The film thread is bubbling away nicely which and I was going to post, saying I was surprised that The Lego Movie hadn’t been nominated but that I hadn’t been able to make out a lot of the dialog so missed a lot of the humour, to the point where I pretty much switched off. This leads me to ask, why is so much movie dialog so difficult to hear? It’s pretty bad at a theatre but even worse at home where we usually have to play films through external speakers in order to follow the plot. I realIse that modern thin screens have poor speakers but we don’t have the same level of problems with TV shows that we have with the mumbled, incoherent dialog in expensive to make cinema films. Is there an argument for a “home” soundtrack, mixed to get the best out of a domestic TV or am I (and more often, my wife) alone in finding this a problem?
Why is film dialog so difficult to hear?
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Is it just films you are talking about? I do think (as far as experience tells me) they are mixed a lot different to TV shows – less tinny, less compressed, quieter…. So I suppose the upshot is they aren’t really suited for the kind of small speakers you get on TVs these days.
So I think I know what you mean. I always need to use external speakers and play it loud when I’m watching a film. And we always switch subtitles on.
Do you have the same problem in the cinema? My problem with cinemas these days is they are often TOO loud. I took my son to see Lego Batman yesterday, and it was deafening. One character (the little flying robot brick thing in the Phantom Zone, for those who have seen it) had a voice which was painfully distorted and piercing.
In the cinema it’s often over loud effects and inaudible mumbled dialog. Maybe it’s an age thing but I reckon modern (21st century) films are worse.
And overloud music. We saw Lion the other day – lovely film, but the music was infuriating, particularly when there was nothing much happening. Huge washes of sound, or piano figures that repeated over and over again with no resolution.
Hmmm recall enjoying the music.
One word: subtitles. Despite having no hearing impairments, mrs bogl & I always have then on. So much easier.
No good at the pictures though, I admit.
I also find subtitles help me remember character names!
Another up for subtitles. beginning to avoid stuff without them. Partly an age thing and part the soundtracks for things today. Quiet, loud, quiet, loud, its like a bloody Pixies song.
Pixies songs are tremendous.
Some are.
Subtitles are a must when using yesmovies.to…
Mmmmn nngruh, speshhleeold cussume drmmm liih Taboo nthtaCornish wassit, Jummakrruhhn.
Another reason is actors today seem to mumble.
My daughter and I like to chill and watch Holby on a Tuesday. The regular cast sometimes mumble, but the actors playing the parts of patients are often famous character actors from yesteryear and you can hear every word.
I struggle to hear DVDs and also shows that have been TiVod, in a way that I don’t with normal TV.
I’m told we need to buy a soundbar. I started investigating on Amazon but lost the will to live, so I watch Walking Dead with a lot of ‘eh, what he he say before his face was bitten off?’
We have a soundbar, a Bose, so good quality – doesn’t seem to make any difference when the mumbling starts.
I wonder if it’s something to do with streaming? Nearly everything we watch is streamed, perhaps it’s the compression.
Watched Hell or High Water with the subtitles on yesterday, after 10 minutes of total incomprehension. Made a huge difference, particularly with Jeff Bridges, which has elevated mumbling to a high art. It was great for keeping tabs on what music was playing on the excellent Nick Cave soundtrack too, though it’s a bit comical when the subtitle says (sound of mumbling).
And what a great film it is. Apart from anything else, the cinematography is absolutely brilliant.
and difficult to spell
I agree, I have huge difficulty with TV sound, to the point where I will only watch series with subtitles.
I also need to have my hearing aids in, which helps.
At the movies it’s OK, the sound systems are pretty good these days. But I agree about overloud FX and music. So unnecessary (I sound like the Donald!)
So unnecessary. SAD!
I have been enjoying the Rillington Place miniseries currently on here in Oz but there is a lot of inaudible dialogue particularly from Tim Roth’s Christie. I tape the episodes and can rewind to hear again but still…
Christie claimed to have been gassed in WW1, causing permanent damage, so at least that’s biographically consistent.
I agree with the general points raised here though, and it’s so widespread that Tracey Ullman even has a send up sketch in a recent show, entitled ‘Another Mumbly BBC Drama’ or something similar.
Sounds rather like an age thing.
I’m starting to think so.
I would agree, and as my recent tinnitus thread shows my hearing isn’t 100%, but programmes from a couple of decades ago seem to combine clear dialogue with dynamic music with no problem.
An initial attempt to watch The Wire ended after about 30 minutes of wondering what was being said. I’m told watching with subtitles is essential.
Really enjoyed No Offense but even with frequent rewinding I still missed a lot of what was said. I have the sound running via an amp and into 3 decent speakers so it’s my ears, not the kit. I also read somewhere that indistinct dialogue is sometimes used to induce tension. In my case it’s irritation and confusion.
And of course, having cranked the sound up to hair parting levels so as to just hear what’s going on, if you don’t get to the remote quick enough, the adverts are pumped out loud enough to make your ears bleed.
Yeah, in The Wire it was clearly a way of disguising obviously expositional dialogue. Two characters in a car. We need to parachute the viewer into the scene so let’s have the characters explain what they’re doing, but we’ll hide the artificiality of that set-up by having them mumble, open cups of coffee, eat donuts etc. The Wire took that to the next level, true dat.
COS YOU ARE ALL FUCKING DEAF!!!!
(No offence.)
I am too.
I wonder why a site appealing to middle aged fans of loud music might have this issue?
Up … I SAID UP !
Like many others on here me lugs are not what they used to be but there is no doubt that mumbling lines is de rigueur in any movie/TV show which wants to be seen as in any way serious
I didn’t see SS-GB, but apparently it’s the latest to be followed by complaints of mumbled dialogue. Honestly, it’s not us – it’s them! Older shows don’t have this problem, it just seems to be that sound engineers have lost the knack of capturing speech and directors and producers have lost the knack of caring.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/feb/20/i-will-mumble-this-only-once-bbcs-new-nazi-drama-ss-gb-hit-by-dialogue-complaints
It’s really noticable when a film IS well mixed. Usually the effects are ear splitting whilst the speaking parts are either too quiet or drowned by music, but The Force Awakens is an honourable exception. I’ve watched the Blu Ray twice now and have been impressed by the balance between the above, so it is possible!
Partly it’s down to flat screen TVs which don’t have as much room for speakers as the old big box sets did.
By apparently it’s mainly down to actors and their commitment to how they interpret a role – https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2017/feb/20/flatscreen-tvs-actors-or-realism-whats-to-blame-for-ss-gbs-mumbling-problem
A TV producer was interviewed on Graham Norton’s Radio 2 show a while back, and he asked her about the mumbling thing. She offered an explanation that modern TV sets don’t tend to have the speakers at the front, but she also pointed out that scripts are so well rehearsed/shared that producers, in post-production, will auto-correct the bits they can’t hear clearly, because they know the script so well.
I love old Youtube clips of interviews with the likes of Burton and O’Toole – their voices had a wonderful clarity and poetic cadence; in reality, no-one speaks like that these days.