[zh-CN] Creator Talks

Justin Gray’s Grammy®-winning album Immersed was composed, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered all with Dolby Atmos® in mind, from the very beginning. In this conversation, guest host Ben Givarz is joined by Gray, co-producer Drew Jurecka, immersive mastering engineer Michael Romanowski, and Dolby’s Greg “Stryke” Chin to discuss how the team crafted a captivating musical experience featuring 38 artists from around the world, where every performance, microphone placement, production choice, and mix decision was designed to put the listener at the center of the music. Together, they explore how Immersed reimagines what an album can be when space is treated not as an afterthought, but as a core part of the composition itself. Stay connected with our guests on Instagram: Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!

Composer Claudia Sarne joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss her bold, hybrid score for “Supergirl,” and how she blended orchestra, choir, synths, and experimental textures to match this more complicated, emotionally wounded version of the iconic DC character. Sarne also breaks down how she built Supergirl’s theme gradually across the film, letting it emerge piece by piece as Kara steps into her heroic identity.

*NOTE: This episode contains spoilers. “Disclosure Day” is at once a conspiracy thriller, a first-contact story, and a wildly inventive showcase for cinematic sound. In this conversation, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, and Andy Nelson join us to discuss crafting the film’s immersive soundtrack, from its disorienting opening wrestling sequence, to Emily Blunt’s alien-clicking language, to John Williams’s score, and its many spectacular action sequences. But underneath the film’s mystery and spectacle, the sound team was guided by something much simpler and more human. Joining today’s conversation:

The team behind Pottermore Publishing and Audible’s “Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions” joins guest host Richard Addis to discuss one of the most ambitious audiobook productions ever attempted. Featuring more than 200 actors, original music, detailed sound design, and fully immersive Dolby Atmos® mixes, the series brings all seven books to life in a new way — while staying true to the text, the characters, and the world fans know so well. *NOTE: This interview may contain spoilers from the Harry Potter series. Joining today’s conversation:

Randy Thom, director of sound design at Skywalker Sound, discusses how writers and directors can use sound to tell their stories, and the importance of  Apocalypse Now  to modern sound design.

Explore gaming sound design with Rob Krekel and Phillip Kovats of Naughty Dog Studios, one of the world’s most successful video game production houses.

Ten-time Academy Award® nominee Anna Behlmer talks about being one of the first female mixers in the movie business and how to handle a nervous director.

In this episode, two-time Academy Award® nominee Gwen Yates Whittle reveals why director George Lucas thinks dialogue editing is one of the most important parts of the process.

Sound designer/mixer Coll Anderson discusses the role that creative post-production sound can serve in telling non-narrative stories.

Emmy® award-winning sound designer Daniel Colman ( Battlestar Galactica and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ) shares why musicians make the best sound designers.

Leading Broadway sound designer Nevin Steinberg discusses his work on hit shows including Hamilton , Bright Star , The Full Monty , and Spamalot .

Academy Award® nominees Lon Bender and Martín Hernández discuss their BAFTA-winning work on The Revenant and recording Foley on real snow (with horses!).

Tim Gedemer, one of the most experienced virtual reality sound artists reveals why traditional filmmakers tend to stumble in their first VR experiences.

Oscar®-nominated sound artists Mark Mangini and David White, talk about the challenges of managing such an epic production, and the use of silence in chaos.

Two-time Academy Award® winner Alan Murray, discusses how low-end sound can heighten tension and his 40-year collaboration with Clint Eastwood.

Writer/director Ryan Coogler, composer Ludwig Göransson, and sound designer Steve Boeddeker discuss their use of sound and music in Creed and Fruitvale Station .

Visual artist Sophie Clements and her sound design/music collaborator Jo Wills discuss how they use sound and images to instill wonder, awe, and seduction.

Legendary Foley artist John Roesch ( E.T. , Back to the Future , Inception ) discusses his impressive career and why Foley can't come from an effects library.

Triple Academy Award®-winner Walter Murch ( Apocalypse Now, The Godfather ) answers questions from fellow sound designers, Ren Klyce and Gary Rydstrom.

Radiolab creator and co-host, Jad Abumrad, talks about how he uses music as a metaphor to explore abstract topics, and telling complex stories without words.

What does it take to create the sound for a contemporary movie musical? La La Land ’s Academy Award®-winning and nominated sound artists share their stories.

Renée Tondelli (Academy Award® nominee for Best Sound Editing with Wylie Stateman) discusses the sound design of Peter Berg’s film.

Sylvain Bellemare (Best Sound Editing) and Bernard Gariépy Strobl (Best Sound Mixing) discuss the unique challenges of building Arrival’s alien soundscapes.

Academy Award® nominated sound artists discuss their work on Mel Gibson’s film including the challenges of using period-accurate weaponry.

Fellow sound designers Randy Thom and Chris Foster pose questions to Walter Murch, and we discuss the state of cinema sound before and after Apocalypse Now .

Join boundary-pushing director, Aronofsky with his longtime sound supervisor Henighan, discussing their work on Requiem for a Dream , Black Swan , and mother! #Dolby #DolbyInstitute #RequiemForADream #BlackSwan #mother! #Filmmaking #DarrenAronofsky Subscribe to the Dolby Institute Podcast.

Talented creative duo Wright and Slater chat about their remarkable five-film collaboration, from Shawn of the Dead to Baby Driver .

Triple Oscar®-winner Richard King discusses his remarkable collaboration with Christopher Nolan, from The Prestige to Dunkirk .

This team of Oscar®-studded sound artists talk about working on Michael Bay’s film, nominated for Best Sound Mixing, including the film’s chaotic battle scenes.

Two-time Academy Award® winner Alan Murray (Best Sound Editing) discusses his 37th film collaboration with director Clint Eastwood.

Oscar®-nominated sound artists discuss the challenges of mixing the crafted sound design and dialogue to blend with a driving music track in Baby Driver .

After a four-film collaboration (from Cloverfield to War for the Planet of the Apes ), the creative team discusses sound challenges in their work.

This creative pair ( Darkest Hour, The Soloist, Pan ) talk about using sound to build worlds, and Wright shares how London’s rave scene affected his use of sound.

Join boundary-pushing director, Aronofsky with his longtime sound supervisor Henighan, discussing their work on Requiem for a Dream , Black Swan , and mother!

Burwell and Lievsay talk about their 30-year collaboration with the Coen Brothers, spanning 17 films, including Raising Arizona and No Country for Old Men .

The Oscar®-winning sound team behind Christopher Nolan’s film, explain how the carefully engineered track builds and maintains tension for the entire movie.

The Oscar®-nominated sound team behind Blade Runner 2049 talks about how they paid homage to the iconic original film while breaking new sonic ground.

The Academy Award®-nominated artists behind Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water share how the creature’s sound design evolves over the course of the film.

The Oscar®-nominated sound artists talk about the challenges and opportunities of joining an already-established sound universe while adding their own spin.

In this compilation episode, we talk with the sound artists behind Baby Driver, Blade Runner 2049, The Shape of Water, Star Wars: The Last Jedi , and Dunkirk .

Composer and supervising sound editor talk about integrating African music into a symphonic score and sound design for futuristic Wakanda technology.

The writer/director and producer of this Oscar®-nominated film discuss returning for the sequel and the fight scene between baby Jack-Jack and the raccoon.

Oscar®-winning sound artist, Skip Lievsay, talks about his work on Alfonso Cuarón’s epic black-and-white film about his own childhood in 1970s Mexico City.

The sound artists talk about grabbing crowd scenes between sets at music festivals, and how Bradley Cooper wasn’t your typical first-time director.

Director Josie Rourke explains how the desire to tell “better versions of our history” gave her purpose with this story, and the importance of silence.

The writer/director and his Oscar®-nominated sound artists discuss the detailed work that went into re-creating the Mexico City of his 1970s childhood.

The Oscar®-nominated team discusses how the film’s documentary-look influenced the soundscape, and how the sound underpinned the danger of early space flights.

The Oscar®-nominated sound artists talk about the influences behind the sound design of Wakanda technology and constructing the fight scenes in a waterfall.

The Oscar®-winning sound team discusses how sound design helped to get inside Freddie Mercury’s head and recreate the famous 1985 Live-Aid concert.

The Oscar®-nominated sound artists discuss building the soundscape for a “silent” movie and creating a monster who hunts and navigates using only its hearing.

Find out why Wall-E’s voice made some people cry and about the role of subjective sound in creative storytelling in this talk with some of film's sound legends.

Join the sound team for a discussion about keeping creature sounds fresh and new, and delivering cinema-quality sound on an episodic schedule and budget.

The Oscar®-nominated sound-mixing team discusses how doing impulse responses in each of the venues let them recreate the sound of the arenas in post-production.

