THX: Difference between revisions

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<youtube width="220" height="165">601Bgss38hI</youtube>
<youtube width="220" height="165">601Bgss38hI</youtube>
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'''Nicknames''': "Broadway", "The Blue Rectangle", "The Audience is Now Deaf", "The Note Of Hell"
'''Nicknames''': "Broadway", "Blue Rectangle", "The Note From Hell"


'''Trailer''': On a black background, we see a blue outline of a rectangle. The gray text "'''The Audience is Listening'''" (in Fifth Ave font) fades inside the outline, then fades out. A few seconds later, the THX logo in silver appears, The blue rectangle outline fades out, and
'''Trailer''': On a black background, we see a blue outline of a rectangle. The gray text "'''The Audience is Listening'''" (in Fifth Ave font) fades inside the outline, then fades out. A few seconds later, the THX logo in silver appears, The blue rectangle outline fades out, and
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'''Note:''' The trailer in the third video starts at 0:31.
'''Note:''' The trailer in the third video starts at 0:31.


'''Nicknames''': "Cimarron", "The Conductor"
'''Nicknames''': "Cimarron", "The Conductor", "The Audience Is Now Deaf"


'''Trailer:''' On a black background, a small gray box appears in the center of the screen. Then, the hand of a conductor, holding a baton, moves up in the box. The hand flicks the baton, blasting out a blue "hyperspace". It turns red, and when it fully turns red, we see a 3D THX logo zoom towards us against a black screen with red dots. Then, we see some text saying "'''The Audience is Listening'''" in the same font and color used in "Broadway". A few seconds, a subtitle reading "'''Lucasfilm Ltd. Sound System'''" fades in along with a copyright notice at the bottom right of the screen.
'''Trailer:''' On a black background, a small, white-outlined box containing a black / gray gradient background appears in the center of the screen. Then, the hand of a conductor, holding a baton, moves up in the box. The hand flicks the baton, blasting out a blue "hyperspace" far larger than the box that slowly turns a dark shade of red. Once it fully changes color, a 3D THX logo zooms towards the viewer, against a red abyss. Text reading "'''The Audience is Listening'''" then fades in, in the same font and color used in "Broadway"; followed by a subtitle reading "'''Lucasfilm Ltd. Sound System'''", along with a copyright notice at the bottom right of the screen.


'''Variants''':
'''Variants''':


*This trailer was remixed in Dolby Digital in 1995. This variant had slight changes. At the start, the Dolby logo and the text (In Caslon Open Face font) fade in reading "'''Dolby Digital sound in a THX Theatre'''," and in the end the Recorded in Dolby Digital logo was added at the left-bottom of the screen.
*This trailer was remixed in Dolby Digital in 1995. This variant had slight changes. At the start, the Dolby logo and the text (In Caslon Open Face font) fade in reading "'''Dolby Digital sound in a THX Theatre'''," and in the end the Recorded in Dolby Digital logo was added at the left-bottom of the screen.
*On LaserDisc releases starting with [https://youtu.be/8dSIcaKa5Ek?t=74 ''Highlander: Director's Cut''], the words "Mastered and duplicated for optimal video and audio performance" fades with the red dots. Then, it fades to the 3D THX logo. Once it's finished zooming, the THX LaserDisc logo from "Broadway" fades and zooms inside the silver outlined rectangle. The THX LaserDisc logo and the silver outlined rectangle shine. This was used until 1999.
*On LaserDisc releases starting with [https://youtu.be/8dSIcaKa5Ek?t=74 ''Highlander: Director's Cut''], the hyperspeed boost is removed. The text "Mastered and duplicated for optimal video and audio performance" fades in on the red abyss, which transitions to the THX logo zooming in. Once it's finished zooming, the THX LaserDisc logo from "Broadway" fades and zooms inside the silver outlined rectangle. The THX LaserDisc logo and the silver outlined rectangle shine. This was used until 1999.


'''FX/SFX''': A conductor flicks a baton which triggers a hyperspeed boost, finishing in an abyss with the THX logo moving past the screen. This is CGI, mixed with live-action with the hand, done by Industrial Light and Magic.
'''FX/SFX''': A conductor flicks a baton which triggers a hyperspeed boost, finishing in an abyss with the THX logo moving past the screen. This is CGI, mixed with live-action with the hand, done by Industrial Light and Magic.


'''Music/Sounds''':
'''Music/Sounds''':
*On early prints, an orchestra warms up, then a big descending synth note followed by an orchestra crescendo. When the THX logo appears the descending synth is played again, followed by a rising string note for the THX logo, representing the Deep Note.
*The original audio mix for this trailer was recalled due to breaking theater speakers, and was used until 1990. The appearance of the box is accompanied by the sound of an orchestra warming up, which fades out as the conductor's hand appears. Once it flicks the baton, a booming, descending synth note accompanies the hyperspeed boost, overlapped by an orchestra crescendo as it reaches its peak. When the THX logo appears in the abyss, the descending synth is played again with less distortion. An ascending string note slowly becomes prominent as the THX logo appears before it replaces the synth note entirely as it reaches its peak, representing the Deep Note. Twinkling sounds play as the "'''The Audience is Listening'''" text appears, and echo until the end of the trailer.
*After some theatres complained about the above music messing up their speakers, it was replaced with a new orchestral piece done by James Horner. We hear an orchestra warm-up at the start, then a rousing orchestral cue with some whistling sounds (not in the original version of ''WOW!'' except for the 2002 & Vimeo releases), and then a beautiful composition of twinkles and ascending notes when the THX logo appears (representing the Deep Note). A whoosh is heard as the THX logo zooms in (not in the original version of ''WOW!''), followed by twinkles. This music debuted in the Cimarron trailer shown at the end of the ''THX WOW!'' (1990) LaserDisc.
*In 1990, a new orchestral piece composed by James Horner was introduced to replace the original, problematic audio. The trailer still begins with an orchestra warming up, but the loud descending note following the conductor flicking his baton is replaced with a rousing orchestral cue; whistling sounds accompany the hyperspeed boost as the cue reaches a crescendo before abruptly fading out. (not in the original version of ''WOW!'' except for the 2002 & Vimeo releases), As the THX logo appears, a slightly quieter series of ascending string notes is heard, representing the Deep Note; a "whoosh" accompanies the THX logo zooming in. Wind chimes, played in the same pitch as the string notes that preceded it, accompany the appearance of the "'''The Audience is Listening'''" text.  
*The LaserDisc variant has thunder and a shorter version of the Dolby remix music and sounds.
*The 1990 music variant debuted on the LaserDisc, ''THX WOW!''. The music on this release seems to be unfinished, as the whistling sounds at the start are absent, as is the "whoosh" that accompanies the THX logo zooming in.  
*The LaserDisc variant starts with a thunder strike, transitioning into the ascending string notes from the 1990 music variant.


