Anyone else notice that films are increasingly plagued by actors mumbling whole scenes of dialogue?

It seems to be reaching epidemic levels.

It's a problem compounded by music levels and atmospheric effects being incredibly loud.

Starting to put me off films altogether tbh.

I did a Google and noticed it's a pretty common complaint.

What? Mummies? I can't hear you over these explosions and background music...

I hadn't noticed this getting any worse lately, but that's probably because my hearing is especially bad at picking voices out of background noise. Now everyone else will know what it's been like for me :)

Everything I watch at home has the closed captions turned on. An alternative or complement would be cranking up the center channel of a decent sound system.

Yeah, you’re not alone. I can’t understand a damn thing anyone is saying anymore, it’s like they’re speaking Gaelic or Norse.

That’s why Netflix is king, they have subtitles for everything, which I just leave on now… indefinitely. Except when they do stupid things like release ‘Solo’ in the Canadian French version a week ahead of the English version; I don’t speak French. I thought no worries, I’ll just put on the subtitles, they’re speaking English anyway… subtitles were in French.

Concur!!

It makes me wonder, does anyone who makes these things listen to them in a room first - isn't that what effing sound editing is for.

Thank God at home I can watch with captions.

Maybe caused by too many orphans in the
dialogue?  ::) ;D

Quoted from stevie Maybe caused by too many orphans in the dialogue?  ::) ;D

Ahhh - yes.

How many people experience this problem at the theatre?

I've noticed the same thing at home, but I don't remember ever having trouble hearing the dialogue in theatres (of course, half the time that's because they're just too loud throughout).

Curious if the apparent rise in these complaints is due to less-than-ideal home viewing setups and to quality, compression, and format issues with digital and especially streaming files.

Quoted from Heretic How many people experience this problem at the theatre? I've noticed the same thing at home, but I don't remember ever having trouble hearing the dialogue in theatres (of course, half the time that's because they're just too loud throughout). Curious if the apparent rise in these complaints is due to less-than-ideal home viewing setups and to quality, compression, and format issues with digital and especially streaming files.

I'm beginning the think they just don't give a shit.

I've noticed it in cinemas/theatres (Here's looking at you Christopher Nolan!) but it's definitely more of a problem at home.

It's a combination of several things:

1. Acting. There's a new mumbling style that's become fashionable. It's so prevalent the head of the BBC informed directors to stop actors mumbling because they'd received so many complaints.

It's particularly bad in intimate/key scenes where the actors are imparting the emotional core of the story...and all you can hear. is bmmmff  bmmmmf lmmmf.

It's ironic that character based dramas that rely on talking are the worst culprits. They are becoming unwatchable without subtitles.

2. Sound not being optimised to TV screens/Soundbars etc...though it's a problem on even really expensive surround sound systems. Even if you set individual levels, raising the sound of the central speaker and turning down the surround...the mumbling just gets louder, not clearer...

3. Music and Effects that are mastered to be as loud as possible and override all the dialogue.

I find I have to watch a film with remote in hand: Dialogue scenes need to be up in the thirties to hear, scenes with music have to be as low as 8 to be bearable. There's just a massive discrepancy between the two.

This might be a symptom of the "Loudness" problem with modern music...the complaint that all music is mastered to be as loud as possible at the expense of dynamic range so it stands out on the radio.

4. Plain old bad sound mixing. Directors and editors who know the lines inside out are not realising the dialogue is incomprehensible or they are simply not taking the time to mix the levels properly...it's not something that effects old movies...so it's clearly a problem in the modern process.

Whatever is causing it, it's a problem that's getting worse.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films I find I have to watch a film with remote in hand: Dialogue scenes need to be up in the thirties to hear, scenes with music have to be as low as 8 to be bearable. There's just a massive discrepancy between the two.

YES!

Me and wife watching movie.

WIFE
Could you turn it down, please?

Moments pass.

WIFE
Could you turn it up, please.

Rinse and repeat.

Quoted from eldave1 YES! Me and wife watching movie. WIFE Could you turn it down, please? Moments pass. WIFE Could you turn it up, please. Rinse and repeat.

Just get a second remote.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Can you guys give some specific examples of this, because I guess I haven’t noticed it. But I also play movies at about rock concert volume levels on my Telly.

I first noticed it in Brokeback Mountain.

Heath Ledger was just mumbling all the way through.


