Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1504875
'Once the film leaves the dub stage, we have no control.' that cinema and know you'll be happy with the experience. Or, perhaps theaters agree to advertise that a film will be played 'as intended' and this works as a bellwether/ catnip for those put off by loudness to avoid those theaters and attracts those who know to look for a properly aligned theater." Proposing a loudness spec for DCPs (digital cinema packages) may make some mixers cringe, but Babcock concedes that the adoption of "The TASA Standard," which sets the upper volume limit for theat- rical trailers at 85dB Leq(m), has improved the moviegoing experience. He said, "Before the TASA Standard, if a projectionist set the theater level based on overly loud trailers, then the movie would sound too low," he said. "While my snap answer is no, we shouldn't have loudness standards for the- atrical releases, a standard that prevents a theater from going over some agreed-upon peak level might be a good thing. Many live time-weighted average, so this is a safe level for mixers working an eight-hour day. But how many mixers work only eight hours a day? Could lowering the reference level be beneficial for mixers, exhibitors, and audiences? If the reference level was lowered, con- sider that theatrical releases play in rooms (potentially) f illed with people. "If it's too quiet then you might miss something because somebody is sneezing, or talking too loudly, or eating snacks too loudly," said Kiser. "As a mixer, you always have to worry about translation because once the film leaves the dub stage, we have no control. If you're losing dialogue because the theater is not playing at the standard reference level, that's a problem. That's why I changed how I mix to make sure it translates in spaces large and small. I know my mix will play at 50dB, 70dB, and 85dB. Mixing that way means I can't push the boundaries as hard, but are we making art films? Or are we making films that are meant to make money? Who gets to decide? The viewer. And if the viewer says, 'Turn it down.' It'll get turned down." What about setting a loudness stan- dard for theatrical releases (akin to TV broadcast/streaming releases but not the same specifications)? As Kiser pointed out, "There is no legal standard, so the projectionist always has the choice to do what they want with their room, to make a decision on playback level based on the audience at the time. But they might set a level for a less-crowded afternoon showing and that doesn't get reset for later shows." Mangini said that "the creative com- munity can be more conscientious, as can the exhibitors. Perhaps there is a solution where exhibitors agree to some kind of playback standard and we, the filmmak- ers, find new ways to adhere to it. Maybe there's an alliance between exhibitors and the creative community where we prom- ise to adhere to a loudness standard, as broadcast does. Or, if there was an official seal-of-approval that promises you (the audience member) that this film won't be too loud or too bright, then you can select concert venues have a peak standard of around 110dB. (And it needs to be said, most exhibitors play movies at a much lower level than a Taylor Swift concert!) That doesn't necessarily change the dynamics or the EQs or the frequencies that you're hearing but it provides a general level of protection. Maybe that's something to explore." Babcock added, "As f ilmmakers, we should be conscious of those peaks, so they're not being used too much and it becomes relentless. That's something we discuss on a dub stage: Is this too much? Is this too fatiguing? Movies are done pretty tastefully these days. So if there is to be a loudness standard, it needs to be one that wouldn't restrict our approach to mixing too much." But how long could a "peak" be? And what happens if a peak exceeds that time limit? "If there's a chase scene where a car goes off the cliff and smashes and crashes and it exceeds the peak time limit, how do you turn it all down?" asked Lamberti. "Also, we'd need to be able to measure loud- ness peak and duration. So that's a hard one, but maybe it has to get there. Maybe that's the thing that has to get reined in." 'WE NEED TO FIGURE IT OUT' Filmmakers, exhibitors, and audiences can all agree on one thing: going to see a film at the theater should be an enjoyable experience. But finding a way to make that happen is going to require a multi-point solution. "It's an industry problem, so as a collective, we need to try to figure it out," said Lamberti. While working with Director Sam Green on the documentary "32 Sounds," Mangini and Green found it helpful to send out a letter from the distributor with every DCP that said, "'32 Sounds' is a very special film; it lives and breathes through sound and its proper reproduction. We ask and encourage you to please play the film at the standard level and promise you that we have been conscientious about making a soundtrack that should be pleasing to everyone [and] offend none." Mangini said, "By sending a letter with Tony Lamberti. SEE PAGE 53 41 F A L L Q 3 I S S U E T E C H