'''Availability''': Rare. This became the first alternate THX trailer to be used in 1988, beginning with the original theatrical release of ''Willow'' in THX theaters.
'''Availability''': Rare. This became the first alternate THX trailer to be used in 1988, beginning with the original theatrical release of ''Willow'' in THX theaters.
* The original version is virtually extinct as it was recalled due to complaints of the soundtrack breaking speaker drivers from theater owners, and only survives in the hands of a few home projectionists. Luckily, footage of the logo in action was discovered in mid-February 2022.
* The original version is virtually extinct as it was recalled due to the soundtrack's potential to break theater speakers, and only survives in the hands of a few home projectionists. Footage of the logo in action, seen before a European theatrical showing of ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'', was discovered in mid-February 2022.
* The second version is only available on THX demo discs.
* The second version is only available on THX demo discs.
* The Dolby Digital variant was seen in THX theaters from 1995-2000.  
* The Dolby Digital variant was seen in THX theaters from 1995-2000.  
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'''Editor's Note''': This is one of two logos that used a theme other than the original Deep Note (At least speculated to be the case for the 1990 revision only), the other being "Grand" (the 4th logo). It proved to be unpopular among viewers. Andy Moorer, in an interview with Twenty Thousand Hertz, recalled that "Nobody liked [the sounds], nobody remembered them".<ref>Twenty Thousand Hertz, June 2018 (part 1 and part 2)</ref>
'''Editor's Note''': This is one of two logos that used a theme other than the original Deep Note (At least speculated to be the case for the 1990 revision only), the other being "Grand" (the 4th logo). It proved to be unpopular among viewers. Andy Moorer, in an interview with Twenty Thousand Hertz, recalled that "Nobody liked [the sounds], nobody remembered them".<ref>Twenty Thousand Hertz, June 2018 (part 1 and part 2)</ref>


The original version is infamous for both the reason it was recalled for physically breaking speakers and its extreme rarity. Various reconstructions have been made, and some audio had resurfaced, but no one was exactly sure what the original version sounded like beyond a general idea until video footage of a projection of the logo was uploaded in mid-February 2022. Nonetheless, this logo boasts some very impressive CGI for the time, and it's otherwise a very nicely-done effort.
The original version is infamous for both the reason it was recalled and for its extreme rarity. Various reconstructions have been made, and some audio had resurfaced, but no one was exactly sure what the original version sounded like beyond a general idea until video footage of the logo was uploaded in mid-February 2022. Nonetheless, this logo boasts some very impressive CGI for the time, and it's otherwise a very nicely-done effort.


===4th Trailer (June 11, 1993-1997, 2001)===
===4th Trailer (June 11, 1993-1997, 2001)===
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'''Availability''': Rare. Alongside DTS's first trailer, this debuted on the original theatrical release of ''Jurassic Park'' (according to the 1998 Lucasfilm THX "The Audience is Listening on DVD" disc and the THX Ultimate Demo Disc), and then it was seen in all THX theaters from 1993 until 1997, as well as online, on the DVDs that came with second-edition and third-edition copies of the book ''DVD Demystified'' and on the 2001 Fox Five-Star Collection DVD release of ''Speed''. The "DELL PC" version is exclusive to the ''THX Picture and Sound Optimizer'' disc.
'''Availability''': Rare. Alongside DTS's first trailer, this debuted on the original theatrical release of ''Jurassic Park'' (according to the 1998 Lucasfilm THX "The Audience is Listening on DVD" disc and the THX Ultimate Demo Disc), and then it was seen in all THX theaters from 1993 until 1997, as well as online, on the DVDs that came with second-edition and third-edition copies of the book ''DVD Demystified'' and on the 2001 Fox Five-Star Collection DVD release of ''Speed''. The "DELL PC" version is exclusive to the ''THX Picture and Sound Optimizer'' disc.


'''Editor's Note''': The cloudy red background looks quite dated for the time, which is in sharp contrast to the beautiful silver CGI of the THX logo's grand appearance (pun intended).
'''Editor's Note''': The cloudy red background looks quite dated for the time, which is in sharp contrast to the beautiful silver CGI of the THX logo's grand appearance.


===5th Trailer (April 14, 1994 [original episode airdate], 1994-1997; 2001-2004)===
===5th Trailer (April 14, 1994 [original episode airdate], 1994-1997; 2001-2004)===
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