HBO's Cavalcade of Misery Presents: Sharp Objects

[Jorge]

If we're talking about the same scene (and I think there is only one diner scene in that episode), I hear very light ambient rumbling, just some background chatter and cutlery sounds. Nothing obtrusive, nothing incongruous with what's on the screen, and certainly nothing close to "50 people having a spirited conversation".

For what it's worth my first viewing was on a panasonic SC-BTT465 home theater system and the second was on Audio Technica M50x headphones ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Jorge]

It would be incongruous if the scene were set in the Sahara desert. But they are at a diner, and it is understood both by context and by an earlier establishing shot that there are other people there. The sound is appropriate to the setting. I do think some people behind them were eating, but regardless, ambient sounds don't correspond 1:1 with what's in frame at any given moment. I'd say it's rare that they ever do. Anyway, I don't hear the 50 loud voices, it feels pretty minimal to me. I don't know what askiterakkt means

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Norah]

jorge doesn't work on this show

he's biased because he's in love with amy adams

[Jorge]

Yes I do. I'm the supervising sound editor

[Norah]

you're a liar

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Jorge]

What is askiterakkt?!? Tell me right now!

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Jorge]

It would be incongruous if the scene were set in the Sahara desert. But they are at a diner, and it is understood both by context and by an earlier establishing shot that there are other people there. The sound is appropriate to the setting. I do think some people behind them were eating, but regardless, ambient sounds don't correspond 1:1 with what's in frame at any given moment. I'd say it's rare that they ever do. Anyway, I don't hear the 50 loud voices, it feels pretty minimal to me. I don't know what askiterakkt means

back to beat the dead horse:

Poorly produced incongruous background audio is a pet peeve of mine in film & tv. You ever watch an ep of Game of Thrones where Jon Snow is trying to rally his men, and they are all responding visually with raised fists and swords, and the walla audio is indiscriminate "yargh yargh yargh"ing? That shit drives me crazy; it's the modern day equivalent of hammy Billy Wilder acting, and it's going to age so badly.

Giving bad walla a pass because "the sound is appropriate to the setting" isn't demanding enough of filmmakers, IMO. When they shot that diner scene in Sharp Objects, it's appalling to me (relatively speaking, of course) that someone on the set actually told all the background extras to sit there quietly, not move their mouths, pretend they were eating in solitude; and then in post, someone said "let's just use some stock walla sounds of a restaurant, the viewer won't know the difference."

Why does it sound like there are 30 people talking in that scene when in fact only two characters are moving their lips?
It doesn't matter if it's mixed lower than the main dialogue, when the sound is shitty AND the acting is shitty (I think Chris Messina is doing a horrible job in this series), it totally takes me out of the show; I'm no longer in Wind Gap, I'm not just sitting on my couch with my wife, wasting our lives watching shitty television; it makes me not enjoy what I'm doing, and my mind starts wandering, and I start feelings guilty about all the other more important things I could be doing.

There is a wealth of walla out there; I have no doubt that HBO has access to some clip called "Diner, quiet, ambient restaurant sounds" (or something like that) that doesn't make it sound like the place is hopping.

This is a misrepresentation of my argument. I'm not "giving bad walla a pass", because it is not bad walla, and it does not sound like there are 30 people talking. I am not giving anything a pass. At this point I really think you are misremembering the scene, because I don't understand how anyone could watch the scene I've now watched twice -- on two different audio setups -- and come away with the impression that the background noise was incongruous, obtrusive, cluttered or even particularly loud.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[---]

someone just post a clip already and i'll cast the deciding vote

[---]

also this show is a real snoozer

[Jorge]

I'm not intentionally misrepresenting you, I disagree with what you said here:

But they are at a diner, and it is understood both by context and by an earlier establishing shot that there are other people there. The sound is appropriate to the setting.

The sound is completely inappropriate to the setting; it sounds like there are way more people having conversation in there than are reflected on the screen. I just watched it again on my laptop and it still drove me crazy (original viewing was on our home system, which has a soundbar/subwoofer setup).

I feel like you are trying to gaslight me. I won't let that happen

[doug rr]

I like the show so far..cant beat the background music with all the greta van fleet

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[---]

moving forward, i will be the judge of what is important