The co-directors and producer discuss how the Oscar®-nominated team achieved the complex visual design of the film and the role of sound in their storytelling.

The show’s sound mixers explain how they created the sound of faerie wings and why Dolby Atmos® was part of the series’ sound concept right from the beginning.

The sound team talks about carving out moments for internal character sounds to come through and tracking down the original cars to keep the film sounding real.

The filmmakers, composer, and sound team discuss how they used sound design and music to create the perilous, uncomfortable world of Adam Sandler’s character.

The picture editor and sound team for the Elton John biopic, discuss the film’s unique blend of pre-recorded music, live singing on set, and post-recorded songs.

Lucasfilm design supervisor James Clyne shares how J.J. Abrams reimagined the X-Wing fighter and how they researched and built various Death Star interiors.

Co-sound supervisors, Matthew Wood and David Acord, share nearly two decades of Star Wars experience including audio restorations of the original films.

The Oscar®-winning sound team discusses how they used impressionistic sound design to get inside Arthur Fleck’s mind and capture a gritty 1970s Gotham City.

The Oscar®-winning sound team discusses how they made a long, race car sequence sound interesting and other challenges in the film which won Best Sound Editing.

The Oscar®-winning sound team discusses ensuring that even background chatter is historically realistic and the importance of on-set sound for creating tension.

In this episode, we talk about the attempts made to de-age the sound of the actors’ voices and the challenges of building the film’s minimalist soundtrack.

The seven-time Academy Award-winning sound designer discusses using subliminal ambiences, manipulated vocal loops, and strategically used distortion.

Bonnie Wild, re-recording mixer and sound effects editor of the Star Wars show from Disney+, talks about cinematic scale and production value on a TV budget.

Academy Award-winning production sound mixer ( Ad Astra , Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood ) discusses how to keep your cool on a tense movie set.

The sound team discusses mixing the show natively in Dolby Atmos® and the challenges of finishing post-production as the world went into COVID-19 lockdown.

The Oscar®-nominated sound team how they recreated 1969 Los Angeles and why Tarantino chooses to use songs rather than a traditional musical score.

The Oscar®-nominated sound editors discuss working with director J.J. Abrams, recording lines in Adam Driver’s closet, and working on previous Star Wars films.

The sound team takes us through creating the sonic environments of riverboat casinos and basement dungeons, and how they build tension throughout season 3.

The sound team discusses making the ultra-Orthodox community feel authentic and using sound for flashbacks to reveal the details of Esty’s story.

The sound team talks about setting the acoustic tone of the series, Fincher’s mix notes and unique approach to the sound of serial killer interrogation scenes.

The creative team discusses adapting the live show into the cinematic world and how Dolby Atmos® gives home audiences a transformative theatrical experience.

The sound team talks about creating the show's fantastic sounds, including a terrifying mirror room and whispering keys that only children can hear.

Join us as we dive deeper into the actual process and tips for HDR and WCG color grading as well as the full Dolby Vision metadata creation and trim pass.

The filmmakers discuss how to communicate the subjective experience of your main character using sound and tips for hiring and working with your sound team.

Dolby recently co-presented a panel at the Television Academy Foundation with some of this year’s sound nominees. We’ve added some clips to the conversation.

Learn about the origins of Dolby Vision® and how Dolby helped change the game for immersive cinema and home entertainment.

"Mank" has been a personal passion project for David Fincher for several decades now. His own father wrote the script, about the famously self-destructive writer of "Citizen Kane," and Fincher was determined to make the film feel as authentic as possible. Almost like it was an undiscovered artifact from Hollywood's "Golden Age," insisting for years to film it in black & white, 1:33, and in mono. He once again joined forces with his longtime collaborator, sound designer Ren Klyce, to do exactly that. But building this time capsule turned out to be a surprisingly challenging process.

We are always delighted when independent filmmakers get access to our technologies because they tend to use these tools in such fascinating and creative ways. Very often in ways, we'd never imagined. Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos® are often perceived as tools for big-budget, tentpole action movies, which is why we created the Dolby Institute Fellowship, in partnership with the Sundance Institute: To give access to these technologies to filmmakers working with indie budgets. This year's recipients, both of which just had their premieres at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, are "Passing," a haunting film about race in 1920's America by first-time director Rebecca Hall, and "Users," an elegiac documentary about the overwhelming prevalence of technology in the world around us by MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient Natalia Almada. These absolutely stunning films use high dynamic range video and immersive sound in such intimate, almost personal ways, Glenn was excited to sit down with the directors to discuss their processes.

As if filling out an Oscar ballot wasn't challenging enough, 2021 has a ton of rule changes with regards to how the Academy will be voting. Most notably for us here at Dolby, the Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing categories have been combined into one: Best Sound. Today Glenn sits down with Teri Dorman, Kevin Collier, and Scott Millan — the current Board of Governors of the Sound Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — to discuss the rule changes, the controversies these changes stirred up, and — perhaps most importantly — what criteria the Academy might use to vote on this new category. Complicating matters further is the fact that most audiences will be experiencing these films at home, not in a cinema with a state-of-the-art sound system. Whether you're an Oscar voter or an Oscar viewer who wants to do well in your annual office pool, this episode should make filling out your ballot just a little bit easier. "I'd like to think that what we do has been treated in a way that the intent will come across, whether you're listening on a home system that's average or whether you're listening to it in the cinema. And I realize this is very 'pie-in-the-sky,' but I think there is an element that potentially can transcend what it's being played on and hopefully that'll come through. It's something that we all think about and probably toss and turn at night a little bit over because this is going to be a different year." — Kevin Collier, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Board of Governors, Sound Branch

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Sundance Film Festival is entirely virtual. But what exactly does a virtual film festival look like? Glenn sits down with Keri Putnam, CEO of the Sundance Institute, Tabitha Jackson, the brand new director of the Sundance Film Festival, and Michelle Satter, director of the Sundance Labs, to answer all these questions and more. It’s a fascinating conversation about not just the challenges of hosting the Sundance Film Festival in 2021, but also the new opportunities this situation may have uncovered. Indeed, this year could become the road map for the future of The Institute, The Labs, and The Sundance Film Festival itself.

At Pixar, just about everyone's a critic. And that is one of the reasons why they continue to raise the creative bar with every film they release. Pete Docter, the director of "Soul" and CCO of Pixar Animation Studios joins us along with the film's producer, Pixar veteran Dana Murray, to discuss the challenges of making such an incredible animated feature, including their exhaustive development process, which takes place simultaneously while the film is being animated and edited. And if that wasn't challenging enough, this film features one of the most difficult character designs they'd ever come up with. Thanks to our friends at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the New York Film Festival, Glenn was able to sit down with Pete and Dana to answer this essential question: How does Pixar continue to meet these exceedingly high challenges they set for themselves?

We conclude our 2021 Oscars coverage with the nominees for Best Animated Feature! Once again we've invited all of the nominees in this category to speak with us and we are thrilled to share them with you. Congratulations and many, many thanks to all of the nominees. We'd also like to thank Apple, Pixar, Disney, and Netflix for helping coordinate these interviews and for providing film clips to share. Don't miss these incredible animated films:

We continue our 2021 Oscars coverage with the nominees for Best Cinematography! We have once again invited every nominee to join us, and we were very pleased to sit down with three inspiring cinematographers: Sean Bobbitt, Erik Messerschmidt, and Phedon Papamichael. (Unfortunately, the other two nominees, Dariusz Wolski and Joshua James Richards, were unable to find time, as they are on location filming their next projects.) Many thanks to Sean, Erik, and Phedon for joining us and congratulations to all of the nominees! Here they are, once again in alphabetical order: JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH - Sean Bobbitt, B.S.C. MANK - Erik Messerschmidt, A.S.C. NEWS OF THE WORLD - Dariusz Wolski, A.S.C. NOMADLAND - Joshua James Richards, A.S.C. THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 - Phedon Papamichael, A.S.C. We would also like to thank the folks at Warner Bros, Netflix, and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for helping us pull these interviews together (in record time!) and for all the wonderful film clips. Don't miss these incredible films:

The cult classic "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" came out just a little over ten years ago, and to celebrate the anniversary, the filmmakers (and Universal Pictures) decided to remaster the film in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for a theatrical and home video re-release this year. Dolby had the privilege of sitting down with the director, Edgar Wright, and the Sound Designer, Julian Slater, to talk about the experience and to find out just how different this new and improved version of the film will be.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for the Dolby Institute Podcast, we begin our 2021 Oscars coverage with the nominees for Best Sound! This is a very special episode for us because it is the first time we've interviewed all the nominees for a category and edited them together into a single podcast. Our hope is that if you are an Oscar voter — either as an Academy member or as a fan participating in your annual office pool — you'll have a much better idea of what to watch for and (more importantly) what to listen for as you get to the Best Sound category on your ballot. We had some amazing conversations with each of the teams and we hope you find them as entertaining and as enlightening as we did. Here's a table of contents, in case you'd like to jump around: Congratulations and many, many thanks to all of the nominees! Here they are, once again in alphabetical order: GREYHOUND - Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman MANK - Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance and Drew Kunin NEWS OF THE WORLD - Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller and John Pritchett SOUL - Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker SOUND OF METAL - Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh We would also like to thank the folks at Apple, Netflix, Universal Pictures, Disney, Pixar, Amazon, and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for helping us pull these interviews together (in record time!) and for all the wonderful film clips. Don't miss these incredible films: For a deeper dive into "Mank" and "Soul," be sure to check out our recent episodes with the directors of those films. And because we got so much good stuff from each of these interviews, we hope to release some of those in their entirety as bonus episodes in the coming weeks.

