The Dark Knight Rises - Sound & Picture issues

damo3000

Hi guys

Just want to ask a quick one for anyone who has seen the film. I saw the Dark Knight Rises on Friday at 15:20 in Vue cinema in Liffey Valley. I was sitting in the back row of screen 2.

My problem was that the sound was disgraceful! The soundtrack was far too loud and completely drowned out the dialogue of ALL the characters.

I had to strain myself to actually hear what the characters were saying and I would honestly say that I had to do this for about 85% of the film. Basically, anytime the soundtrack was playing!

It completely ruined the film for myself and my girlfriend! We did speak with the manager afterwards who gave us a full refund, but his explanation was that the film was meant to be like this, which I highly doubt!

I also doubt that it was simply because I was up the back and closer to the speakers as I have never had this problem with Vue cinemas before!

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else noticed this or has had this problem?

Sad Professor

At my Vue screening the speakers were buzzing and clearly struggling with the sound. Also the picture was very dark. I strongly suspect they forgot to take the 3D filter off the projector. It wouldn't be the first time either. Overall I thought the presentation was very poor at Vue. This is why you need projectionists.

Does anyone know anywhere that is showing it in 35mm?

When I saw it last night, I found it near-impossible to make out precisely what Bane was saying sometimes.

damo3000

you're right actually, my screening was pretty dark too, however I was so concerned with not being able to hear the dialogue that I brushed it over.

@boneyarse for us, it wasn't just bane we couldn't hear, it was every single character. We couldn't hear probably 85% of the dialogue at all!

QikBax

Seems to be a problem looking around the internet that it's fine in some places and really bad in others.

I saw it in the Omniplex in Galway yesterday and there was no problem. Dialogue was very clear. The score is loud but I think that's just the way it's mixed. Same everywhere

Seans_Username

From the first line it was very obvious it was dubbed. And it wasn't done brilliantly.

I understood the important things he said, not everything though. It won't take anything away from the film for me though, it was a minor issue which should be forgotten when looking at the entire movie

lafors

Funny that you mention that, i saw it in vue yesterday at 4.20, screen 1, we all commented that it looked too dark and probably not the way it was supposed to.
The sound too was off in my opinion. The whole bane thing, Nolan had said he didn't want people to fully understand what bane said at times so i wouldn't worry about that but the musical score was definitely drowning out the dialogue at different stages.
There was also something rattling in the top left corner of the cinema when the bass was blaring, a bit annoying.

All in all it didn't ruin my viewing of it but as a first trip to vue it might make me not go back.

Sad Professor

I don't think all of Hardy's dialogue was looped. Nolan likes to use production sound where possible. But the IMAX cameras are very loud and lot of those scenes had to be ADR'd. Not just Hardy, all of the actors. The issue with Bane's dialogue is a combination of the accent, his lips being covered, the sound mix and the fact that he is clearly is trying make the voice stand out from Bane's physical movements. Nolan has talked about this in interviews. It was Hardy's choice to do it like this. If it seems weird, that's the point.

Anyway, I'm probably going to make a written complaint to Vue about the lousy picture presentation at my screening. There's no way the film was meant to be that dark. I don't miss all the problems that used to go with 35mm screenings, but at least there was usually a projectionist nearby who knew what the f**k he was doing.

beardo81

Watched this in the cinema in Balbriggan last night, sound was poor and picture was god-awful. Washed out and dull, it made that first slow hour even worse!

Going to see it again, any recommendations as to where? Dublin/Meath/Louth preferably. Good screen and sound a must!

bossa_nova

I saw it screen 2 last night and was a bit annoyed at how their speakers where struggling and buzzing a good few times during it,

And the fecking place was like a sauna too which was way worse.

johnny_ultimate

Sad Professor wrote: »

Does anyone know anywhere that is showing it in 35mm?

IMC Dun Laoghaire usually has the smaller screens showing 35mm prints. Saw Amazing Spiderman 35mm there, which was weird. Unfortunately, they tend to be the ****ter screens, especially in terms of sound.

Had no picture problems myself. The sound mix has a few misjudged moments, certainly more than should have gotten through. That is solely the fault of the filmmakers, although can imagine it being extra irritating on a poor sound system.

Jax Teller

i struggled to hear a lot of it last night in vue in screen 2 . Think ill have to go see it again in Cineworld ,

tvnutz

Saw it in Screen 2 at Liffey Valley at 10.40 last night as well. was sitting near the back at the side, the music was so much louder than the dialogue and was very very hard to hear certain things.

It kind of took away from the experience.I was straining to hear the dialogue at times which takes away from the enjoyment.

coolisin

I've being shocked at how many problems with sound and picture are being experienced.

Savoy screen one no issues with sound or dialogue, I wasn't sitting in a optimal seat close to the front and over to the right of the screen.
Bane was hard to understand from time to time, but I expected this.

It appears vue seems to be the worst.

Music is loud but as it is in all the movies, but nothing was being drowned out.

