Elevate Your Home Theater Experience with These Films Noted for Best Sound Editing
Every year, movie lovers around the world turn their attention to the Academy Awards to celebrate the pinnacle of filmmaking. While you may be familiar with award categories like Best Picture and Best Actor, one that often goes unnoticed but is integral to the making of any film is Best Sound Editing.
Want to put your home theater installation to the test? Watch (and listen to) the following Oscar-nominated films for Best Sound Editing! After all, surround sound isn’t only about speaker quality. Room layout and acoustics matter, too. See the movie list below, as well as some tips to ensure your home theater in Cincinnati, OH is designed to optimize any auditory experience.
SEE ALSO: 3 Mistakes You Should Avoid in Your Home Theater Installation
4 Notable Films for Best Sound Editing
Bohemian Rhapsody
This foot-stomping drama is a celebration of one of the greatest rock bands of all time: Queen. The film won Best Sound Editing in 2018 and is a must-watch for anyone who loves a musical high.
A Quiet Place
In this hair-raising thriller, sound itself is a terrifying character that determines whether those in the film live or die. Nominated for Best Sound Editing in 2018, this film will make you think of sound like you never have before.
Ford v Ferrari
Unsurprisingly, this action-packed biopic offered its audience a high-octane racing performance from beginning to end, sweeping several sound guild ceremonies and winning Best Sound Editing at the Academy Awards in 2019.
1917
The team behind this harrowing WWI film used innovative techniques and equipment to achieve its Oscar-nominated soundscape. Buckle up for a trip to a forgotten time and experience quiet moments punctuated with loud, traumatic events.
Key Tips to Optimize the Auditory Experience in Your Home Theater
Ready to watch and hear these films for yourself? Before you grab your popcorn, be sure to consider the following tips to ensure your home theater installation does these movies justice.
Reconsider the Placement of Your Speakers
Your surround sound speaker setup will depend on a variety of factors, such as room size and aesthetics, but the most common setup is a 5.1-channel system, which consists of two pairs of speakers, one center-channel speaker, and one subwoofer.
If you have a 5.1-channel system, your front left and right speakers should be angled slightly toward the seats in front of the screen instead of facing straight toward the back wall. Your center-channel speaker should be right above or below your video display—or directly behind it if you have a perforated screen. Also, be sure it’s tilted to direct sound to ear level.
Your pair of surround speakers should be placed to the left and right of your listening position, or a few feet behind your listening position, and aimed directly toward your seats. To get the best sound effects, be sure to place them one or two feet above ear level. Lastly, since bass frequencies are omnidirectional, you have more flexibility for where you place your subwoofer. As a rule of thumb, placing your subwoofer near a wall or in a corner of your home theater will result in more bass.
Keep Your Seats Away from Walls and Speakers
When your theater seats are too close to the back wall of your home theater, you’ll lose surround sound envelopment and endure too much bass. Likewise, when your theater seats are too close to a surround speaker, you’ll experience excessive localization. Generally, it’s best to place seats at least 4 feet away from both the back wall and all surround speakers to ensure a more balanced auditory experience.
Install Proper Room Acoustic Treatments
No matter the quality and placement of your speakers, you won’t achieve an exceptional auditory experience with poor room acoustics. The objects and surfaces in your home theater affect how you hear the audio coming from your speakers. Too many hard surfaces will create loud echoes while too many plush surfaces will create thin sound. Proper room acoustics consists of absorptive, reflective, and dispersing panels to control reflections so you can enjoy an enhanced listening experience.
Our AV professionals at Beacon Audio Video Systems would love to help you design the perfect private theater for your home, from speakers and display to seating, acoustics, lights, and more. To schedule a free consultation, contact our team here or send us a live chat below!