Why do the cell phones in a lot of movies have the same ring tone?

[Snowmaker]

Ever since the satellite phone in Jurassic Park III, I hear that same ring tone in a lot of movies. Does it have some sort of significance? Is it the melody to something specific?

[Abob Teff]

I've long been wondering the same thing! Anybody?

[Groucho]

Are you talking about the Nokia default ring? That seems to turn up a lot. Probably product placement.

[Jackskeleton]

Now with cell phones ability to become very customizable you can have songs and so forth as your ring tone. Now if the movie uses something else other then what the general public has come to accept, it will take you a bit to accept that as their phone ring possibly throwing you out of the mood. The Nokia default ring has been branded into our minds as a generic ring tone that we can all connect to being on a cell phone.

Besides, no need to make it very detailed unless it serves the story some.

[FuzzyBallz]

So people will recognize it's a cell phone and not the national terrorist invasion alert?

[cliffzig]

Originally posted by Jackskeleton

Besides, no need to make it very detailed unless it serves the story some.

Like the one at the end of Eurotrip!

[Inverse]

Another reason is they want to avoid using ring tones based on any song where they'd have to pay for the rights. They're only going to pay to use a song that still under copyright if it's essential to the plot (or a gag).

[grunter]

More importantly, why does everyone in films always, always, always wind up using an Apple computer?

How much blood was let and how many evil incantations were chanted in the signing and sealing of that film industry-wide compact?

[Jackskeleton]

Apple is used because the majority of post houses and film work use Apple computers to do editing and so forth. By product placement such as that, I'm sure apple scratches their back when it comes time for upgrades. Know what I mean. ;)

[Jericho]

Or what about the generic scream? I seem to hear it all the time, from movies to music to TV. For an example, see Wag the Dog. It's like they use the same sound byte every time

[RyoHazuki]

Originally posted by Jericho
Or what about the generic scream? I seem to hear it all the time, from movies to music to TV. For an example, see Wag the Dog. It's like they use the same sound byte every time http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_scream

[jiggawhat]

It's kind of like how they use the 555 prefix for phone numbers. Or they probably figured it's better to just use one that no one can get paid any money for.

[cross]

Originally posted by grunter
More importantly, why does everyone in films always, always, always wind up using an Apple computer?

How much blood was let and how many evil incantations were chanted in the signing and sealing of that film industry-wide compact?

It was a Gateway or some sort of PC in Swordfish.

[Crocker Jarmen]

They like to watch me freak out, for the split second I think that it's my phone and I forgot to turn it off.

[Snowmaker]

Originally posted by Jackskeleton
The Nokia default ring has been branded into our minds as a generic ring tone that we can all connect to being on a cell phone.

Besides, no need to make it very detailed unless it serves the story some.

Then why not just use a generic cell phone ring sound.

[Jackskeleton]

Originally posted by jiggawhat
It's kind of like how they use the 555 prefix for phone numbers. Or they probably figured it's better to just use one that no one can get paid any money for.

Yeah, look at what happened with Bruce Almighty.

[Tarantino]

Originally posted by Snowmaker
Then why not just use a generic cell phone ring sound.

Um, they do...

[Snowmaker]

Originally posted by Tarantino
Um, they do... Where?

[MasterCXtreme]

They used "Auld Lang Syne" in Kill Bill V1.

[Jackskeleton]

Originally posted by Snowmaker
Where?


Generic ring tone is the nokia ringtone now. Sort of how the generic way to ask for a soda in most places is by asking for a coke. :p

[Snowmaker]

Originally posted by Jackskeleton
Generic ring tone is the nokia ringtone now. Sort of how the generic way to ask for a soda in most places is by asking for a coke. :p Well. my Verizon doesn't have that tone, hence, its not generic.

I'm talking about the ring similar to a house phone ring.

[Tarantino]

*sigh*

[Banky]

If im not mistaken, they probably pull it from a sound library. Probably the same kibrary that every action fils gets their male scream from. The one used in star wars when stormtroopers fall.

[Brent L]

What about the female scream that seems to be in just about every other film where a female scream could go? Anyone got a clue which one I'm talking about?

[Tarantino]

I do.

[Jackskeleton]

It's like talking to a brick wall tarantino. Just don't bother.

Just because your phone doesn't have that default ring tone does not mean that it isn't the generic ring tone. You just want to be special. The scream has history, they don't just go to one sound eng. and get all their sound fx's. sigh indeed.

[ArchibaldTuttle]

Why is water wet?

[zombiezilla]

Y'know, when I read the title to this thread ("Why do the cell phones in a lot of movies have the same ring tone?"), I assumed that you were referring to the idiots who think the "Please Turn Off Your Cell Phone In This Theater" rule does not apply to them.

And I also had an immediate answer to it, which came up (in my head) before this page did (on my PC): it's because people who can't/won't turn off their phones at a movie are basically too stupid to have a different ring tone than the default one from the company.

This happened to me yesterday at a local theater, and the jerk actually sat there and HAD HIS CONVERSATION!

If I hadn't been there with my niece (who's just 11), I'd have had some choice words for the ass.

[redinger]

Originally posted by Snowmaker
Ever since the satellite phone in Jurassic Park III, I hear that same ring tone in a lot of movies. Does it have some sort of significance? Is it the melody to something specific?

A follow-up question I've had that I think of everytime I hear that tone - did someone working on JP invent that ringtone, or did they just steal it from Nokia? Because Kirby says that it's the jingle from his company, and even sings us some words from it.

[Kumar J]

Originally posted by cross
It was a Gateway or some sort of PC in Swordfish. It's DELL.
Even the one's in The Recruit.I see a lot of DELL computer in the new movies