I absolutely noticed this phenomenon and I noticed it with Inception as well. I am actually researching the topic more about soundtracks now manipulating the "A.D.D." audience, rather than like a John Williams score, enhancing the emotion and then absconding when important dialogue is spoken. Alexandra Nakelski Professor of Film Studies and Popular Culture On Sat, Nov 17, 2012 at 9:44 AM, Larsson, Donald F <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > I also saw Skyfall yesterday and think I may have heard the same sound > presence as Krin. I also thought it might be sound bleedthrough from the > theater next door but was puzzled because the layout of that particular > theatre made bleedthrough seem unlikely. (And I was already irritated > because I had had to go out and remind the theater people to dim the house > lights.) Now I may have to go again just to listen! > > Don Larsson > ___________________________________________________ > "I don't deduce. I observe." > --Roger O Thornhill > > Donald F. Larsson, Professor > English Department, Minnesota State University, Mankato > Email: [log in to unmask] > > ________________________________________ > From: Film and TV Studies Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] on > behalf of Krin Gabbard [[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2012 9:25 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: [SCREEN-L] Soundtrack rumblings > > I just got back from seeing Skyfall, the new James Bond film, at a > multiplex on 84th and Broadway in New York City. Early in the film, I > heard a faint rumbling that I assumed was the sound of explosions bleeding > in from the film in the theater next door. Then I thought it was a subway > train running very close to the surface near the theater. But when the > rumbling became a bit louder, I realized that is was actually coming from > the speakers in the theater. There was nothing at all musical about the > rumbling. It was deep in the bass register, and it was never rhythmic. On > closer listening, I decided that it was meant to be an aural punctuation > to dialogue. I was not aware of it during the action scenes. It only > seemed to be part of the soundtrack when characters were talking, and it > seemed like the “explosions” were more pronounced when someone said > something meant to be significant. > > It may not be a useful comparison, but I kept thinking of the nonstop, > fake-gravitas soundtracks in recent films with scores by Hans Zimmer. I’m > thinking in particular of Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. There > seems to be a trend toward soundtracks that never leave well enough alone. > The filmmakers seem to believe that audiences will be more attentive or > more moved when there is always something happening on the soundtrack > besides dialogue and diegetic sound. > > Was I having aural hallucinations, or has anyone else noticed this? > > All the best, > krin > ------------------------------------------------------ > Krin Gabbard, Professor of Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies > Department of Cultural Analysis and Theory > Humanities 2048 > Stony Brook, NY 11794-5355 > (631) 632-7460 > > Editor in Chief, Cinema and Media Studies > Oxford Bibliographies > www.oxfordbibliographies.com/obo/page/cinema-and-media-studies > > > > ---- > Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the > University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu > ---- > For past messages, visit the Screen-L Archives: > https://listserv.ua.edu/archives/screen-l.html > ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]