Short films don't get a lot of attention these days, but it is one of the best opportunities for filmmakers to experiment with new storytelling techniques. Recently, the Dolby Institute was invited to the Aspen Shortsfest, an Oscar-qualifying festival for short films, to run a workshop on sound design. Well, the submissions blew us away with their creativity and techniques, so we wanted to share these conversations with you. There is a lot we can learn from how these filmmakers utilized their sound design to give audiences the subjective experience of the films' protagonists. Unfortunately, these films are not yet available to watch online, but we have clips available in the video version of this podcast, which we will encourage you to check out here: We spoke with three filmmaking teams and here's a table of contents in case you'd like to jump around:

We're joined today by prolific showrunner and creator Neil Cross and re-recording mixer / supervising sound editor Ron Bochar to discuss their new series "The Mosquito Coast." The show tells the story of a grueling journey of a family on the run and it turns out the production was just as challenging. We discuss some of those challenges (and how they overcame them) along with some insights into how they approached the source material, as this version of the story goes in a very different, but interesting, direction.

Besides "we'll fix it in post," perhaps the most common joke in film editing suites is, "the music will carry it." Meaning, a film almost always has the score to help with the emotional impact of any given moment. But what about films without a traditional score? That is the case with "The Killing of Two Lovers," a tense new indie drama from director Robert Machoian. But interestingly, the director and sound designer —Peter Albrechsten — instead created a unique sonic soundscape to act as a score, but without what we'd normally consider "music." This week, we sit down with Machoian and Albrechsten to discuss how this experiment went, and why it happened to work so well.

Adapting stage musicals for the cinema is an often tricky process and "In the Heights," the latest adaption from Broadway phenom Lin Manuel Miranda, was no different. Director Jon Chu certainly did not shy away from the epic scale of the theatre production, if anything he made it even grander, which (as you might've guessed) had a number of unique challenges. Primarily, how did they manage to capture the immediacy of the live musical performances and still make it both cinematic and fresh? The production tapped music supervisor Steven Gizicki, who had previously worked on the very successful "La La Land," as well as Miranda's long time collaborator (and former roommate), Bill Sherman, to once again act as music producer, having worked on the stage show since the earliest stages. We recently sat down with Bill and Steven to discuss their process, and it was eye-opening. If you think you know how modern movie musicals are recorded, you may be surprised to learn what all went into making "In the Heights."

As games go, chess is maybe not the most exciting thing to watch as a spectator. Its complexities make it difficult for non-experts to truly appreciate. And yet, in Netflix's limited series, "The Queen's Gambit," the filmmakers somehow manage to not only make it exciting, but downright riveting. How did they pull that off? Well, we recently sat down with editor Michelle Tesoro, ACE, and sound designer Wylie Stateman to discuss how they successfully crafted such tense and thrilling scenes which even a non-chess player could follow and, more importantly, enjoy.

How do I break into the film business? That is the number one question we get asked, so we figured maybe it was time to finally answer it. For the past few months, we've asked some of the top professionals in the fields of cinematography, animation, sound, producing, and directing how they got their start and the answers were surprising even to us! Many thanks to Sean Bobbitt, Kori Rae, Dan Scanlon, Peilin Chou, Glen Keane, Gennie Rim, Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller, and John Pritchett for sharing your superhero origin stories with us. Connect with Dolby:

"Nine Days" is an unusual and remarkable film. A kind of supernatural fable about aspiring souls enduring a rigorous interview process in order to get chosen for life. It is an incredible debut from gifted filmmaker Edson Oda, and we are very proud to see this film finally get a theatrical release, as it was a recipient of the Dolby Institute Fellowship, which gives independent films funding to mix their films in Dolby Atmos®. And we couldn't be more pleased with how this film turned out! We recently spoke with writer and director Edson Oda, supervising sound designer Mac Smith, and re-recording mixer Brandon Proctor, about how they managed to craft such a thought-provoking film which asks some of the most provocative questions about existence itself. But it does so in a very subtle way, as the film invites audiences to craft their own interpretations and meanings. This was all very much by design: Many thanks to our friends at Sony Pictures Classics for giving this film the release it deserves and for helping us pull this conversation together this week.

Netflix's "The Crown" picked up a whopping 24 Emmy nominations this year, including one for Best Drama Series — which is understandable, considering just how innovative, understated, and tragic the storytelling on that series is. This week, we're speaking with two of the nominees responsible for some of that incredible storytelling, longtime collaborators Yan Miles ACE, the Editor, and Lee Walpole, the Supervising Sound Editor & Re-Recording Mixer. Yan was nominated for editing and Lee for sound mixing the emotionally wrenching "Fairytale" episode from season four, which tells the heartbreaking story of Lady Diana's days from her engagement to Prince Charles up until her wedding day, which by then, it's safe to say, the "fairytale" was over. This episode is like a masterclass in non-verbal storytelling, tone, and subtext as we follow Diana's emotional journey beyond dialogue, by showing us her relationship to things like food, loneliness, silence, and dance. We're delighted to share this conversation with you so you can get a glimpse into just how this talented creative team approaches this very complex subject matter. –Yan Miles ACE, Editor, "The Crown"

As we begin our coverage of the 2021 Emmy Awards, we're excited to sit down today with Sound Designer, and 3-time Emmy Winner, (and returning guest) Craig Henighan, and Supervising Sound Editor and Dialogue Editor, as well as 4-time Emmy Winner, Brad North — who are nominated again, this time for their incredible work on the Netflix animated anthology series, LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS. They are nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing and the series itself is nominated for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program. And the series is exactly that — Outstanding. So, just how difficult is crafting a sonic landscape for animation? Especially for animation which takes place in a completely alien landscape? And one which utilizes cutting-edge photo-realistic computer animation? As you can imagine, it's very challenging. But also, it turns out, very fun. And you can tell these sound artists had an absolute blast creating a whole new world for their nominated episode, "Snow in the Desert," In Dolby Atmos®.

This week we bring you a remarkable story about how Carlos López Estrada, the director of the Dolby Institute Fellowship winner "Blindspotting," attended a spoken word poetry performance and was so inspired by what he saw on stage, he decided to make a wild, low-budget indie feature capturing some of the magic he witnessed that evening. With the help of Executive Producer Kelly Marie Tran, he turned a chaotic production, written and starring young poets (many of whom were only just out of high school!) into a highlight of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. We sat down with Carlos, Kelly, and two of the poet writers of the film, Tyris Winter and Marcus James, to discuss how they managed to make such a magical film under such wild circumstances.

As we continue our coverage of the 2021 Emmy Awards, we recently sat down with the Emmy-nominated editor and sound team for the fantastic nature program / retrospective biography / urgent and dire warning for humanity, "David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet." The film pulled material from over 50 years of Sir David's career to create what many believed to be his final big documentary. And working on the film was an understandably emotional experience.

The incredible new adaptation of "Dune," from director Denis Villeneuve, has some astonishing sound work, fully embracing the immersive capabilities of Dolby Atmos®. Creating this soundtrack was a long and painstaking process, which began in pre-production, as Denis took a novel approach by bringing his sound team and composer on board very early in the process. This gave them extra time and creative freedom to unlock some truly next-level artistry on this film. We recently sat down with Denis and his all-star sound team of Mark Mangini, Theo Green, and Ron Bartlett, to discuss this and their approach to this very ambitious project.

Today we're speaking with the creators of "Come From Away," the Tony Award-winning Broadway show, and the latest to get a streaming release, this time on Apple TV+. Joining us are the creators and writers of the book, music, and lyrics, David Hein and Irene Sankoff, and director Christopher Ashley. The show is set in the week following the September 11 attacks and tells the true story of what transpired when 38 planes were ordered to land unexpectedly in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland when the US unexpectedly closed its airspace. The characters in the musical are based on real Gander residents as well as some of the 7,000 stranded travelers they housed and fed. If this sounds like a big story, that's because it is. And just how do you pare that down into a tight, Broadway show, with no intermission? It was a challenge: The musical premiered on Broadway in 2017 and was nominated for seven Tony awards, including Best Musical, Book, and Score, and Christopher Ashley won the Tony for Best Direction.