It currently infests every BBC Drama. The worst was Eddie Redmayne in Birdsong.


It's a problem in almost all Christopher Nolan films...usually just some actors.

Tom Hardy is perhaps the main culprit. In a recent series, Taboo, he was almost impossible to understand.

Rampage in A Team.


I started the thread after watching about three films in a row that were like this, with the last: A low budget film called the Ballerina, taking it to ridiculous levels. The actors mumbled and whispered through the main emotional scene that described the backstory. Even if you were sat next to them, you wouldn't have been able to understand it. I had to go on Wikipedia to read what the plot was about so I could essentially ignore the actual film.

Quoted from FrankM Just get a second remote. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Funny!

Quoted from Gary in Houston Can you guys give some specific examples of this, because I guess I haven’t noticed it. But I also play movies at about rock concert volume levels on my Telly.

Colin Farre - In Bruges. Great movie if you watch it with close caption. Undecipherable if you don't.

Bohemian Rhapsody a great example of the volume thing.  

My only complaint is that the music levels are too high.

STF, would you count The Bodyguard or Line of Duty as typical BBC dramas with mumbling?

This is definitely a thing. I don't notice it often but certainly often enough to where this thread was no revelation to me. I think the main culprits are:

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films 1. Acting. There's a new mumbling style that's become fashionable. It's so prevalent the head of the BBC informed directors to stop actors mumbling because they'd received so many complaints. It's particularly bad in intimate/key scenes where the actors are imparting the emotional core of the story...and all you can hear. is bmmmff  bmmmmf lmmmf. It's ironic that character based dramas that rely on talking are the worst culprits. They are becoming unwatchable without subtitles. 2. Sound not being optimised to TV screens/Soundbars etc...though it's a problem on even really expensive surround sound systems. Even if you set individual levels, raising the sound of the central speaker and turning down the surround...the mumbling just gets louder, not clearer...

I would actually put sound over acting. It's becoming a regular occurrence where I'll sit down to watch something with a friend or group of friends and someone will either request subtitles or automatically turn subtitles on before starting. If not that, you're watching something and just realize halfway in you can't hear shit. I just watched a movie with friends with no mumble acting that I can recall and we had to turn the volume up to like 70 before we could start to hear anything. Like Chris (Heretic), I encounter this problem a lot less in the theater, so I'm inclined to think it's a home entertainment issue.

Actors are definitely not off the hook though. I'm not sure this is even a new thing, just more prevalent these days.

Quoted from jayrex My only complaint is that the music levels are too high. STF, would you count The Bodyguard or Line of Duty as typical BBC dramas with mumbling?

I haven't seen them, so I can't comment.

Quoted from James McClung This is definitely a thing. I don't notice it often but certainly often enough to where this thread was no revelation to me. I think the main culprits are: I would actually put sound over acting. It's becoming a regular occurrence where I'll sit down to watch something with a friend or group of friends and someone will either request subtitles or automatically turn subtitles on before starting. If not that, you're watching something and just realize halfway in you can't hear shit. I just watched a movie with friends with no mumble acting that I can recall and we had to turn the volume up to like 70 before we could start to hear anything. Like Chris (Heretic), I encounter this problem a lot less in the theater, so I'm inclined to think it's a home entertainment issue. Actors are definitely not off the hook though. I'm not sure this is even a new thing, just more prevalent these days.

In terms of home systems, it's not the systems themselves (computer games are absolutely crystal clear 100% of the time in dialogue delivery and I have never once needed to try to balance levels on any game), so the problem must be coming from sound tracks that are optimised for a very specific theatre set up that doesn't translate to the home, plus the acting and style of sound recording (games, I presume are recorded entirely in small sound booths whereas films may be recorded on location, or with wider shots).

It's very annoying though. It's essentially ending the format as a passive medium.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films In terms of home systems, it's not the systems themselves (computer games are absolutely crystal clear 100% of the time in dialogue delivery and I have never once needed to try to balance levels on any game), so the problem must be coming from sound tracks that are optimised for a very specific theatre set up that doesn't translate to the home, plus the acting and style of sound recording (games, I presume are recorded entirely in small sound booths whereas films may be recorded on location, or with wider shots). It's very annoying though. It's essentially ending the format as a passive medium.

You might be right. I haven't looked into it myself. Annoying indeed. And sad.

Just watched Black Klansman

Same effing problem on the volume