster can not even input and output sound simulataneously.

Maybe it's time to upgrade your ten year old SB.

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 10-10-2003, 02:53 PM:

With the recent thread about the lack of a good DTS trailer, maybe DTS should ride on these coattails and have a specially-branded version done for them...

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 12-17-2003, 11:50 PM:

I saw this trailer this evening. I found it very confusing...just some seemingly random dialog. It took awhile to figure out what was going on. A clever idea, but it wasn't very impressive. Also, Deep Note did not seem to go very deep. The whole thing sounded very very flat.

Played using Dolby Digital.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-18-2003, 12:30 AM:

I saw it this evening on the front of "LOTR: The Return of the King". I wish the trailer were a little more visual. But the concept was pretty fun, to a point. The fact I could instantly identify the movies used for nearly all the sound snippets shows I really have no life (gotta get laid or something otherwise my brain is just going to rot).

I'll second the view about lack of bass on the "deep note" part (the show I was watching was playing in DTS; I don't think the 5.1 audio was on the discs).

As to DTS copying the same concept, I really wonder why they haven't done something like that already. Even if they had to just stick with Universal releases from 1993 to present they would have a decent number of surround oriented titles from which to choose ("Jurassic Park," "Apollo 13," "Gladiator" to name a few).

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 12-18-2003, 12:33 AM:

I saw the BOUNTY trailer listed on the subscription discs, but ROTK didn't have any THX snipes. Interesante.

AJG

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 12-19-2003, 06:30 AM:

quote:
" THX cinema trailers have become tremendously popular among moviegoers. Audiences anxiously await our signature 'Deep Note' crescendo; it creates a sense of anticipation and eagerness for the feature presentation,"

This guy is freakin dillusional....THX trailers have become TREMENDOUSLY popular. Yah, I hear every day -- patrons coming up saying, "Gee, when is that new THX trailer coming out; I can't wait to see it...why, I'll come and pay full price for any movie that has 'Deep Note' playing with it. I'm just so damn eager to see it!" Puhleeeez, give us a break.

Don;t you just love how these company execs get so full of themselves that it becomes laughable, and the funniest thing is, they are in such a hyped mindset that they actually start to believe their own bullshit. This guy sounds very much like the TI spokesmen when DLP was first unveiled years ago and they ranted on and on about how this was the end of film and theatre projection as we know it. And how it will change mankind forever.

Spare us.

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 12-20-2003, 09:34 AM:

Bounty THX Trailer.
This has to be played at fader 7 to give any impact at all.
I like the idea of just having THX displayed on screen with the lighting effects shining on it, the dialogue clips are great, and fly around the auditorium well.
The 'Deep Note' is very weak, and played at anything less then fader 7 it sounds pathetic.
If the 'Deep Note' lasted longer and louder like all the other trailers, this would be up there with the rest.

Darren

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-20-2003, 04:09 PM:

I have a theory about the subdued mix on this one. The same 5.1 audio featured on this clip may be used on THX certified DVDs played on millions of home theater systems.

Over the years I have noticed the THX clips on DVD have the audio backed waaay down. I can only guess they are doing this as a result of so many newbies getting into the DVD thing and buying cheap home theater systems not very capable of producing strong levels of bass (much less signals of strength in other various frequency subbands). The earlier, much louder sounding trailers may be popping some of those cheap speaker drivers.

In the early days of DVD, discs like "True Lies" would have the bass on the "Broadway" clip amped through the roof. Recent DVDs have had very tame audio by comparison. Anyone notice how tame sounding the "Broadway 2000" clip was, particularly on the Indiana Jones box set? I've seen different mixes on the same trailers too. One version of "Grand" I have on DVD is very loud and very potent on the bass end. The recent one showing up on the 2-disc "Speed" DVD and "In Hell" had lower levels of bass. Same goes for the "Tex 2: Moo Can" trailer. The one featured on the "Toy Story 2" disc from the Ultimate Toy Box has a mix that really stomps. The same trailer on the "Monsters Inc." DVD is pretty tame by comparison.

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 12-21-2003, 06:23 AM:

Maybe bobby is right, but wouldnt they just limit the audio when mastering the DVD?
Ive got two versions of the Cimarron 70mm logo, the full screen 2.2:1 logo has the most amazing audio, with the 'zoom' sound as the screen explodes with light, sounding both orchestral and synthesized, the 1.85:1 within the 2.2:1 frame has a more plain orchestral 'zoom' which is less powerfull than the other. Both end in the most awsum way as the THX flys over head to the surrounds.

Cant beat the good old 70mm sound, even the plain Broadway knocks the socks of any digital sound.
Un-compressed audio is the way forward.

Darren

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-21-2003, 11:07 AM:

quote:
Maybe bobby is right, but wouldnt they just limit the audio when mastering the DVD?

That would require two audio masters, thus costing more money. Maybe Lucasfilm just wants to apply the same tame mix across all 5.1 outlets.