Dr. Michelle Fournet and Dr. Ellen Garland, the scientists featured in the new Apple TV+ documentary "Fathom," believe the songs of the humpback whales to be perhaps the oldest form of verbal communication between intelligent life on planet Earth. A language and culture which may predate humans' by millions of years. You may think scientific curiosity then set out to decipher this language so that we would be able to communicate with these fiercely intelligent mammals directly. But as it turns out, that is not exactly the point... So just what are the whales saying to each other? And how did the filmmakers convey this foreign language so beautifully through sound and image? We sat down with Director and Cinematographer Drew Xanthopoulos, along with Sound Supervisor and Re-Recording Mixer Brad Engleking of TBD Post, to ask exactly that.

WandaVision was a breakout hit this past year, and it appropriately has a whopping 23 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, and more for Writing, Acting, Directing, and a couple of well-deserved nods in the Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories. And if you've seen the series, it should be clear why — this show mixes stylistic formats in some truly bizarre, but also satisfying, ways. At times it harkens back to the sitcoms of yesteryear — even filming part of an episode live in front of a studio audience, in order to capture an authentic laugh track — and other times like what one would expect from a series taking place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So how did the sound team pull all these disparate stylistic elements into such a cohesive and satisfying amalgamation? Well, we sat down with them to ask exactly that. Joining us this week is Danielle Dupre, Re-Recording Mixer and Dialogue Editor (and Daytime Emmy Winner); Kim Foscato, Supervising Sound Editor (and previous Primetime Emmy winner); Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Supervising Sound Editor and Dialogue Supervisor; and Steve Orlando, Sound Designer.

Today we are joined by director Sir Kenneth Branagh to discuss his deeply personal new film, "Belfast." The film tells the semi-autobiographical (fictionalized) story of "Buddy," a 9-year old boy living in the city during the "The Troubles" of 1969. It is an intimate portrait of a small family on a tiny city block surrounded by chaos and upheaval. To help convey the overwhelming feeling of menace, seemingly just around every corner, the director tapped Simon Chase — Sound Supervisor and Re-recording Mixer, Niv Adiri — Academy Award-Winning Re-recording Mixer, and James Mather — Emmy Award-Winning Sound Supervisor, all of whom join us today on the podcast to discuss how they crafted such a rich soundtrack for such an intimate film. And, as it turns out, the inspiration for this project was actually a sound from Sir Kenneth Branaugh's memory:

We're turning back the clock to 1984 as we talk about "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" with Supervising Sound Editor & Re-Recording Mixer Will Files and Composer Rob Simonsen. Unlike many modern action-adventure films, this team, led by director Jason Reitman, tried to make everything sound as authentically '80s as possible, eschewing modern sound design and film score aesthetics, in order to give the audience an experience reminiscent of the beloved original film (which happened to be directed by Jason's father, Ivan Reitman). The result is a delightful throwback to the action-comedies of yesteryear. And the three of us absolutely NERD OUT today, as we talk about all the ways they pulled this off, from both a technical and aesthetic perspective.

As always, this team has crafted an incredibly rich soundtrack, this time seamlessly melding sound design, score, and classic hit songs from the 1960s. They accomplished this by beginning work on the film well before filming even began.

The latest James Bond film, from director Cary Joji Fukunaga, is a veritable feast of emotion and tone. Along with the requisite jaw-dropping action sequences, the film is chock-full of emotional pathos and tender moments, appropriate for Daniel Craig's sendoff as the titular British super-spy. But also, perhaps surprisingly, some very humorous sequences, as well. With a running time of over 2 and 1/2 hours, the sound team had their work cut out for them, and on a very tight timeline. So how did they manage to craft such an exciting, yet tender, and often hilarious new Bond film under such tough deadlines? Today we sit down with supervising sound editor Oliver Tarney and re-recording mixers Paul Massey and Mark Taylor to find out exactly that. Did they go back in and make changes after the film was "finished?" After all, the release was delayed substantially due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For his feature film directorial debut, director Lin-Manuel Miranda chose to adapt the autobiographical stage musical "tick, tick... BOOM!" by Jonathan Larson — the Broadway phenom behind "Rent," who died so suddenly and tragically in 1996. This film is so clearly a labor of love for Miranda, who took on quite the challenge of adapting this small stage show (often performed by no more than three people) and turning it into a fully realized movie musical with a big cast, elaborate set pieces, and a lush soundtrack worthy of Larson's legacy. We recently sat down with the director along with Tod Maitland the sound mixer, and Paul Hsu, the re-recoding mixer and supervising sound editor for the film, to discuss the unique challenges this production faced — especially considering how they filmed during the Covid-19 pandemic before vaccines were readily available to the cast and crew.

In Part Two of our conversation about "Nightmare Alley," we are joined by an impressive team of sound artists, who worked very closely with Guillermo del Toro in crafting this film: We've included some additional material from our one-on-one interview with the director himself, so that we could discuss some key creative decisions and how the team responded to his direction. They remarked not only on his famous eye (and ear) for detail, but how every creative decision seemed to be driven, as always, by story:

Since so much groundbreaking sound work is being created in the world of gaming these days, we've decided to dedicate the next few episodes of this podcast to some of the superstars behind your favorite new video games. First up is the sound and music team from Eidos Montreal, who brought us "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy." Bringing this massive title to life was no easy endeavor, especially during a global pandemic. Yet the end result is a thrilling game with a surprisingly emotional story that is very rewarding to play through. Our guest moderator this week, Andy Vaughan from Dolby Game Developer Relations, spoke with the team behind this game for an in-depth look into their process.

Director Jane Campion joins us today to discuss her harrowing new drama, "The Power of the Dog." It is a dark, psychological thriller made even more thrilling by the incredible sound work by Academy Award-winning supervising sound editor Robert Mackenzie, sound designer Dave Whitehead, and re-recording mixer Tara Webb, all of whom joined in our discussion. So many aspects of making this film were unique to Jane's filmmaking approach. Or as Robert put it: This episode offers a fascinating glimpse into their unconventional process: How they experimented with Dolby Atmos ® to sharpen tension in what is a particularly quiet film, how they crafted the sonic character of an old house, and how they worked with Jonny Greenwood's brilliant score... which came in before the film was even edited.

Since so much groundbreaking sound work is being created in the world of gaming these days, we've decided to dedicate the next few episodes of this podcast to some of the superstars behind your favorite new video games. Continuing that ongoing coverage, today our colleague Alistair Hirst sits down with the sound team behind "Ghost of Tsushima," a giant open world Samurai action game set in feudal Japan. The team took painstaking steps to give players as authentic and immersive an experience as possible.

We recently sat down with legendary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro ahead of the premiere of his latest film, the slick and stylish noir thriller, "Nightmare Alley." Our conversation was so inspiring that we decided to release this podcast in two parts. Today, enjoy this inspiring, one-on-one conversation for a unique glimpse into the creative process of one of the greatest directors working today. If you are at all interesting in filmmaking, consider this podcast episode a must-listen. This is especially true for anyone interested in what a film director does:

If it seems like the Hollywood musical is making a comeback, that's because, in many ways, it is. And after decades of promising to one day direct one, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg finally decided to tackle a new interpretation of "West Side Story." The film is now nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Sound. Joining us today is the sound team behind this film, who collectively took great pains to use as many modern recording techniques available to them to create this impressive, cutting-edge soundtrack.

As we continue to delve into the world of sound design for gaming, we have a special conversation to share with you today with one of the heavy hitters in this space — Rob Bridgett. Rob is something of a visionary in their field and has a new book called, "Leading with Sound: Proactive Sound Practices in Video Game Development," where they share some of their fascinating insights and philosophy on crafting soundtracks for video games. Our colleague Andy Vaughan discusses the book, as well as Rob's work on "Shadow of the Tomb Raider," their overall career, and some of the exciting new experimentation they're doing in partnership with McGill University.

With yesterday's announcement of the 94th Academy Award nominations, this year's award season is now in full swing! We decided it would be fun to bring in some experts to discuss the nominees, especially those in some of our favorite categories — Best Sound and Best Cinematography — as well as others (and the show itself) for a very spirited conversation on this year's top contenders. Our guests:

We conclude our special coverage of sound design for video games by interviewing the sound team at Gearbox Software, which famously created "over one billion guns" for its latest first-person shooter, Borderlands 3. So how exactly does a team design the sound for so many different guns? Turns out, it's actually kinda fun.

