We all know the modern complaint: movie sound sucks now unless you have a high-end sound system. Frantically turning down the volume after turning it up to hear the dialogue only to need to turn it up again can be frustrating. Now, this doesn’t solve the underlying problem, but why not have a “Volume A” and “Volume B” you can easily set and toggle between with the simple press of a button?
That’s what I do, and I installed an audio compressor to level out the audio volume. Now I don’t have to stress about disturbing the neighbours with TV explosions.
You’re probably one of the few people that has heard the dialog from Tenet then. Christopher Nolan films are some of my favorites, but wow, was that audio messed up. I had to create an equalizer profile just for that.
While watching Tenet, I quickly realized I can’t watch this movie in the normal way. Subtitles were obligatory, but the plot is such a labyrinth that you’ll get lost in no time. I ended up taking notes and referring to some videos that explain what’s actually going on. I also had to go back and forth many times. While “watching” the movie that way, I ended up spending several hours. A simple two hour movie became a two day project.
Yes, I know I’m doing it wrong. You’re supposed to just watch it the usual way, be super confused, watch it again, be a little less confused etc. After watching it about 10 times you’ll probably understand what’s going on. If you don’t use subtitles, even 20 times won’t be enough.
I just used subtitles
Subtitles are great. I almost always have them on to aid comprehension. I find that I pick up on more subtleties that way. I feel like I still want to be able to process almost all of the dialog with audio alone so that the subtitles add an extra layer of understanding.