THX: Difference between revisions

|founded=May 20, 1983 ({{age|1983|5|20}} years ago)

|parent=[[Lucasfilm Ltd.]] (1983-2002)<br>{{w|Creative Technology}} (2002-2016)<br>{{w|Razer Inc.}} (2016-)

|country=[[:Category:United States|United States]]

'''THX Ltd.''' (which officially stands for "'''T'''omlinson '''H'''olman's e'''X'''periment") is an American company known for its namesake motion picture quality certification system (despite it being branded as a "sound system" until 1997), founded in 1983 by Tomlinson Holman and George Lucas to ensure the sound quality of the third ''Star Wars'' film ''Return of the Jedi''. Named after Lucas's first film '''''THX''' 1138'' (1971), it was owned by [[Lucasfilm Ltd.]] from its inception until 2002, when it was spun off as its own company and sold to sound card manufacturer Creative Technology. In 2016, it was acquired by gaming peripheral manufacturer Razer.

 

'''Visuals:''' The sequence starts with a black screen before the following white text fades in: <center>{{big|{{Font|Arial|'''For the past 35 years, <br>motion picture loudspeaker</br> systems have not changed...'''}}}}</center> Later it fades out, and more white text appears reading: <center>{{big|{{Font|Arial|'''Lucasfilm Ltd. and this theatre <br>are pleased to introduce a new</br> motion picture sound system.'''}}}}</center> That text fades out, and after a few seconds, the letters "THX", underlined and which have the slightly taller "T" stem extend over the other two letters, appear in a glassy sky blue color. "THX" has a shining effect that stays still throughout the duration of the trailer. Above the logo is "LUCASFILM LTD", and "SOUND SYSTEM" below, both in small, spaced-out text. The logo stays on screen for about 10 seconds, then slowly fades out with the text above and below the logo.

'''Visuals:''' On a black background, a blue rectangular outline fades in. The gray text "'''{{Font|Times New Roman|The Audience is Listening}}'''" (in the Bodoni Open font) fades inside the outline, then fades out. A few seconds later, the THX logo in silver appears, the rectangular outline fades out, and the "LUCASFILM LTD." text from before (now in Futura) appears in their respective positions above and below. The THX logo shines.

* 1995 A: Arguably the most recognizable Broadway variant, this was <u>exclusive to home video releases</u>. "{{Font|Times New Roman|'''The Audience Is Listening'''}}" text now reads: <center>{{big|{{Font|Arial|Digitally mastered <br>for optimal video</br> and audio performance}}}}</center> in a rounded Arial Light font in white and arranged in the center of the outline. That text appears longer than the regular version, and "DIGITALLY" appears above the THX logo and "MASTERED" appears below that logo. Those texts fade in with the THX logo instead of appearing after the blue outline disappears, and they sparkle while the THX logo shines.

* On <u>LaserDisc releases from THX</u>, the text inside the blue outline reads: <center>{{big|{{Font|Arial Narrow|Mastered and duplicated <br>for optimal video</br> and audio performance}}}}</center> in the Univers Light Condensed font (stretched a bit outwards). When the THX logo appears, [LASER I/ DISC], in a Copperplate font, appears under THX. The logo shines after the blue rectangle fades out. The pitch is +2 pitches higher (an E note) on analog tracks, like the VHS variant; though on AC-3 tracks, various pitches are used (see below).

* For the <u>Dell PC's THX Picture and Sound Optimizer disc</u>, "The Audience is Listening" tagline is replaced with "{{Font|Times New Roman|Your}} '''DELL''' {{Font|Times New Roman|PC is THX Certified.}}", with "'''DELL'''" being in its corporate logo font. "SOUND SYSTEM" is replaced with "BEST PICTURE. BEST SOUND." Afterward, the URL "'''www.thx.com'''" is seen with a trademark disclaimer at the bottom.

* 2010: The trailer was <u>remastered in high definition</u>. The blue outline is wider and glows, "{{Font|Times New Roman|'''The Audience Is Listening'''}}" text is in a white Imprint Shadow font and the THX logo glows and shines slowly. Below is a THX Ltd. copyright notice.

 

'''Visuals:''' On a black background, a small box containing a 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 red. Once the screen zooms through the other end of the wormhole, a silver THX logo slowly zooms past the camera, against a dark red abyss. After a few seconds, text reading "{{Font|Times New Roman|'''The Audience is Listening'''}}" fades in, in the same font and color used in "Broadway", followed by a subtitle reading "{{Font|Times New Roman|'''Lucasfilm Ltd. Sound System'''}}", along with a copyright notice at the bottom right of the screen and what appears to be the Dolby "Spectral Recording" logo at the bottom left.

