Some legislators in the State of Connecticut want to enact a law which would limit the sound level at cinemas, and become the first State to impose such a ban. The bill, currently before the State Legislature's Public Safety and Security Committee, would limit the sound level in cinemas to 85 decibels. Is this even Constitutional?
Initiated by a one, William Young, a Stamford, CT resident, who claims, "We don't need such loud sounds. Hopefully this will be a wakeup call to theater owners to get their act together and do something that is good for the public". What? Democratic Senator Carlo Leone, who introduced the bill, said "I support the concept moving forward. If there are other corrective measures without legislation and it takes care of the problem, that would be the better choice." What? Are these guys smoking bananas?
According to the experts there is no need to limit the sound levels for movies from a health standpoint. Dr. Robert Dobie, of the Univ. of Texas, and an expert in noise-induced hearing loss, states, "The exposure, in cinemas, to sounds above 85 decibels is so brief and intermittent that no one with any expertise would ever say that they have any real risk of hazard or harm. I fell quite comfortable that the exposures are not anywhere near hazardous. It's the combination of level and duration that matters." For example, 85 decibels is at the same loudness level as average traffic on a busy street, while a hairdryer is 100 decibels.
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| People go to the cinema to get the 'WOW' factor |
The Motion Picture Association of America, opposes any ban. Van Stevenson, SVP at the MPAA, told CMG, "Certainly no one is going to do anything that would have a hint of being harmful. We have gone to great lengths to make sure that average sound level in movies is acceptable and is not harmful." Proponents of the ban however say a limit is needed as cinemas do not stick to any standard, and levels are too high, on average.
My feeling is that moviegoers go to the cinema to view and 'listen' to the high-impact, action movies because they can't replicate the sound experienced at the cinema in their living rooms. What these kill-joys want to ban is enjoyment. Sound is everywhere. We live with it. Moviegoers want to experience it and moviemakers want to replicate the sound of, for example, a car crash. This places the moviegoers into the movie and provides the immersive experience they are paying for.
Doesn't the Connecticut legislature have anything better and more constructive to deal with? How about filling potholes? What's next, limiting the sound level at football stadiums? Leave cinemas and their customers to decide what the sound levels should be. I'm sure that if it hurt their ears cinema patrons will complain and the operator would turn the volume down.
Jim Lavorato
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