Academy Award-winning sound artist Skip Lievsay has worked with some of the greatest filmmakers for the past several decades, including Martin Scorsese, Darren Aronofsky, Michael Moore, Alfonso Cuarón, and his most frequent collaborators, the Coen Brothers. In this in-depth interview, Skip tells us some of his greatest tricks of the trade, whether working with first-time filmmakers or directors of the highest calibre. Specifically, being brave enough to experiment and even get things "wrong," even if that leads to some awkward moments on the mix stage.

Director Matt Reeves joins us this week to discuss The Batman. This is part 1 of our special 2-part episode on this film, since there is so much to discuss with Matt and his team. So be sure to check out part 2, where we discuss the cinematography of The Batman, which will debut this Thursday! In this episode we are joined by Matt and his incredible team of sound and music artists: Michael Giacchino - Composer Will Files - Supervising Sound Editor Douglas Murray - Supervising Sound Editor Andy Nelson - Re-Recording Mixer Somehow, despite their very busy schedules, we managed to spend over an hour together (in-person!) discussing the amazing work this team did. And as you'll soon discover, this is a group that works incredibly well together, each bringing their exceptional creativity and craft to the process. But we also spend a lot of time discussing how Matt manages to bring everything together so seamlessly as the director: This episode is a master class in filmmaking and collaboration, with a ton of insights into the process of crafting this latest superhero epic.

Welcome to our continuing coverage of this year's Academy Awards®. Like last year, we have compiled interviews from the nominees in the Best Animated Feature Film category. So, if you are an Oscar voter — either as an Academy member or as a fan participating in your annual office pool — you'll have a much better idea of what to watch for as you get to this category on your ballot! Here are the nominated films, in alphabetical order:

Welcome to our continuing coverage of this year's Academy Awards. Like last year, we have compiled interviews from each of the nominees in the Best Sound category. So, if you are an Oscar voter — either as an Academy member or as a fan participating in your annual office pool — you'll have a much better idea of what to watch for and (more importantly) what to listen for as you get to the Best Sound category on your ballot! Here are the nominees, in alphabetical order: NO TIME TO DIE: Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor THE POWER OF THE DOG: Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb WEST SIDE STORY: Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy Each of these interview excerpts is taken from our full episodes dedicated to the sound design of each of these incredible films. Here's a table of contents, in case you'd like to jump around, as well as links to the full episodes from our back catalogue:

Director Matt Reeves joins us again this week to discuss The Batman. This is part 2 of our special 2-part episode on this movie, where we discuss the film's incredible cinematography. If you haven't already, be sure to check out part 1, where we break down the sound and music of The Batman, in our podcast archive from earlier this week, or on YouTube: Joining Matt is Director of Photography Greig Fraser (who joins us separately, later in this episode, as he is currently on location in London), and Supervising and Lead Digital Colorist, David Cole.But this episode is not just a deep dive into the technical aspects of their fascinating post-production process, but also includes details on how Matt and Greig managed to make such an epic movie feel like you, in the audience, were right there in the middle of all the action.

Welcome to our continuing coverage of this year's Academy Awards®. Like last year, we have compiled interviews from the nominees in the Best Cinematography category. So, if you are an Oscar voter — either as an Academy member or as a fan participating in your annual office pool — you'll have a much better idea of what to watch for as you get to the Best Cinematography category on your ballot! Here are the nominated Directors of Photography, in alphabetical order by film: We have one more episode of our special Academy Awards® coverage, coming coming in the next few days. That episode is devoted to the Best Animated Feature category.

Part one (of two) of our exclusive, in-person interview with the filmmakers of this mind-blowing new film, now playing in cinemas. We are joined by the directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known collectively as "Daniels"), as well as the film's sound designer and sound effects editor, Andrew Twite, and the re-recording mixer and sound supervisor, Brent Kiser. If you haven't seen "Everything Everywhere All at Once" yet, it is an incredible example of genre-bending experimentation taken to the absolute extreme. And the directors worked closely with the sound team, in order to craft one of the biggest independent action films in recent memory.

Joining us again are directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (known collectively as "Daniels"), as well as the film's sound designer and sound effects editor, Andrew Twite, and the re-recording mixer and sound supervisor, Brent Kiser. Today we're devoting the entire episode to the music of "Everything Everywhere All at Once" because it was such an intensive process. So much so that the composers, the indie band Son Lux (comprised of members Ryan Lott, Ian Chang, and Rafiq Bhatia) spent an unusually long time working very, very closely with the filmmakers on this project: If that sounds like a lot, that's because it was. As part of this episode, we also speak with Ryan Lott, the founding member of Son Lux, to describe his journey working on this film and all its many parts, including crafting different musical styles for each multiverse, collaborating (and singing a duet!) with Randy Newman, as well as discovering the artistic potential of working in Dolby Atmos®.

This film features some of the most intimate and vulnerable footage you may ever see of the iconic and enigmatic hip-hop star. It's clear that Kanye gave the filmmakers not just unprecedented access to his personal life, but also a great deal of his trust. Joining the conversation is re-recording mixer Paul Hsu, to tell us how he crafted such an incredible soundtrack, often from single audio sources and decades-old videotapes.

Our guest host this week, Tom Graham, is joined by some of the top colorists working today to have a roundtable discussion about HDR workflows and working in Dolby Vision®. This is a passionate conversation, with lots of technical detail, which highlights why so many of these artists are so excited to be working with these new tools available to them. Many thanks to this week's guests: Learn more about Dolby Vision® for Content Creators here: Dolby Vision® Training and Certification can be found here: To learn more about Mixing Light, check out:

Legendary sound designer and re-recording mixer Gary Rydstrom joins us once again, this time to discuss his groundbreaking work on Steven Spielberg's classic film, "Jurassic Park" (1993), ahead of the upcoming premiere of the final film in the franchise — "Jurassic World: Dominion." Amazingly, even nearly 30 years later, Rydstrom's work on the original film still holds up incredibly well. Rydstrom and his team recorded dozens of animals and layered those tracks together to create the unforgettable sounds of the dinosaurs, as showcased in the behind-the-scenes documentary: "The Making of 'Jurassic Park,'" directed by John Schultz, which we feature in today's episode: "Jurassic World: Dominion" will be available in theaters on June 10th in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®, where available.

The latest season of "Stranger Things" finally returned to Netflix on May 27th and we are so excited to sit down with the creators of the show, along with several key members of the post-production team, to discuss the sound, music, and editorial process behind this wildly successful series. This is a supersized episode of the podcast with a TON of bonus guests. Joining us are the creators (as well as writers and directors) Matt and Ross Duffer; composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein; re-recording mixers Mark Paterson, Craig Henighan (also the sound supervisor), and Will Files (also the supervising sound editor); and the editor of the series, Dean Zimmerman. This conversation offers an incredible glimpse into the creative process of what makes "Stranger Things" work so well. And it's apparent from this conversation that it has a lot to do with how much this team trusts each other in order to work so seamlessly together.

Podcasts have exploded in popularity in recent years, and creators have been exploring new ways to create fully-immersive experiences for their listeners. In today’s episode, we speak with a few of the companies that are on the cutting-edge of crafting a truly cinematic experience for audio storytelling in podcasts, from QCODE and Wondery, the latter of which is now delivering podcasts in Dolby Atmos® — for a next-level listening experience — via the Wondery+ app. This innovation has made it possible to drop a listener directly into the world of a podcast like never before. Throughout this episode, we have included several clips of recent shows, which were all mixed in Dolby Atmos®, so you can experience just how immersive this technology can make a podcast feel. So, please, if you can, listen to this episode with headphones. FEATURED in today’s episode, all of these podcasts were mixed in Dolby Atmos®:

If you caught the last installment of the Thor franchise, then you already know that director Taika Waititi has taken this particular series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a considerably more comedic direction. And Thor: Love and Thunder continues that trend. This film has some very funny sound moments, including a jealous battle axe, Russell Crowe doing an over-the-top Greek accent, and a pair of screaming goats. Literally. But how does creating a soundtrack for comedy — and specifically a superhero comedy — differ from crafting a typical superhero action movie? Joining us to discuss that on today's episode are the film's re-recording mixers Onnalee Blank and Brandon Proctor, supervising sound editors Daniel Laurie and Baihui Yang, and sound designer Samson Neslund.

Quick Content Warning: There is some colorful language in this podcast episode. Listener discretion is advised. Season 3 of the eleven-time Emmy winning series LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS hit Netflix on May 20th and we are delighted to sit down with creator Tim Miller, supervising director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, and supervising sound editor Brad North to discuss how they managed to succeed where so many others have failed — creating a hit anthology television series.