* On <u>LaserDisc releases, starting with [https://youtu.be/8dSIcaKa5Ek?t=74 ''Highlander: Director's Cut'']</u>, the hyperspeed boost is removed. The text "{{Font|Arial|Mastered and duplicated for optimal video and audio performance}}" fades in on the dark red abyss, which transitions to the THX logo zooming in. Once the logo moves past the camera, 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.

** This music variant debuted on the ''THX WOW!'' LaserDisc. 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.  

 

'''Visuals:''' On a black background is some white text that reads "This auditorium is equipped with a THX sound system." A few seconds later, the background turns into a dark red cloudy background. There are some white text that reads "The Audience Is Listening." After that, the red-black background slowly turns dark blue, somewhat similar to the previous background. Seconds after, a light with lens flares moves upward and a 90° turned THX logo rotates to its front in a blue gradient background, with "LUCASFILM LTD" above it and "SOUND SYSTEM" below.

'''Technique:''' CGI by Industrial Light and Magic, done with Alias software (like the previous logo), according to The THX Ultimate Demo Disc.

'''Audio:''' Some chimes and wind howling. When the background opens, wind whistles, then various ascending notes and sounds, until a ''Star Wars'' laser-gun sound and a whooshing sound occurs as the THX logo appears and ends with a choir-like version of the Deep Note. The sound for this trailer was apparently created at Skywalker Sound and designed by David Slusser and Marco d'Ambrosio, according to ''The THX Ultimate Demo Disc''.

 

'''Visuals:''' The THX logo fades in as it usually would. All of a sudden, the logo sputters and then breaks down as if due to an electrical failure. A light is switched on a light blue background as a red robot named Tex rolls in from off-camera. Tex opens a panel on the "X", grabs a rocket pack, and flies off-screen, pulling out a hammer just before he goes off-screen, muttering "Oh, George..." (referring to George Lucas). Tex hammers at something on the right side of the screen, drills at something on the left side and then flies over to between the "T" and the "H", bumps the "H" out of the way, and opens another panel inside the "T". He moves a large switch inside it, causing the logo to re-activate and complete its usual sequence with the "LUCASFILM LTD." and "SOUND SYSTEM" text as the background fades back to black. Tex notices that the panel in the "X" is still open and kicks the logo, which closes it. A black screen falls, reading "The Audience Is Listening".

'''Trivia:''' This trailer's original name was "Stampede", according to the DVD menu of [[Pixar Animation Studios|Pixar]]'s employee-exclusive "Made in Point Richmond" DVD.

 

'''Visuals:''' In a darkly-lit environment, the camera zooms in toward a glassy light blue sphere, which has clouds rolling and lightning flickering. The environment illuminates, showing that the sphere is barely hovering over a textured blue floor. Suddenly, the sphere shatters, and the sky is revealed to contain several rolling gray clouds. The glass then liquefies and gathers in the center. Some lightning strikes it and is forms a silver THX logo. If one looks closely while the logo forms, one can see rain pouring down. Then, the environment fades to black as "LUCASFILM", spaced out to fit the width of the THX logo, fades in on top of it and a shimmering blue rectangle (the same one from "Broadway") is drawn clockwise around the logo (like a laser).

 

'''Visuals:''' On a black background, the white text "THE SCIENCE" fades in, the letters of which slowly come together. As that text turns black with a white drop shadow, "OF SENSATION" blurs in below and zooms in, with a purple flare appearing under the "O" in "OF". The text fades out, leaving the flare behind. Then, the THX logo appears with the text "CERTIFIED CINEMA" below, with the flare moving along the bottom of the logo. The logo then fades out, with the flare following suit a second later. The URL "WWW.THX.COM" fades in as copyright information is seen below.

'''Audio Trivia:''' The audio used in this trailer made an appearance in ''Over the Hedge'' (the glimmer is heard briefly, if one listens closely).

* At the beginning of <u>a retail demo video on THX-certified LG TVs</u>, the metallic outlines fade in quicker, the shiny silver color fades in slower, and the shine of the THX logo isn't as bright. On the alternate HD variant, the logo is light green, mostly due to color grading from the digital intermediate process.

