I'm looking for some sort of stat or study indicating that the decibel
(volume) level in North American movie theatres has been increasing
over the last 20 years.

Hi Jhabley!

Thanks for accepting my findings as the official answer.



The majority of papers and articles that I have located agree that
movies appear to be are much louder today.

-------------------------------------


Are Movies Too Loud?  (28 pages )
Author: Ioan Allen, Vice-President Dolby Laboratories Inc.
Presented at SMPTE Film Conference, March 22, 1997
Abstract: this paper discusses another "loudness" issue; have movies
got "louder" over recent years, and if so, how can the change be
quantified? http://free.madster.com/data/free.madster.com/552/1toolouds3.pdf


-------------------------------------


Are Movies Getting Too Loud? by Randy Thom, C.A.S.

?It's tempting to blame digital release formats for this trend. But
would anybody argue that peak theater levels are any higher in a
digital release of, say, "Batman Forever," than they were for the 70mm
release of "Apocalypse Now?"
Filmsound
http://www.filmsound.org/randythom/loud-movies.htm


-------------------------------------


MediaWise With Dr. Dave  - Driving Our Kids Deaf

?If you've been to a movie lately you know what I'm talking about.
It's not your imagination. Those flicks are getting louder. The
average decibel level for movies is now about one hundred. An action
movie jacks up the sound to 120 dBs. But our ears aren't built for
that level of noise. Our ears work best at 85dBs and lower. What
happens at 120 dBs? With as little as thirty minutes of exposure we
start risking permanent hearing loss.?
MediaWise
http://www.mediafamily.org/mediawise/hearingloss.shtml


-------------------------------------


Peter Howell  of the Toronto Star said ?I think movies are getting
louder. I used to be a rock critic, so I?m very sensitive to sound. I
mean I?m aware that sound can be very damaging?and some of the sounds
in movies are, I think, excessive and unnecessary. You literally feel
assaulted by some sounds.?

?Adina Lebo represents theatre owners in Canada. She says audio levels
are actually lower than they were a   few years ago when digital sound
was new. But if anyone thinks they're still too loud, she says there's
nothing theatres can do.?
CBC Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/loud_movies/index2.html

Summary of noise levels measured in theatres
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/loud_movies/results.pdf


-------------------------------------


HEALTH WATCH - BY JULIE WICHMAN 

Movies are getting so loud they may impair your hearing

?If you've been leaving theaters with a pain in the head and ears,
there could be a reason. New technology such as hiss-free and
distortion-free digital sound has allowed moviemakers to crank up the
volume to ear-shattering levels, especially during scenes showing off
the latest special effects.?
http://www.shepherd-express.com/shepherd/20/25/this_and_that/health_watch.html


-------------------------------------

?Been to the movies lately and thought, "Wow! This is LOUD!" So did
we. So with the help of an audiologist and a calibrated decibel meter,
we decided to test some of the hottest movies like The Matrix. It
reached a maximum of 113 decibels, which is very loud.?

(..)

?A movie sound expert who took home the Oscar for Braveheart and Glory
told Glenn that his industry is aware of how loud movies are getting
and it's a constant balancing act. Audio experts told us if you are
concerned, wear earplugs or watch a movie when the theater is most
crowded, because people absorb much of the noise.?
WTVT
http://www.wtvt.com/investreptr/ir400.html


-------------------------------------


Cynthia Farah, assistant professor of film studies at UT-El Paso
states that movies are getting louder.

?What?s raising her dander is rising audio levels in movie
theaters.Have you noticed those intergalactic battles getting louder,
previews playing ever louder? Farah did, and decided to start a quiet
crusade to combat excessive audio.She started the campaign because she
loves the movies, always has. And now she is speaking out loud to let
people know they can demand, and get, tolerable sound levels in local
theaters.?

(..)

?So, doing my research and carrying my decibel meter around, ?On Any
Given Sunday? was over 100 decibels at Tinseltown. For a sustained
amount of time, especially during the football sequences. Decibel
levels now are averaging between 90 and 100 decibels for films.?

(..)

?I?ve read some statistics about films ? ?The Avengers? had 98
decibels and above. ?Godzilla? over 100. ?Armageddon? over 100.?
El Paso Inc
http://www.elpasoinc.com/Archive/00_03_26/intrview.html


-------------------------------------


Why movies are not too loud by John F. Allen
http://www.hps4000.com/pages/general/why_movies_are_not_too_loud.pdf


-------------------------------------


?But with films as well, the evidence indicates that movies are louder today.?

(..)

?If movies today are louder than, say, 10 years ago, what has changed
to bring this about? Certainly dialog levels in relatively quiet
scenes haven?t changed. We can argue that effects are louder. And we
can argue that effects dominate movies more so today than yesterday.
We can also say that some movies are just plain loud!?

?It is possible that audiences today perceive an increase in loudness
due to a technical issue.?
MKPE
http://www.mkpe.com/articles/1999/Loud/why_too_loud.htm

Search Criteria: 
movies are getting louder
movies are getting louder OR loud
movies loud decibels

Thanks,
Bobbie7
 
P.S. 
Yes, Bobbie is my real name. So I guess we can drop the 7 since we
already know each other.  :)

Hi Jhabley!