The newest and final installment of the Jurassic World franchise roared into theaters on Friday and we are delighted to share this conversation with director Colin Trevorrow and his sound team, to discuss how they crafted the soundtrack to this latest dinosaur Summer blockbuster. On today's podcast: Jurassic World Dominion features another monstrous soundtrack that these dinosaur epics are known for. But as you might have guessed, keeping those big action set pieces sonically coherent enough for an audience to actually enjoy is a very complicated, but also enjoyable, challenge for the sound team. Be sure to check out Jurassic World Dominion in theaters, and ideally at a Dolby Cinema, near you!

Director and co-writer Ryan Coogler joins us to discuss the making of the latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Joining the discussion is the film’s composer Lugwig Görannson, supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer Steve Boeddeker, supervising sound editor Benjamin Burtt, and re-recording mixer Brandon Proctor. This is the first Black Panther movie since the sudden and tragic death of its star, Chadwick Boseman. But as the title implies, the filmmakers hope this film is both a fitting tribute to him as well as a reminder that he and his work live on in these powerful films.

We are back from a short break, as we’ve been working on a couple of very big episodes. But in the meantime, we had the privilege to speak with Michael Giacchino, the director of Marvel’s “Werewolf by Night,” a super fun and spooky “television special” on Disney+, perfect for this Halloween season. Joining us for the discussion is much of his post-production team: Re-recording Mixer Juan Peralta, Editor Jeff Ford, Supervising Sound Editor Josh Gold, and Dialogue and ADR Supervisor Chris Gridley. Maybe it’s because Giacchino, one of Hollywood’s top film composers, is usually a member of the post team, but his rapport with his crew is apparent in this lively discussion. Clearly this team had a blast working together and that infectious spirit continues here. We discuss the challenges of making a modern Marvel film in a Classic Hollywood “creature feature” style, the directorial advantages of being your own composer, that wild flame-throwing tuba, and so much more.

Director Ryan White and Academy Award-winning sound designer Mark Mangini join us today to discuss the making of “Good Night Oppy.” This charming new documentary tells the story of the two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which were sent to the red planet back in 2003 and were expected to survive long enough to collect data for — hopefully — 90 days. Instead, they blew everyone’s expectations away and one of them, nicknamed “Oppy,” lasted over 15 years. The filmmakers had the advantage of almost a thousand hours of archival material from NASA, but since much of the film takes place “on Mars,” that came with its own unique challenges. Mark Mangini, who worked as the film’s sound designer, supervising sound editor, and re-recording mixer, then had the unique challenge of “recreating” what exactly those machines and environment might have sounded like on Mars… but without the benefit of microphones on any of the rovers. But as always, he was able to craft an incredible soundtrack and mix in Dolby Atmos®.

In this special, supersized episode we take a peek behind the curtain to examine Pixar's unique editorial process. It's often messy and non-linear, with shots and sequences constantly being re-worked... and this might just be the secret to why their films end up feeling so cinematic and have the emotional impact that they do. At Pixar, the editor has much more authority and responsibility than their live-action and traditional cell animation counterparts. How did this come to be? It's all outlined in a new book by authors Bill Kinder and Bobbie O'Steen, "Making the Cut at Pixar: The Art of Editing Animation." Bill and Bobbie join us today to discuss the history of editing at Pixar, and explain the origins of Pixar's groundbreaking editorial process. Joining the discussion are couple of legendary filmmakers — both of whom had been there since the very early days — multiple Academy Award® winning director Pete Docter and another multiple Academy Award® winning director and editor, Lee Unkrich. Rounding out this conversation we also hear from longtime collaborator and editor of Pete Docter's, Kevin Nolting, and editor Edie Ichioka, who worked on "Toy Story 2," to give their perspectives.

Director Joseph Kosinski and his sound team discuss their groundbreaking work on the hit sequel to the classic 80s film "Top Gun." Joining the discussion are re-recording mixers Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor, as well as supervising sound editors James Mather, Al Nelson, and Bjørn Schroeder. Since most of the movie's flight scenes were filmed practically (or "in-camera") without relying on too many visual effects in post-production, this created some unique challenges for the sound team. With Awards Season fast approaching, this is certainly a film to look out for in the Best Sound category, and this episode offers a unique insight into just how much went into crafting such a thrilling and dynamic mix.

Multiple Academy Award winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu joins us to discuss his latest work, the surreal, yet somehow pseudo-autobiographical film, “BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.” Since this episode focuses almost exclusively on the sound of the film, joining the conversation is much of the film’s sound team: Martín Hernández - Supervising Sound Editor and Sound Designer Santiago Núñez - Production Sound Mixer Jon Taylor - Re-recording Mixer Ken Yasumoto - Re-recording Mixer and Sound Designer While the film is truly a visually stunning epic, the director focused much of his attention on the audio, because, as he put it:

Director Ron Howard joins us to discuss his thrilling new film, “Thirteen Lives,” a harrowing dramatization of the real-life rescue of thirteen young Thai soccer players who were trapped in a flooding cave in 2018. Joining the discussion is much of the film’s post-production team: Rachael Tate, Supervising Sound Editor Oliver Tarney, Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer Chris Burden, Re-recording Mixer William Miller, Re-recording Mixer James D. Wilcox, Editor Authenticity was the name of the game and the entire filmmaking team took great pains to make this film as historically accurate as possible.

Two-time Academy Award winning director Guillermo del Toro and his co-director Mark Gustafson join us to discuss their latest work — appropriately titled — “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.” Despite being stop-motion animation, the film features a rich sound design and complex mix. One which the directors had to fight for.

This week we sit down with the writer/director and sound team behind the harrowing new adaptation of "All Quiet on the Western Front." Joining director Edward Berger is sound supervisor and sound designer Frank Kruse, sound designer Markus Stemler, re-recording mixer Lars Ginzel, and production sound mixer Viktor Prášil. This film has been shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Sound, and as Berger says in the interview, this team has a strong track record when it comes to winning sound awards in Germany. So this is definitely a film to keep an eye (and ear) on this awards season. During the conversation, Berger also discusses why he felt now was the ideal time to tackle this adaptation of the classic World War I novel, and how the team approached the sound design and mix for the film, which — to the director — was all about harsh contrasts and abrupt sound cuts:

The 2022 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner was the first ever horror film to win the top award at the film festival. But before that, "Nanny" — the feature film debut from Nikyatu Jusu — was also the recipient of the 2022 Dolby Institute Fellowship, which awards a low-budget Sundance film with a post-production grant to finish the film in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®.

We are thrilled to bring you these interviews with ALL FIVE of the nominees in the Cinematography category for this year’s Academy Awards. The nominated Directors of Photography are in alphabetical order, by film, in the index above. This is a super-sized episode because each of these interviews are brand new and exclusive to The Dolby Institute Podcast. So get your Oscar ballot ready and enjoy these in-depth discussions about the groundbreaking work these talented individuals have brought to the craft of cinematography this year.

Welcome to this year’s coverage of the Academy Awards. Like last year, we have compiled interviews from each of the nominees in the Best Sound category. So, if you are an Oscar voter — either as an Academy member or as a fan participating in your annual office pool — you'll have a much better idea of what to watch for and (more importantly) what to listen for as you get to the Best Sound category on your ballot! Here are the nominees, in alphabetical order: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT —Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel, and Stefan Korte THE BATMAN — Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, and Andy Nelson ELVIS — David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson, and Michael Keller TOP GUN: MAVERICK — Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, and Mark Taylor With the exception of ELVIS (due to time), each of these interview excerpts is taken from our full episodes dedicated to the sound design of each of these incredible films. Here's a table of contents, in case you'd like to jump around, as well as links to the full episodes from our back catalogue:

As we continue our 2023 Awards coverage, today we are talking to the sound team behind another film on the Best Sound Academy Awards shortlist — “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Joining us is four-time Academy Award winning re-recording mixer, supervising sound editor, and sound designer Christopher Boyes; supervising sound editor Dick Bernstein; re-recording mixer Michael Hedges; sound mixer Julian Howarth; and supervising sound editor Gwendolyn Yates Whittle. As you’ll hear about in detail in this interview, every member of the sound and music teams needed to work very closely together, in a concerted effort, to make the sound of this film as clean and as clear as possible. Or as James Cameron would often put it, “clarity is king.” Easier said than done with a movie this complex.

It is a time of great disruption in both independent and studio cinema. Join us for a conversation on the evolving role of film festivals in this dramatically changing landscape. We delved into topics such as the role of streaming platforms and online vs in-person festivals. And tackle questions such as how festivals can develop the next generation of talent, and how exactly DOES one get a film into SXSW or Sundance?