 

'''Visuals:''' The sequence starts out with an octagon shape figure rising out of a silver surface (à la a ripple effect), and forms into another figure, which looks like petals from a flower (it in fact is a blue passion flower) because we're looking at it from the top. Inside the "flower" is a crown shape figure that has wings on top of it, slowly spinning around, producing the held organ note sound, as the screen zooms in on it. Then, the scene changes. Following this is another set of wings that also spin around, but faster. A ring is spinning around with it and goes down towards the bottom of the screen, producing the buzzer. And the scene changes again. The same set of wings from the first scene is shown, once again spinning slowly, with shades seen on the left side of the screen. As the scene changes again, a tulip is seen zooming in towards the camera as it opens up its front, producing the deep brass sound. Then the screen zooms in on a mushroom as it bumps up a bit and makes drum beats. Then a set of butterflies fly by (with some stopping in the front center of the screen), producing some flapping sound is the flowerhead-like plant with dragonfly wings as petals, it pushes one-by-one clockwise, making dolphin chirping sounds, then there is a lotus seed head opening and closing its holes as it makes a melody played on a glockenspiel. Intact with the drumbeats of the jingle, there is a variety of mushrooms as they "beat" and bump up the drumbeats, and then the scene changes to swirly-like circles that vibrate, as the screen zooms from one to another, making the bass horn stab. The screen zooms into another tulip, making another deep brass sound, and suddenly, the camera flies over all of the above-mentioned items. As the camera tilts toward the front and zooms back is that the plant-covered structure is actually the THX logo. The plants then retract back, revealing the silver color of the logo; this version looks slightly (but also noticeably) different than the other trailers of the past. The logo zooms back as the copyright info fades in on the bottom.

 

'''Visuals:''' On a deep cloudy background, there is a light tunnel of many rainbow colors, as well as a shadow in the distance. The shadow then emerges to reveal a silver and shining THX logo, as well as a crystal blue rectangle outline from the Broadway trailers, which zoom slowly at us. A small copyright notice is seen below the THX logo.

 

'''Visuals:''' On a black background, there is a blue trail of light fly around. It flies to an atmosphere with a purple hue. A pink, blue, purple, and green trail of light follows the blue trail and flies around with it. A closeup shot of the two trails of light flying is then seen. The rainbow trail of light makes some shapes, while the blue trail flies around the shapes and makes some mini shockwaves. The screen then cuts to a white background but is revealed to be the back of the blue trail of light in the purple atmosphere. The rainbow trail of light joins the blue trail, and the two trails fly towards the THX logo, which is seen in the distance. Everything is in slow motion for a split-second, and then the two trails quickly charge towards the THX logo and reveal it. This version looks noticeably different from the other trailers of the past, due to the THX logo being noticeably thinner than normal. The THX logo shines as the two trails of light into the bottom line of the logo and causes a bright light to appear. This bright light takes up the entire screen.

'''Visuals:''' On a black background, the phrase "The Audience is Listening" fades in. It disappears by sliding to the right. The background becomes a bluish green gradient. A black line with light blue marks slides to the right of the screen and starts to gently shake. It becomes liquid and breaks up into small circles. The screen zooms through the liquid. Multiple grouped lines start swirling around in a circular motion, then forms into a 4-layered sphere. A light blue glow surrounds the sphere. It becomes liquid and opens up, revealing blue electric lines. It later explodes to fill the background with black, then zooms out in the form of the THX logo. It later fills up with metallic material, making it look normal. Some of the light blue lines remain, then later disappear completely. Finally, two copyright notices appear:

 

'''Visuals:''' A large purple smoke cloud explodes on the screen, and the camera zooms out to reveal a nebula. The sequence continues to zoom out through the space-like background as a mountain range appears below. The mountains then appear reflected in a waterdrop on a dragonfly's wings. The dragonfly beats its wings in slow-motion clearing the waterdrops, and flies through a new background, featuring some plants that appeared in the "Amazing Life" trailer. The camera dips down into a pool of water and emerges to reveal a city at night, as a helicopter flies past. The city is revealed to be inside a snowglobe on a table of various items. The camera pans back to reveal two similar tables with blue holographic domes on them. Then, Tex appears from the left and flies to a table in the front and loads up a similar holographic dome over the table and flies off. The camera continues to zoom out, revealing that Tex is aboard a star cruiser of some sort. The ship makes a light-speed jump, and the camera pans through the space station the ship was docked at. It is then revealed that the space station is in the shape of the THX logo, which becomes a more traditional silver color. The space background fades to blue, and then everything gradually fades out.

* THX chose the official name for this trailer in a Twitter poll. "Genesis" won with 43% of the vote; the other three options were "Emerge", "Transform" and "Evolve".

** Yet another has a white THX text accompanied by a white wavy ribbon on a red background, which is a parody/homage to Coca-Cola's advertising.