The majority of papers and articles that I have located agree that
movies appear to be are much louder today.

-------------------------------------


Are Movies Too Loud?  (28 pages )
Author: Ioan Allen, Vice-President Dolby Laboratories Inc.
Presented at SMPTE Film Conference, March 22, 1997
Abstract: this paper discusses another "loudness" issue; have movies
got "louder" over recent years, and if so, how can the change be
quantified? http://free.madster.com/data/free.madster.com/552/1toolouds3.pdf


-------------------------------------


Are Movies Getting Too Loud? by Randy Thom, C.A.S.

?It's tempting to blame digital release formats for this trend. But
would anybody argue that peak theater levels are any higher in a
digital release of, say, "Batman Forever," than they were for the 70mm
release of "Apocalypse Now?"
Filmsound
http://www.filmsound.org/randythom/loud-movies.htm


-------------------------------------


MediaWise With Dr. Dave  - Driving Our Kids Deaf

?If you've been to a movie lately you know what I'm talking about.
It's not your imagination. Those flicks are getting louder. The
average decibel level for movies is now about one hundred. An action
movie jacks up the sound to 120 dBs. But our ears aren't built for
that level of noise. Our ears work best at 85dBs and lower. What
happens at 120 dBs? With as little as thirty minutes of exposure we
start risking permanent hearing loss.?
MediaWise
http://www.mediafamily.org/mediawise/hearingloss.shtml


-------------------------------------


Peter Howell  of the Toronto Star said ?I think movies are getting
louder. I used to be a rock critic, so I?m very sensitive to sound. I
mean I?m aware that sound can be very damaging?and some of the sounds
in movies are, I think, excessive and unnecessary. You literally feel
assaulted by some sounds.?

?Adina Lebo represents theatre owners in Canada. She says audio levels
are actually lower than they were a   few years ago when digital sound
was new. But if anyone thinks they're still too loud, she says there's
nothing theatres can do.?
CBC Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/loud_movies/index2.html

Summary of noise levels measured in theatres
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/loud_movies/results.pdf


-------------------------------------


HEALTH WATCH - BY JULIE WICHMAN 

Movies are getting so loud they may impair your hearing

?If you've been leaving theaters with a pain in the head and ears,
there could be a reason. New technology such as hiss-free and
distortion-free digital sound has allowed moviemakers to crank up the
volume to ear-shattering levels, especially during scenes showing off
the latest special effects.?
http://www.shepherd-express.com/shepherd/20/25/this_and_that/health_watch.html


-------------------------------------

?Been to the movies lately and thought, "Wow! This is LOUD!" So did
we. So with the help of an audiologist and a calibrated decibel meter,
we decided to test some of the hottest movies like The Matrix. It
reached a maximum of 113 decibels, which is very loud.?

(..)

?A movie sound expert who took home the Oscar for Braveheart and Glory
told Glenn that his industry is aware of how loud movies are getting
and it's a constant balancing act. Audio experts told us if you are
concerned, wear earplugs or watch a movie when the theater is most
crowded, because people absorb much of the noise.?
WTVT
http://www.wtvt.com/investreptr/ir400.html


-------------------------------------


Cynthia Farah, assistant professor of film studies at UT-El Paso
states that movies are getting louder.

?What?s raising her dander is rising audio levels in movie
theaters.Have you noticed those intergalactic battles getting louder,
previews playing ever louder? Farah did, and decided to start a quiet
crusade to combat excessive audio.She started the campaign because she
loves the movies, always has. And now she is speaking out loud to let
people know they can demand, and get, tolerable sound levels in local
theaters.?

(..)

?So, doing my research and carrying my decibel meter around, ?On Any
Given Sunday? was over 100 decibels at Tinseltown. For a sustained
amount of time, especially during the football sequences. Decibel
levels now are averaging between 90 and 100 decibels for films.?

(..)

?I?ve read some statistics about films ? ?The Avengers? had 98
decibels and above. ?Godzilla? over 100. ?Armageddon? over 100.?
El Paso Inc
http://www.elpasoinc.com/Archive/00_03_26/intrview.html


-------------------------------------


Why movies are not too loud by John F. Allen
http://www.hps4000.com/pages/general/why_movies_are_not_too_loud.pdf


-------------------------------------


?But with films as well, the evidence indicates that movies are louder today.?

(..)

?If movies today are louder than, say, 10 years ago, what has changed
to bring this about? Certainly dialog levels in relatively quiet
scenes haven?t changed. We can argue that effects are louder. And we
can argue that effects dominate movies more so today than yesterday.
We can also say that some movies are just plain loud!?

?It is possible that audiences today perceive an increase in loudness
due to a technical issue.?
MKPE
http://www.mkpe.com/articles/1999/Loud/why_too_loud.htm


Would my findings suffice as an answer to your question?

Thanks,
Bobbie7

You betcha. Thanks again Bobbie7. (Is Bobbie your real first name? We
should be on a first-name basis by NOW! <grin> )