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|   OT: Stadium Seating, Surround Sound, and Foot Odor... | Woochifer
Jan 10, 2002 6:16 PM | | I know this goes against the momentum of the movie theatre industry, but I'm starting to dislike stadium seating! I was in L.A. over the holidays and caught a few movies down there (including the freshly minted 70mm print of 2001: A Space Odyssey -- anyone who thinks digital projection is ready for prime time needs to see this for themselves before deciding!), I noticed that the surround effect in the old fashioned rectangular auditoriums seemed noticeably more spacious and seamless than what I've gotten used to with the steeply angled stadium theatres that have pretty much taken over all the newer megaplexes. By comparison, the soundfield at a stadium theatre seems to emanate from distinct zones.
A couple of other grumblings about stadium seating -- if you don't get a seat in the steeply angled section and have to sit closer to the screen, the configuration pretty much forces you to stare straight up.
And even if you get a seat in the angled section, a couple of times now I've wound up with people sitting behind me who insist on taking their shoes off and planting their biologically encrusted feet on my seatback. In a traditional configuration, this is a minor nuisance; but, with a stadium configuration, the row behind me is literally at level with my head and the last thing I need to go with my popcorn and Bonbons is incontrovertable evidence that some of the patrons who use my seatback as an ottoman don't change their socks often or use Tinactin on a regular basis!
Believe me, there aren't too many sounds in nature more disturbing than roughly textured foot skin getting actively scratched only a few inches from one's head! Maybe this makes the argument for perception mattering more than reality when it comes to things that we hear, but I could've sworn that I heard fungii-enhanced dermal flecks fluttering around the theatre and landing with a crash near my ear level when I saw The Mummy Returns last May!
Anyway, I know the economics of the industry and audience preferences have totally gone in favor of stadium seating, so I guess I'll just need to remember to bring a surgical mask! |
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