Just some random things that have popped into my head while watching the Summer Olympics over the last week:
-John Williams needs to start experimenting with tempo a bit more. On Wednesday I found myself humming the Imperial March (from “Star Wars”) over the Williams-penned Olympic theme, the title of which escapes me at the moment.
-Has anyone else noticed that the version of The Star Spangled Banner being used in the medal ceremonies this time out has an almost serene quality to it, as opposed to the bombastic versions used in the past? Hmm…
-McDonalds should just fire their ad agency at this point. I like the spots where they use Ronald McDonald as a competitor – they’re generally 15 second spots, and demonstrate the company’s committment to the Olympic movement. But then there are the other spots, wherein people who are clearly insane defend their chicken strips from imaginary thieves and moochers. These commercials make me feel like my brain is going to fall out. I really don’t understand what the message is here – “Buy our chicken strips and lose your shit”?
There’s more, but that’s all I’ve got time for right now.
Not to mention the McDonald’s commercials that have nothing to do with anything and then end with the McDonald’s logo and “I’m lovin’ it.” Oh, and the McDonald’s Mother’s Day commercial. I’m not sure what that was all about…
Have you noticed that when the Star-Spangled Banner is played at the track and field medal ceremonies, you hear a really strong echo about two seconds delayed?
That’s probably the natural delay in the stadium (aka “Yankee Stadium Sound”). I think TV is picking up the feed from the stadium floor, not from the sound board, so you’d hear the delay on TV.
But I’m sure Darren can explain it better.
Yeah, it doesn’t really sound to me like they’re taking a direct feed for the music. It sounds more like it’s being picked up with a mic somewhere in the stadium, very likely some sort of parabolic pointed at the medal podium. So, it stands to reason that you’d hear an echo. Taking a direct feed of the music would probably actually sound incredibly unnatural, and they’d probably end up having to add reverb or delay to it just to make it sound normal. And these are TV sound guys, and no offence to them, but they don’t really have an “artistic” sense.