Yes the old 70mm mag THX trailers definitely had more "oomph" to them. But in that day a theater equipped for 70mm and certified for THX would likely have a more powerful sound system than what we typically see getting installed in a lot of new theaters.

10 years ago the very best movie theaters in America typically had very powerful sound systems capable of reproducing extremely dynamic sound pressure levels. IMHO, items like the mix of the original 70mm THX "Broadway" trailer or the original mix of the Dolby Digital "Train" trailer were designed to be played loudly in these kinds of theaters. Lesser theaters got speakers damaged. Instead of theaters making the proper investments of hardware in the first place the cheapie people obviously whined and make organizations like THX and Dolby tone down their bombastic trailer mixes.

Now we're seeing the second generation of that for home theater. Lots of people are buying cheap "all in one" home theaters in a box for under $300. What kind of sound quality or dynamic capability can one expect to get with a system like that. I'm sure lots of newbies have popped the little 1" drivers in those tiny cutesie cube speakers when turning up the volume a little. Few newbies can manage to go into their system setup and adjust their Dolby Digital settings from "max" down to the "normal" or "night" settings that would be more appropriate for their cheap system and paper thin walled apartment environs. So we get toned down home theater mixes instead. Yeah, overall I think newer DVDs, collectively on average, are less loud and less aggressive on their 5.1 mixes than they were a couple years ago or so. You have some exceptions like the LOTR movies, but overall I think there are fewer greatly aggressive mixes happening. The complaints of DVD newbies have to be a factor. I just thank God the newbies haven't succeeded in banning widescreen DVDs. But it is getting tougher avoiding all the "foolscreen" versions clogging the shelves.

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 12-21-2003, 01:02 PM:

Well said Bobby. The so-called " subwoofers " in those $300 HTIB are pathetic. They bottom out on the Fox Fanfare. But like anything, you get what you pay for.

As for dvd mixes, some of them recently have been released with a " Enhanced for Home Theater Mix ". The Lion King was one of the titles. The engineer said in the interview that it's basically the IMAX sound mix. You can really hear the difference as they provide the theaterical 5.1 mix as well.

Posted by Darren Briggs (Member # 1071) on 12-21-2003, 04:19 PM:

SO the IMAX mix should be great as they are the only other cinemas aside from THX ones that have a very high power system.

Posted by Miguel Angel Martorell (Member # 1110) on 01-10-2004, 05:13 AM:

A few days ago my manager came with 2 posters of THX and 6 THX Bounty traylers (3 flat & 3 scope). [Eek!]

To my surprise all of this traylers only show the deep note part. No clips of different movies.
[Frown]

Besides, here in Spain the latest premiered film (The last Samurai) which come with DTS disc there´s no Bounty Trayler on it, only the old THX traylers.

Like Kevin Kline said in A fish called Wanda..."WHAT A DISSAPOINTMENT".

Un saludo

Posted by David Graham Rose (Member # 1450) on 01-10-2004, 03:31 PM:

Greetings All from the ITEA seminars

Please please please could someone tell me why there is no one left in this industry with any knowledge of sound? To call the soundmark of THX a 'deep note' is incredibly is unscientific. It is actually a chord. Not a note. A note would be of a unique frequency, not a mixture of many frequencies. Should anyone have the time, or indeed, the inclination to place one's audio analyser in the auditorium and play the THX trailer and examine the frequency response this will bcome ocvious.

Is it any wonder that many circuits are turning their backs on THX accreditation, when the same self alleged 'experts' can not differentiate between a note and a chord?

Maybe some of these esteemed THX employees should be encouraged to take a visit over to the UK where the majority of our audio engineers (not naming any corporations)come fully equipped with B.A (Tonmeister)or B.Mus degrees and thus are able to differentiate between a note and a chord (no doubt without the aid of an analyser).

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 01-10-2004, 07:32 PM:

Maybe they're just being creative.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 01-11-2004, 01:12 AM:

Funny Daryl.

I find the name curious moreso because I'm not mindful of a "deep note" in the THX soundmark. For me, the higher pitched crescendo is the memorable bit.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 01-11-2004, 01:55 AM:

Sorry David, the classic THX sound is actually not a chord. A chord contains three or more notes typically spaced a third apart where in Western musical theory the third determines whether it is a minor or major chord. The THX sound is an empty fifth which could be seen as an "Orgelpunkt" or "pedal point", except that a pedal point usually serves as the harmonic basis for the upper voices while in the trailers, it is just a standing sound. That the notes are doubled in the octaves to achieve a fuller sound plays no role from the point of musical theory.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-11-2004, 01:54 PM:

yes get those 32' and 64' pipes working [Smile]

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 01-12-2004, 12:06 AM:

Wow, Gordon, you made me realize that you almost hit it on the head!

It's a fifth; they're trying to manufacture a resultant in the auditorium. That's why they call it a "deep note". It's a potshot the way they're trying to do it, so lots of people hear it miss.

http://www.organstops.org/r/Resultant.html