In recent years, the dialogue in movies and TV shows has gotten harder and harder to understand. No one seems to agree on who or what the main culprit is, much less how to fix the problem. In this episode, we wade into the murky waters of The Great Dialogue Debate, and maybe, just maybe, find a solution. Featuring Production Sound Mixer Tom Curley and Slashfilm Senior Writer Ben Pearson. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Go to indeed.com/hertz to start hiring today. Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k. Visit babbel.com/20k to get 55% off your subscription. Visit shopify.com/20k and sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. Support us by supporting our sponsors at 20k.org/sponsors. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/subtitleson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You're listening to 20,000 hz.
What you're hearing is a clip from Terminator two.
Back in the early nineties, it won the Oscar for best sound.
In the scene, Sarah Connor is escaping from a hospital.
Then she runs into the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and she is terrified.
But I want you to focus on the soundtrack.
On her screams.
You can hear some added reverb.
Theres also some Foley as Sarah scuffles with the hospital staff.
Theres some dialogue and theres some punchy sound effects once Arnie starts throwing people through windows.
By todays standards, this sound mix is actually pretty tame.
Nothing feels overpowering and the music is kept fairly low.
I dont find myself thinking about the sound at all.
Im just completely lost in the story.
Come with me if you want to live.
But lately it seems like any time I watch a movie or a tv show at home, I have to constantly ride the volume on my remote control and its really annoying.
A sound effect like an explosion will be way too loud.
So I turn it down.
Then someone says something and I cant understand it.
So I turn it back up.