Our coverage of the 2023 Academy Awards continues with another film on the Best Sound shortlist — “Babylon.” The work of director Damien Chazelle (“La La Land,” “Whiplash”) is certainly no stranger to awards season, so this is definitely a film to watch out and, in this case, listen for. Joining us today is re-recording mixer, sound designer, and supervising sound editor Ai-Ling Lee; supervising sound editor Mildred Iatrou Morgan; and production sound mixer Steve Morrow. If you’ve seen the film then you already know it is a bombastic depiction of Hollywood decadence in the time of transition from the silent film era to “the talkies.” And from the what we’ve heard in today’s episode, the production was appropriately over-the-top as well.

6-time Emmy Award winning (Stranger Things, Love Death + Robots) sound designer, supervising sound editor, and re-recording mixer Craig Henighan has worked with director Darren Aronofsky since Requiem for a Dream. And with A24’s 25th anniversary re-release of Pi, Craig discusses the challenges of updating its original soundtrack. The indie film’s razor thin budget only allowed for a four day mix back in 1998, and as a result, Craig had his work cut out for him as he reconstructed and rebuilt the original soundtrack into its stunning new remaster and Dolby Atmos® mix. Craig also dishes on the collaborative process of working with legendary directors such as Aronofsky and Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), the latter of whom helped earn Craig his first Academy Award nomination. This discussion took place in front of a live audience at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. About Dolby: Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences. Through our innovative research and engineering, we develop breakthroughs that we share with the world through collaborations that span artists, businesses, and consumers worldwide. These breakthroughs deliver incredibly vivid experiences in the cinema, at home, at work, and on the go — experiences so lifelike that people feel as if they’ve been transported into a cinematic story or a pulsing sphere of music, a distant conference room or an action-packed game. In both entertainment and communications, through audio and imaging, we give everyone the power to see, hear, and feel the spectacular.

Making an independent film today is even more challenging than it was in its heyday of the 1990s. So we’re bringing you a panel discussion with directors of two of the festival favorites at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. Directors Hannah Pearl Utt (“Cora Bora”) and Emma Westenberg (“You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder”) take a deep-dive into the state of the independent film industry and the challenges involved in making a film in 2023, including (perhaps most importantly) how to get the gig in the first place: About Dolby: Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences. Through our innovative research and engineering, we develop breakthroughs that we share with the world through collaborations that span artists, businesses, and consumers worldwide. These breakthroughs deliver incredibly vivid experiences in the cinema, at home, at work, and on the go — experiences so lifelike that people feel as if they’ve been transported into a cinematic story or a pulsing sphere of music, a distant conference room or an action-packed game. In both entertainment and communications, through audio and imaging, we give everyone the power to see, hear, and feel the spectacular.

Polite Society had one of the biggest debuts at this year’s 2023 Sundance Film Festival and it’s easy to see why. The film is wild, fun, chaotic mashup of genre and style, everything from kung fu action to dark comedy to paranoid spy thriller to coming-of-age drama (and more!) is deftly mixed into this little firecracker of a movie, which was made with an astonishingly small budget during the height of the COVID-19 Omicron surge. Despite these challenges, the film is a masterclass in nailing tone and also turning that tone on a dime. But finding that right balance was no easy feat, requiring lots of trial and error. Joining us on the podcast is the team who “found it.” Writer and director Nida Manzoor, director of photography (and Aikido black belt) Ashley Connor, sound designer and supervising sound editor Jay Price, and re-recording mixers Tushar Manek and Simon Hill. About Dolby: Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences. Through our innovative research and engineering, we develop breakthroughs that we share with the world through collaborations that span artists, businesses, and consumers worldwide. These breakthroughs deliver incredibly vivid experiences in the cinema, at home, at work, and on the go — experiences so lifelike that people feel as if they’ve been transported into a cinematic story or a pulsing sphere of music, a distant conference room or an action-packed game. In both entertainment and communications, through audio and imaging, we give everyone the power to see, hear, and feel the spectacular.

Today we have an exclusive interview with the writer and director of Evil Dead Rise, Lee Cronin, along with sound designer and supervising sound editor Peter Albrechtsen. We discuss how they made this super fun addition to the Evil Dead franchise as well as their collaborative process in crafting one of the creepiest soundtracks you’re likely to experience this year. We have some “epic” clips to share with you, as well as a breakdown of that excruciating cheese grater sequence, so this episode is not for the squeamish. This interview was recorded live at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. About Dolby: Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences. Through our innovative research and engineering, we develop breakthroughs that we share with the world through collaborations that span artists, businesses, and consumers worldwide. These breakthroughs deliver incredibly vivid experiences in the cinema, at home, at work, and on the go — experiences so lifelike that people feel as if they’ve been transported into a cinematic story or a pulsing sphere of music, a distant conference room or an action-packed game. In both entertainment and communications, through audio and imaging, we give everyone the power to see, hear, and feel the spectacular.

Independent filmmaking legend Robert Rodriguez joins us this week, along with his composer and son Rebel Rodriguez, to discuss their mind-bending new action-thriller, “Hypnotic,” starring Ben Affleck. We discuss how they finally completed this film after years of Covid-related delays, why the director still prefers Austin over Hollywood (as his production hub), and how he’s made filmmaking a truly family affair. In addition to Rebel's score, the film benefited from the creative input of Robert's daughter, Rhiannon Rodriguez, who contributed to the storyboards. Racer Max Rodriguez and Rocket Rodriguez, Robert's other sons, brought their respective expertise to the table as well — Racer Max as the a co-writer and producer, and Rocket as an editor. About Dolby: Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences. Through our innovative research and engineering, we develop breakthroughs that we share with the world through collaborations that span artists, businesses, and consumers worldwide. These breakthroughs deliver incredibly vivid experiences in the cinema, at home, at work, and on the go — experiences so lifelike that people feel as if they’ve been transported into a cinematic story or a pulsing sphere of music, a distant conference room or an action-packed game. In both entertainment and communications, through audio and imaging, we give everyone the power to see, hear, and feel the spectacular.

Key members of the team behind DAHMER, season one of Ryan Murphy’s hit series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” join us this week to discuss the challenges of balancing this gripping portrayal of the notorious serial killer, and his impact on the communities he preyed upon, without glorifying or redeeming Jeffrey Dahmer’s horrific acts. Joining us is Executive Producer and president of Ryan Murphy Productions Alexis Woodall, Re-recording Mixer Laura Wiest, Production Sound Mixer Amanda Beggs, and Producer & Supervising Editor Regis Kimble. This is just one of two podcast episodes we’ve done on this season of the series, so be sure to look for our episode with Paris Barclay, the director of episodes six and ten, which will be released later this week.

For our 150th episode of The Dolby Institute Podcast we’re delighted to bring you filmmaking advice for first-time filmmakers… FROM first-time filmmakers. We have gathered a panel of emerging directors, fresh off the premieres of their very first films, to share their insights, triumphs, and challenges in this candid round-table discussion. What hard lessons did they learn? And what would they do differently next time? These insights are from a group of young filmmakers who took part in the “Finish the Script Challenge,” a collaboration between the Dolby Institute and Ghetto Film School. With an open-call submission process and mentorship by Academy Award-nominated director Carlos López Estrada, each year recipients receive a $25,000 grant and access to resources to finish their short films in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®. Whether you're a film student, an aspiring director, or a seasoned pro, we hope you find the candid advice in this episode helpful and inspiring. Be sure to check out each of the films from our panelists, along with behind-the-scenes featurettes by documentary filmmakers Ian Sotzing and Jordan Fatke.

A new, exclusive interview with Phedon Papamichael, the director of photography of the latest (and final?) installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. He and director James Mangold had to contend with a myriad of unique challenges on this film, including matching and updating the classic “Indy look,” filming more chase scenes than you can count, and working with cutting edge VFX to “de-age” Harrison Ford, making the 80-year old action star look the same age he was when he shot Raiders of the Lost Ark!

Director and Co-Writer Peter Sohn and Director of Photography Jean-Claude Kalache join us this week to tell us about the making of Elemental, Pixar Animation Studios’ most ambitious movie to date. We discuss Pixar’s famously demanding story development process and why this film took years just to get to an outline, how this film deals with some much more grown-up themes than the typical Pixar fare, and the unique challenges of animating two lead characters made up entirely of either a glowing, iridescent flame (Ember) or a blob of translucent liquid (Wade).

Former DGA president, and one of the most successful directors working in television, Paris Barclay joins us on the podcast to discuss his remarkable work on episodes six and ten of DAHMER, season one of Ryan Murphy’s series, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.” But it was work we almost didn’t get to see, because he was initially very reluctant to take on the job. So why did Paris decide to take the gig, and how did he manage to craft such beautiful and heartbreaking stories depicting the impact of one of the most grim serial killers in history? This is just one of two podcast episodes we’ve done on this season of the series, so be sure to also look for our podcast episode with the producers and key members of the crew.

