HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

Re: HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

I really need to collect my thoughts on this more later, but I want to say that those of you who werent able to make it to this demo missed a TON! The folks at Todd-AO were among the most remarkably open, informative and fun that I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with, and their theater is to die for! Watching the reels of Bourne and Eagle Eye was just icing on the cake, as the demo and tour of their projection area really wowed me, and I hope you guys will enjoy the pictures from there soon enough!

Re: HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

Sam... thanks for the comments..

I apologize to everyone there that I had to leave early.. Spent til 6:30pm in the emergency room with my wife... everything turned out ok though.

Thanks to all for coming and I hope it was worth the Saturday morning.

All the best.. Marc.

Re: HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

Marc, glad everything turned out OK.

I'm working on a write up of our visit but didn't catch Robert's full name or his official title.

Thanks.

Re: HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

The visit to Todd-AO was easily one of the highlights of the week. While touring the major studios is always a pleasure, it's rare to get a real look behind the scenes of the movie making process itself. Emmy award winning re-recording mixer Marc Fishman ("John Adams") and recordist Robert Althoff were excellent hosts, giving us freedom to sit (and marvel) at the mixing console, answering our many technical and non-technical questions, and treating us to three fine examples of Todd-AO's high caliber work.

The first sample we watched was from "The Bourne Ultimatum," which won Academy Awards for Sound and Sound Editing. I wouldn't have minded watching the entire film in that amazing facility, but Marc made an excellent representative choice that showed off both the work of the mixing team and the capabilities of the room - Bourne's chase and fight sequence in Morocco. Though I have yet to revisit that scene in my living room, I am somewhat hesitant knowing that it will probably never live up to what I experienced at Todd-AO.

Next, Marc presented a scene from a film that he mixed, "Never Back Down." This time he was able to separate the audio elements and show us the major components that contribute to the overall mix - dialogue, background sound effects, score, source music, and Foley sound effects. Listening to Marc I was struck, perhaps for for the first time in a really tangible way, that making movies is a tremendous undertaking. Knowing that there are many other components leading to the creation of a major motion picture, I couldn't help wondering how a film gets made at all. Its completion is truly a testament to the organizational skills, determination and talent of those involved.

Finally, we were treated to a scene from "Eagle Eye." Marc apologized for showing us so many loud films, and assured us that not everything they do is so loud. Though the samples he shared were certainly forceful, listening to them was never uncomfortable or fatiguing, an indication not only of the technical quality of the material but also of the talent and skill in creating a mix that draws in, captures, and leaves the audience wanting more.

At one point one of our members inquired about the audio format used in the mixes. Marc shared that they work in 24/48 WAV but emphasized the audio ultimately sounds good because of the quality of the mix, not the format it is mixed in. I thought this was an excellent statement - something worth remembering as a reviewer here and as someone who can sometimes get caught up in technical specifications.

For the rest of our visit we visited the projection room where Robert continued to answer questions and explain Todd-AO's operations. Marc also managed to get us a few goodies from DTS - t-shirts and Blu-Ray demo discs.

Coming at the end of a jam-packed week, the visit to Todd-AO was an excellent and worthwhile change of pace. With the smaller group, the less intense traffic on the way there, and the relaxed hospitality shown by Marc and Robert, it made for one of the most memorable experiences on the trip.

Many thanks to Marc and Robert and Todd-AO. I look forward to experiencing more of your amazing work!

Thank you to Adam Gregorich and Ray Coronado for making the arrangements for our visit!

Re: HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

I must thank Todd-AO for spending time with us Saturday! After listening to so many soundtracks over the years, I've been yearning to hear any part of a film soundtrack before the printmaster. Todd-AO provided that for us on their dubbing stage.

Now I know what a theater mix on a dubbing stage sounds like.
Now I know how different it sounds from a home theater environment.
Now I have a greater understanding of film soundtracks and why they sound the way they do.
Now I know why film soundtracks need to be 'readjusted'/re-eq'ed for home theater playback on BD & DVD.

Todd-AO is certainly designed to create, design, playback, and play loud when needed. It is clearly a top-notch facility for creating audio mixes for large theaters so all of the elements being thrown into the mix can be heard. I was floored to hear "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "Eagle Eye" - by taking direction from the directors of these films - the audio was designed to play loud through horn speakers and 18" Bag-End subs that lined the theater from side to side. I know I will never hear these soundtracks this way ever again, but that is not saying I have less appreciation for my home theater because that is furthest from the truth. A home theater and a dubbing stage are two different environments serving different purposes. Within reason, as long as reproduction of the audio signal on the disc isn't altered by home equipment (no matter what system the final soundtrack was monitored and approved on), people will enjoy the mixes. The reality is, no two systems will ever sound alike. Even with my hifi gear, I will never hear what Todd-AO hears. And a home theater will never sound like a dubbing stage and it shouldn't be designed to either. In the end, it's how highly engaging the mix is and not the resolution of the master that makes movie watching fun. The guys at Todd-AO certainly know how to accomplish this! A big thanks to Robert and Marc!

Re: HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

Marc, thanks once again for the awesome morning, glad everything worked out with your emergency! Congrats on the Emmy, and truly welcome to HTF as a bonafide poster and not just a lurker! =)

It was a real pleasure chatting with you and Robert. Your candor was refreshing after having been through the (somewhat PR choreographed) demos at the studios. Robert gave us a tour upstairs of the broadcast booth and that led to even more questions from us and an even bigger appreciation of what Todd-AO has invested in the theater. His enthusiasm and detailed answers were well appreciated, we can't thank you both enough for taking a weekend morning away from your family to spend it with us.

The choice of Never Back Down was brilliant too, as we had been exposed to this film at the EMA show by Summit Entertainment and being able to peel back the layers of sound was really informative and fun! Was really impressive to hear your thought process on the transition of the Kanye West song as the lead character moves from his car to the fight club. I wonder if Kanye himself has ever heard this sequence as you have imaged it in as pristine a setting as your theater!

Re: HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

Just to add my $.02 here, I was also impressed by the pure power and cleanliness of the audio.

I am glad that everybody enjoyed the booth visit, I expected to not have a lot of followers when I asked Robert for a brief booth visit, but the whole group followed and it was certainly one of the (many) highlights for us techies...

Again, thanks to everyone who made this trip possible.

Vern

Re: HTF Attendees Report: Todd-AO 10/25

No way dude, I totally wanted to see what they had under the hood and these guys delivered the goods =) I got some good shots of you looking at the old gear too, look for em in the scrapbook!