Analysis - Contact

Contact by Robert Zemeckis features Skywalker Sound's Randy Thom as Sound Designer and re-recording mixer.

The DVD is said to contain a 5.1 mix. The enveloping nature of the surround soundfield is used well during the zoom away from earth and into the galaxy at the beginning of the movie. Afterwards there is a more monophonic feel, perhaps as a contrast to the sonic caleidoscope. Still, I feel the stage should widen again when there is a definite purpose.

The party scene near Arecibo relies heavily on the frontal image as does the following sequence, in which the jungle noises sadly don't originate from the surrounds. It is interesting to note that ambience is located in the L and R but also perceptively in the center channel. The dialog on the other hand is _only_ placed in the center channel, with no trace in the other speakers - at least at that point.

The music takes up the L+R channels. The effects and therefore also the environmental envelopment are neglected.

19'30 into the movie the surrounds are once again activated. The (overly long) reverb from young Ellie's shouts is located in the back - with a rise towards the fading out. She then goes on to shout without any reverb. Perhaps this application is supposed to signify the transition into the (tunnel of) past? When Ellie enters the house the music is doubled in the surround channels. It carries on to smooth the transition to the creaking of threes in the wind in the frontal channels.

When Ellie walks up the stairs at her father's funeral (22'40) there is an increase in hiss in the surrounds, especially the left one, that then abates. I take this as yet another sign that the remix to Dolby Digital 5.1 for DVD was not executed carefully and decide to skip further into the movie, to the point when Ellie travels to Hokkaido (01'37).

The ambient channels are used to illustrate the flight of an airplane from rear right to frontal left, but the fury of the storm on the water takes place only in the front. This is yet another space where surround would very much enhance the illusion of "being there". Also, when the camera tracks around Ellie as she steps into the rain would be a great moment to move the weight of the rain to the rear.

Inside the ship there is the pulsing of the engines and rain hitting the window. None of it finds it's way into the ambient channels. I am happy to say that at least when Ellie enters the machine (01'42) the surround channels are used. When she talks with mission control the rear channels carry some reverb at very low, nearly imperceptible levels. This is mixed in with the dry music track.

At 01'46 mission control talks about some low frequency noise. Too bad it did not find it's way into the mix... The rear channels are used during Ellie's trip through the wormholes (01'50) and in the silence they carry the stadium-like reverb of Ellie's voice. The second episode of the travel features only occasional effects in the rear.

When Ellie arrives at the beach (01'55) the sound of the sea is conspicuously absent from the rear channels. They do carry the reverb tail of her breathing and at 01'57 the very low volume reverb on Ted's and Ellie's voices. Still I wish for a better sense of envelopment which definitely is possible.

It must be said that this rendition of the movie would benefit immensely by a careful acoustic design, as I am certain the movie in it's realization for the big screen contains. It remains unclear why the DVD-release sounds this poor.

The comments above pertain to the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of the German special edition (p) Jonathan Gaines / Acoustic Visions [Sorry, I didn't find any links].

Analysis - Ghost Dog

Ghost Dog by Jim Jarmush features Anthony J. (Chic) Ciccolini III as Sound Designer and Sound Effects Editor.

The DVD contains a very nice 5.1 mix in which the environment is well represented. The frontal soundstage is fully developed. Effects, like the last remaining pigeon that appears in the middle of the film to fly around the audience, are effective. The - often incidental - soundtrack by RZA with a strong bass is powerful and drives the action. The reverb of the monophonic mix is placed mainly in the surround channels.

It is noteworthy that the passages where Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) recites from Yamamoto Tsunetomo's "Hagakure" are not only placed in the Center but also in the surround channels. This might serve to create a stronger link to the interior monologue.

I was a bit surprised to experience dense white noise when I turned up the surrounds experimentally once in a while. It's volume is modulated by the overall mix, primarily from the front channels. I don't have an explanation for this observation as yet.

Surround sound on DVDs - Part 1

Since I set up my 5.1 monitoring system two months ago I have evaluated the surround soundtracks of several movies on DVD. BTW, it is surprising how many releases feature only 2.0, as movies have been produced with at least one rear channel for decades; maybe one can be glad that the consumer is not expected to own a monophonic system… In any case, I found most productions claiming to feature Dolby Digital 5.1 to be severely lacking in enveloping ambience.

What does 5.1 provide me with? I talked about that in an earlier blog, but to summarize briefly:

- Enveloping ambience
- Stability of the central image - as opposed to a phantom
- LFE extension, primarily for effects

With many of my recordings of acoustic music, tracked with surround in mind but only now remixed to 5.1, I feel that the sense of "being there" is the most prominent feature. With some symphonic works the LFE is absolutely essential to transfer the excitement of live timpanies or a bass section let loose, but being enveloped by the natural ambience for me is the key.

So why are many movies, that after all represent _major_ undertakings, focusing and condensing the passion of many contributors and generally consuming considerable amounts of time & money, lacking in that respect?

I believe it may be due to the nature of the process:

- The location recordist is primarily concentrating on capturing the narrative
- Ambience recording on set is a compromise as:
- Picture comes before sound
- There is a lot (of hustle and noise) going on around the scene being filmed
- There are many takes that feature slightly disparate acoustic angles

Speaking of angles, how do the final spectators / auditioners of the movie react to ambience cuts, in sync with visual edits, or is a (recreated) continuous ambience used to smooth out visual breaks?

- It is less costly to overdub than to reshoot after primary shooting is done
- In many cases the creation of sound effects and of the musical score & soundtrack are independent
- Sound is assembled when the final edit is done

In the end it is likely that the sonic realization of a DVD will not be more refined than the one created for the big screen.

Disclaimer: all this is my personal view as a sound person not directly involved in the movie industry. As such I represent the informed audiophile consumer's perspective. I welcome any feedback and corrections from collegues more intimately involved.