Jax Teller

I left a post on Vues Facebook complaining about the sound . Comment on It if yous can . See what they say

damo3000

damo3000 wrote: »

you're right actually, my screening was pretty dark too, however I was so concerned with not being able to hear the dialogue that I brushed it over.

@boneyarse for us, it wasn't just bane we couldn't hear, it was every single character. We couldn't hear probably 85% of the dialogue at all!

Funny enough Bane was as hard/easy as anyone to understand I thought. The sound mix was just terrible where I was, it was like a TV Movie where everytime somebody is about to say something a bit of music starts playing.

java

I saw it in the Lighthouse last night and didn't experience any sound or picture issues.

Deisler

We had the same problems in Savoy 1 show last night. Couldnt hear 50% of what Bane was saying. It seems like they rushed production to get it out. Hopefully on bluray it wil be sorted.

zt-OctaviaN

Same as! I saw it in Westport cineplex last night and the front left and right when music was playing (almost the entire bloody film????) or guns firing COMPLEEETLY drowned everything out! There was no definition in audio you could have heard better balance from a 2.1 sound system, disgraceful.

Johnny Johnson

I too felt the picture was a bit on the dark side. I noticed no sound issues though

Sad Professor

Johnny Johnson wrote: »

I too felt the picture was a bit on the dark side. I noticed no sound issues though

Was this in Vue?

Daveysil15

I saw it in Blanchardstown today and I noticed the same thing with the sound. The soundtrack was really loud. Bane was inaudible for a lot of the film too. I didn't notice any problems with the picture though.

I saw it in Blanch on Friday and the audio was perfect, I sat near the back too.

Duggy747

Saw it in the Eye cinema, sound was waaay too high and just drowned the dialogue frequently.

Picture was fine for the most part except at dark areas in certain scenes where there was a greenish tint to the blackness. Like you were watching it on a monitor, most notable when there was a close up of Bane as Bruce Wayne woke up in The Pit.

beardo81

So where IS good to see it?

juan.kerr

Coolock Odeon, no problems.

GSPfan

Saw it in Vue Liffey Valley on screen 1 last night. There's a bit when the camera is panning around Batman as he stands on top of a bridge and the music gets really loud. The speakers were screeching!
But you know what, I had the same issues with TDK. We came out of that film with the exact same sound issues and that was years ago. It wasn't until I got it on dvd that I fell in love with the film because I could hear every bit of it and enjoy the thumping soundtrack.

Cartman78

Saw this earlier today in Showtime, Limerick - easily the best cinema-going experience I've had in this country in terms of both sound and projection. Both were crisp & clear....the sound was pitch perfect for me.

re: Bane's dialogue - I would say there were 2-3 instances where I wasn't 100% clear on what exactly he was saying but this was down to the production rather than the cinema

CL7

Cartman78 wrote: »

Saw this earlier today in Showtime, Limerick - easily the best cinema-going experience I've had in this country in terms of both sound and projection. Both were crisp & clear....the sound was pitch perfect for me.

re: Bane's dialogue - I would say there were 2-3 instances where I wasn't 100% clear on what exactly he was saying but this was down to the production rather than the cinema

I saw it at Showtime yesterday and the sound mix was a little off for me. I was on the 2nd row from the front on the right hand side so I presume it was because I was so close to the front right speaker. Hope to see it again tomorrow and get a decent seat this time.

bertie4evr

Don't watch it in Kilkenny.The screen is so small the top, bottom and sides of the picture actually ends up on the wall (About half a foot each direction on an already small screen). The picture was fuzzy and there were dust spots everywhere too. Surprisingly the sound was alright. I could understand everything Bane said.

TheHopeful

jamc wrote: »

Seems to be a problem looking around the internet that it's fine in some places and really bad in others.

I saw it in the Omniplex in Galway yesterday and there was no problem. Dialogue was very clear. The score is loud but I think that's just the way it's mixed. Same everywhere

I saw this in the Omniplex in Galway on Friday evening too, and found that a lot of what Bane said was inaudible. My girlfriend thought the same.

handsomecake

something kermode eluded to and a thought myself and my brother shared today( owing to the fact we have a profoundly deaf relative)- the fact you cant see banes mouth plays a big part in the problems.i dont have the official facts and figures so i wont make them up but doesnt body language and lip movement account for more of communication then the actual spoken word itself.

from watching films with my uncle since i was young i got into the habit to this day of watching them with subtitles even when not in his presence

BopNiblets

No major problems with sound in the Savoy on Friday night although I noticed in some scenes the black colours (like Blakes hair) were more greyish, they could have turned up the brightness I guess?

Telchak

Seen it in Screen 17 (big one on the top floor) of Cineworld tonight. The picture was great, though the sound was a little on the loud site I thought. I got used to that, but I really couldn't get used to Bane's voice. Obviously it had to be dubbed because of the constraints of wearing the mask, but it seemed like no effort was made to make the voice sound like it was actually recorded at the time of filming. It sounded like when character's in a film are hearing voices inside their head

OldeCinemaSoz

Arklow's cinema sound was excellent.



