The Bofo Global b xx office fee for “Tenet” is a testament to Christopher Nolan’s public appetite for abilities as a filmmaker, but as the film opens in more countries and gradually, in the United States, familiar questions arise about the director’s stupid approach. The sound, and how much – or how little – of the film audience – its impact.
Messages posted on Reddit last week show some of the effects of frustration among movie goers. User Moff_Tarkin wrote, “The sound mix was awesome. This is really unacceptable and has significantly reduced my enjoyment of this film, ”said user Linubidix,“ there were some crucial dialogues that were almost inaudible. Elsewhere, user Jadenspark commented, “I couldn’t hear 30 minutes of solid dialogue because everyone was messing through the mask.” And so it continued.
Many critics have also noted that there have been similar complaints about previous Nolan films. For example, in “The Dark Knight Rises”, Tom Hardy’s brother wore a heavy riddle that echoed many of his lines. The character has become the center of cultural touch for incomprehensible dialogue in movies. Meanwhile, the marks recorded in “Dark Knight Rises” and “Inception”, as well as “Interseller” also deprive the dialogue.
“This is not uncommon for Chris’s films,” says one studio interior. “But with eight nominations and five wins for Sound, the record speaks for itself.”
A UK exhibitor responded to the grip on the inaudible exchange in “Tenet” on Twitter, saying the fault was in the print of mm the mm and said it was being switched to a digital version for improved sound quality. Given that these complaints are coming from multiple places in different cities, towns and countries, it seems as if these are all deliberate artistic choices. That makes it more exciting for some.
The frustration is exacerbated by the COVID-19 shutdown, the anticipation of paint-up and the frequent delays in the release of “Tenets.” In the words of a recent European screening professional, Nolan’s position as the ‘savior of cinema’ is only adding to the film’s anticipation.
Contacted by sound professionals Diversity There was reluctance to comment on the work of others, especially the stellar track record of the “Tenets” sound team, which was managed by sound editor Richard King, for Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” “Inception” and “Dunkirk.” Won an Oscar. And received an anonymous nomination for “International”.
A supervising sound editor, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, notes that “sound is considered mixed in Christopher Nolan’s films.
Everything you hear (or don’t hear) is the result of “super-conscious direction.” He added: “If you understand the meaning of the dialogue, they are happy. As a dialogue editor I like to understand every word, but that is my choice. ”
Noting that the film had an “excellent sound team”, the award-winning sound mixer says: “I know Nolan likes to move the envelope forward. He’s an artist and I don’t think he believes in working for the least common denominations of the projection environment. “
He adds: “When you’re listening to the whole mix in a theatrical environment and pushing the limitations of the system it’s amazing how differently this sound mix can translate into different theaters.”
Peter Albrechtsen, the sound designer who worked on “Dunkirk”, disagrees. Nolan claims that “every cinema is trying to make sure it’s playing as many films as it wants.” And that’s why it’s mixing sound into sound.1, even though we now have Atmos, as most Cinemas have a constitution. “
According to Albrechteson, “Tenet” is “a wonderful movie.” He likens it to a “James Bond movie on steroids.”
He says the way Nolan uses sound is “very gut-wrenching”. “It’s a physical experience.” He adds: “It’s a very intense sonic experience, and I can see that for some it’s overwhelming. The atmosphere of his film is very vibrant, ”he says, adding that his intricate soundtrack helps to create it.
Although he admits that the result may be difficult to grasp “small conversation details,” he prefers the fact that not everything is “served on a plate” for the viewer. “You really have to stay on your toes to get all the details,” he says.
Albrechtsen notes that filmmakers rarely use ADR (oma tomated dialogue replacement) – a process by which the dialogue is again recorded in a sound studio – so the dialogue on his films is mostly production sound. “This means the dialogue can be a little more agile,” he says. “But it also feels very real and I really like the contrast between this and the intense sonicscapes of influences and circumstances.” In comparison, he says, most big-impact movies use a lot of ADR, so the audio is “very clean.”
He says that the “sonic experience” in “Tenet” is so “creative” that it uses “sound effects back and forth”, reinforcing the concept of the story’s vertical time.
He acknowledged that the use of Nolan’s voice as part of the film’s storyline divides cinemas and critics alike, some have found it too much, and others are “delighted” by it. But, he says, this is part of Nolan’s identity as a filmmaker.
To expect any filmmaker to be the “savior of cinema,” says Albrechtsen, however, is that Nolan’s “passion for cinema is very inspiring.”
Brent Lange contributed to this report.
