8mm Forum: Your Favorite "Surround Sound" moment ...

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on June 25, 2019, 11:35 AM:

Hey! I think that this might actually be a first ever time post from me on a subject, (a rarity for me, to be sure ...)

What is you're favorite "surround sound" moment? I mean, one that really shows off surround sound elements in a film, whether at the movie theater or in you're own home theater?

My pick is one of my favorite films to test it out on, to this very day, is the Steven Speilberg film, "Always", 1990 (remember that one? Audrey Hepburn's last film). I have a "Realistic" old school Dolby unit, manufactured for home theater that uses the old 4 channel stereo, and no 'dedicated' seperate channels, so to speak.

The opening shot has two people, fishing in a boat and apparantly, they have fallen asleep. A fire-fighting plane, far in background, swoops down on the lake to gather water for fire fighting. As the plane nears the men, they wake up, see the plane and attempt to start the engine, which is a no go. When the plane comes right up to them, they dive into the water, and the plane has taken off, narrowing missing the boat ...

well, when the plane takes off, it literally flies off of the screen, right above you, and the surround has the now "unseen' plane roar over you and far behind you! it is an absolutely splendid use of surround!

What is you're favorite moment that really captured you're attention and made you go, "WOW!"?

Posted by Jean-Marc Toussaint (Member # 270) on June 25, 2019, 12:20 PM:

Good one Osi.

Mine is from Back to the Future II, beginning of the film (essentially the re-enactment of the final scene from the previous chapter). As the De Lorean appears in front of Marty's house, it speeds towards the camera, screeching to a halt, hitting a garbage can off screen, and you really ear it fly behind you.

Posted by Mark Todd (Member # 96) on June 25, 2019, 04:35 PM:

Many of the Vietman scenes in Jacobs ladder with helicopters going all round the place from every direction.

Sat in the cinema way back then, we could not believe how it sounded, really put you there almost.

Best Mark.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on June 26, 2019, 11:43 AM:

Cool!

The thing that really got me about that roar, is that it wasn't a short bit of surround, but a long drawn out, echoing roar!

If anyone has that film (kind of rare now), listen to it with the surround, you'll love it!

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on June 26, 2019, 12:04 PM:

Great topic, Osi!

As a kid of 11, I remember seeing Star Trek II in 6 track Dolby magnetic.

The sound of the ships thundering overhead before appearing on screen... Also I leapt at a tense moment later when I though something fell behind me, only to see the actors react to it on screen.

It was a revelation.

Even with Dolby Digital at home, I've never been able to recreate that sense of sound stage and wonder.

Recently, for fun and just to see how stable it was, I ran Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom using BBC iplayer into my home cinema system.

The picture was OK, not Blu-ray by any means, but what surprised me was the basic stereo / matrix Dolby surround mix which was awesome...rich and engaging. Strangely much less clinical than the Dolby Digital discrete mix and much more how I remembered this one as a kid too.

But Star Trek II at the Odeon in Glasgow as an 11 year old kid changed my perception of cinema sound forever.

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on June 27, 2019, 04:08 AM:

A long time ago but my favourite memory was dubbing the 400ft super 8 of Star Wars and managing to get a super 8 projector to trigger a Pro Logic rig. Used a Hi-Fi Panasonic VCR and the good old GS800 which was new at the time.
Was projectionist at a film festival back then showing 8 and 16mm on a massive screen and we projected that to show just how good 8mm stereo could be when recorded well.
Those were indeed the golden days.

Posted by Brian Fretwell (Member # 4302) on June 27, 2019, 03:02 PM:

I'm sure when watching "A Bridge Too Far" in a local cinema some planes flew overhead and appeared on screen as the sound followed. I hadn't known the cinema was equipped for magnetic stereo, this being 1977. Unfortunately they were not equipped whit Dolby stereo for Star Wars when that came out.

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on June 30, 2019, 10:20 AM:

Mine is my print of Aliens! The stereo is just excellent! Lots of sound separation that jumps from speaker to speaker! Very well recorded! I ran this film through my stereo system! Its just great! Theatre sound Quality!

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on July 01, 2019, 03:07 PM:

Another moment that I always remember was the T-Rex in Jurassic Park.

It's the scene where it attacks the cars at night and emits a shuddering, terrifying roar / scream.

It sent shudders down my spine.

What I realised later was that this was the first movie I heard using DTS sound.

I actually wasn't aware of DTS at that point, assuming it was Dolby Digital, but you know when something just seems extra special...

Oh, and the opening of "Contact", where the camera pulls back from Earth and you hear the radio transmissions swooping past. Again, never quite got that same feeling at home, despite what equipment I tried.

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on July 01, 2019, 04:15 PM:

There's nothing like a well recorded stereo sound film! The sound will be great!

Posted by Melvin England (Member # 5270) on July 02, 2019, 02:27 AM:

In 1975/76 visiting a 1200 seat cinema with only 7 other people in it and listening to the completely immersive booming sound track to the film I was watching......the rock opera Tommy!

Elton, Tina, Eric and Roger never sounded better.

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