The only drop out's we experienced (and this was
more to the little lad's ears than mine) was during
The Batmobile returning through the waterfall and
Catwoman's follow up kill after she nails Mr Corporate to the
wall with her stilletto.

Cuts, or just...?!?!

:cool:

I thought Bane (son of The Humongus) ripping the other
losers face off was definetly trimmed though...

jaykhunter

Saw this in Savoy 1 and no a/v problems. Missed a few bane lines due to the reasons previously mentioned by others, but overall I was happy with the audio and video presentation and would recommend.

fitz

I've stopped going to Vue for this reason. It's not just this movie, their sound setup is off. The centre channel, which I assume contains most of the dialogue, is too low. Had a few films ruined by straining to hear the dialogue over the score and sound effects coming from the side speakers, which were too loud.

It's almost like they've set the levels in reverse. The dialogue is at the level the score should be at and vice versa. It's incredibly frustrating. Have said it to them more than once, they obviously haven't done anything about it.

Having said that, had the sme issue in Screen 2 of Swan in Rathmines for TDKR. Only ever been in Screen 1 in there, and never had issues.

Sad Professor

Just to follow up on the picture issues in Vue, I went to see TDKR again this morning with friends. It was in one of the smaller screens in Vue, but I was astounded by the difference in picture quality. It was perfect. None of the murkiness that I experienced at the Friday showing. This would seem to confirm my suspicion that the polarising filter for 3D screenings hadn't been removed from the lens on the projector.

Delightfully Pessimistic

I went to see it in Vue on Saturday and it didn't seem to have any problems with the picture and sound. My only complaint that day is that vue charged 9.25 euro for the ticket which is fucking ridiculous :mad:

Sad Professor

Delightfully Pessimistic wrote: »

I went to see it in Vue on Saturday and it didn't seem to have any problems with the picture and sound. My only complaint that day is that vue charged 9.25 euro for the ticket which is fucking ridiculous :mad:

What screen were you in?

Delightfully Pessimistic

Sad Professor wrote: »

What screen were you in?

Screen 7

derryos

Sad Professor wrote: »

Just to follow up on the picture issues in Vue, I went to see TDKR again this morning with friends. It was in one of the smaller screens in Vue, but I was astounded by the difference in picture quality. It was perfect. None of the murkiness that I experienced at the Friday showing. This would seem to confirm my suspicion that the polarising filter for 3D screenings hadn't been removed from the lens on the projector.

For anyone who is interested, Vue just posted this on their FB page:

Vue Cinemas: Good morning all, here's what we've learned: The Liffey Valley site became aware of a problem with The Dark Knight Rises and started ran diagnostics to ensure they carryied out the correct actions to resolve the problem. This has resulted in having to install a new sound processor and, in the interim, they removed the movie from screen 2 and showed it in another screen instead. The new sound processor means we'll now have the best quality sound!

https://www.facebook.com/VueCinemas/posts/454972147870088?notif_t=feed_comment_reply

Sad Professor

No mention of the picture issues, though, which leads me to believe it was an isolated incident. I emailed them about it anyway and they said they are looking into it and will get back to me.

Bobsammy

I went to see it in Vue on Tuesday night and saw it in Screen 2. I thought the picture was fine but the sound was appalling - like others have said, it was very difficult to hear the dialogue when the background music was playing.
In fairness to the manager there we got our money back with no quibble, and tickets to see it again or any other film we want.
It gives me an excuse to go and see it again anyway cos I definitely didn't enjoy the film as much as I could have!

Telchak

Went to see the movie again in Cineworld, this time in (the much smaller) Screen 5. Wasn't as annoyingly loud as in 17, and the picture was still great (:

Galvasean

I guess I've been lucky. I saw it In UCI/Odeon in Coolock and Cineworld (screen 8). Picture and sound were perfect in both. Well, when I say 'perfect' I mean on the cinema's side of things. There was some very obvious ADR (and I'm not just talking Bane) and the sound mix favoured music over dialogue sometimes when perhaps it shouldn't. Minor minor complaints though. I've done some sound based work so would be more inclined to notice such trivial things.

eilisnig

TheHopeful wrote: »

I saw this in the Omniplex in Galway on Friday evening too, and found that a lot of what Bane said was inaudible. My girlfriend thought the same.

I saw it in the Galway Omniplex last night in screen 10 , the sound was awful!! It was like it was coming from one speaker at the front of the screen. I paid almost €9 for a ticket to experience a surround sound but at times it was hard to hear! I think I'll stick with the Eye cinema from now on!

seamus

Saw it in screen 7 in Dundrum on Sunday night and part of the picture seemed to be slightly out of focus (seeing double, and no it wasn't 3D ), but only about the lower 25% of the screen. I noticed it pretty much straight away (whenever there was text on the screen), but as it was really only noticeable with text, I actually forgot about it during the rest of the movie.

Sound was fine, it's only reading this thread I can remember having difficulty hearing dialogue over the music at one point, otherwise it was fine.