Fresh from their Academy Award®-winning work on “Top Gun: Maverick,” supervising sound editor James Mather and re-recording mixer Chris Burdon return to the Dolby Institute Podcast, along with picture editor Eddie Hamilton, to discuss the sound of the latest installment in the action-spy series — 2024 Academy Award-nominee in the Sound category, “Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.”

Academy Award winning sound supervisor and re-recording mixer Skip Lievsay returns to the podcast, along with Academy Award winning director Davis Guggenheim, to discuss their incredible new documentary, Still: A Michael J Fox Movie.

Independent filmmaker Sophie Barthes joins us to discuss her breakout Sundance hit — and winner of this year’s Dolby Institute Fellowship Award — The Pod Generation. The film is a hilariously biting near-future sci-fi satire, starring Emilia Clark and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a young couple who turn to a corporate tech giant to help them carry their new baby — literally — to term.

Scottish composer Lorne Balfe joins us to discuss his incredible original score for the latest addition of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Guest host Jon Burlingame returns to delve into Lorne’s process — including some on-the-fly performances during his interview — and why he so badly wanted to record elements of the soundtrack in so many locations from around the world.

Academy Award®-winning composer Ludwig Göransson returns to the Dolby Institute Podcast to discuss his 2024 Academy Award-nominated score for auteur filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s latest film, with guest host Jon Burlingame. They discuss the composer’s process which, on this film, was anything but traditional, including why he composed over three hours of music before principal photography even began.

Director Carlos López Estrada — Academy Award® nominee for “Raya and the Last Dragon” and winner of the Dolby Institute Fellowship — leads an all-star panel of independent filmmakers to discuss perhaps the biggest challenge of any director’s career: Joining Carlos are filmmakers: Sian Heder (CODA) Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard) Nikyatu Jusu (Nanny) Randall Park (Shortcomings) This discussion was streamed live as part of Antigravity Academy’s new Satellite Sessions — “monthly conversations with incredibly exciting figures from the film and TV universe” — co-presented by CAPE USA (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Learn more:

What goes into building a soundtrack for a short film? And collaborating with a sound team when you’re dealing with a short time frame? And an even more limited budget? To help us answer those questions and more, Glenn moderates a panel discussion with some of the filmmakers from this year’s Aspen Shortsfest — which is, without question, one of the best film festivals in the world for short films and short filmmakers: This is a great discussion about the creative process of storytelling. And how that process translates into crafting a compelling soundtrack for a film… regardless of runtime! Sound teams for the short films: Sound Designer - Markus Andreas Composer - Patrick McGinley Foley Artist - Anna-Maria Jams Foley Recordist - Joonas Taimla Additional Sound Effects - Aleksandra Koel Sound Designer - David Kamp Sound Designer - Erik Naumann Composer - Jorge Murcia Many thanks to the faculty and students of Colorado Film School, who filmed and recorded this panel discussion for us: Sound Recordist - Diana Flood Camera Operators - Tim Bulger, Wil Francis, Felicia Hettinga, Lucas Lacy Editor - Quinton Kaine Production Assistants - Skylar McKelvey, Geneva Schafer Instructor, Post Supervisor - Matt Baxter Instructor, Production Supervisor - Aaron Koehler And extra special thanks to Aspen Shortsfest: Susan Wrubel - Executive + Artistic Director Jason Anderson - Shortsfest Program Director Erin McVoy - Operations + Production Director Regna Frank-Jones - Head of Education Allie Wrubel - Program + Marketing Manager Roger Ramos - Program + Education Coordinator

Joining the conversation are the film’s supervising sound editors, Kami Asgar and Erin Oakley, as well as re-recording mixer — and real-life race car driver — Beau Borders, who brought his personal experience from behind the wheel onto the mixing stage, to give audiences the most authentic experience possible.

“A Haunting in Venice,” the latest cinematic adaptation featuring novelist Agatha Christie’s fictional detective Hercule Poirot, starring and directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh, includes another unforgettable score by multiple award-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. But unlike most of her other groundbreaking work, this score features a more “classical” approach — a creative decision stemming all the way back to Hildur’s childhood! Our guest host, music journalist Jon Burlingame, returns to the Dolby Institute Podcast to speak with Hildur about her work on this film as well as her vast knowledge of music history from this period.

SPOILER ALERT: This podcast discusses important plot points from episode three, “The Autopsy.” Executive Producer (and co-showrunner) J. Miles Dale joins us on the podcast to discuss the horror anthology series Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities, which was recently nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards. Joining the conversation are nominees: Supervising Sound Editor Nelson Ferreira, MPSE, and Director of Photography Anastas Michos, ASC, GSC. To avoid spoilers, be sure to watch “The Autopsy” before listening to this podcast! But be forewarned, it is extremely dark — both thematically and visually — which was entirely by design:

Director Gareth Edwards joins us to discuss the 2024 Academy Award®-nominated sound of his visionary new dystopian sci-fi film, "The Creator.” The movie features some incredible work — including a glorious Dolby Atmos® mix — but with some unconventional sound design choices for a science fiction film about artificial intelligence and fully autonomous robots. Joining the director to discuss all this and more are sound designers and supervising sound editors Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van Der Ryn, along with re-recording mixers Tom Ozanich and Dean A. Zupancic. This is another of our in-depth conversations, which we were proud to conduct in person at our Dolby screening room in Hollywood. We were delighted to discuss the filmmaking process and the risky creative choices required to craft such a groundbreaking track.

Director Carlos López Estrada — Academy Award® nominee for “Raya and the Last Dragon” and winner of the Dolby Institute Fellowship — leads another all-star panel of Hollywood talent to discuss how they’ve navigated the industry as screenwriters, television writers, and showrunners. These talented writers have not only enjoyed enormous success in the industry, but have also brought their own fresh perspectives which have been missing for a long time in Hollywood. Including narratives that have focused on Asian Americans, women, Latin America and Native Americans, to name just a few. Today’s panel includes writers: This discussion was streamed live as part of Antigravity Academy’s new Satellite Sessions — “monthly conversations with incredibly exciting figures from the film and TV universe” — co-presented by CAPE USA (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Our guest host Tom Graham — the Head of Dolby Vision® Content Enablement — returns for the second installment of our ongoing series, “Conversations with Colorists,” where he discusses the nitty gritty of working as a professional colorist, especially for projects that deliver in Dolby Vision®. Joining the discussion are three of the top colorists working in film & television today — Tony D’Amore, Paul Westerbeck, and Frederik Bokkenhauser, all senior colorists at Picture Shop: Learn more about Dolby Vision® for Content Creators here: Dolby Vision® Training and Certification can be found here:

What exactly are movie producers looking for when searching for new creative voices? Academy Award® nominated Director Carlos López Estrada (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) — and winner of the Dolby Institute Fellowship — returns with another all-star panel to discuss this very topic, with some of the top producers in the field. So if you are an aspiring filmmaker, screenwriter, director, or any of the above early in your career, this episode is filled with real-world advice for navigating the film industry as an emerging creative voice. Joining Carlos are producers: This discussion was streamed live as part of Antigravity Academy’s new Satellite Sessions — “monthly conversations with incredibly exciting figures from the film and TV universe” — co-presented by CAPE USA (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Academy Award®-winning writer and director Emerald Fennell joins us to discuss her latest dark comedy thriller, “Saltburn.” The film features an unflinchingly disturbing story, incredible performances, and an appropriately cutting-edge sound design, which was being experimented with up until the very end of post-production. Joining the conversation with Fennell are supervising sound editors Nina Hartstone and Eilam Hoffman, production sound mixer Nina Rice, and re-recording mixers Adam Scrivener and Jasper Thorn. SPOILER ALERT: This conversation discusses many important plot twists, so bear that in mind before listening to this episode.

Director Carlos López Estrada — Academy Award® nominee for “Raya and the Last Dragon” and winner of the Dolby Institute Fellowship — leads another all-star panel of Hollywood talent to discuss how they broke into the industry as professional cinematographers. And what better way to do that than by discussing their first feature films? Today’s panel includes Directors of Photography: This discussion was streamed live as part of Antigravity Academy’s new Satellite Sessions — “monthly conversations with incredibly exciting figures from the film and TV universe” — co-presented by CAPE USA (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Director J.A. Bayona discusses his latest film — 2024 Academy Award®-nominee for Best International Feature Film (Spain) — “Society of the Snow.” Director of Photography Pedro Luque and Sound Designer Oriol Tarragó also join us to discuss how they crafted this riveting retelling of the infamous 1972 Andes flight disaster, where a team of rugby players from Uraguay had to do the unthinkable to survive. Realism was a big priority for Bayona, so the production was a challenging, sometimes even grueling experience.

Academy Award®-nominated director Jonathan Glazer joins us to discuss his latest film, 2024 Best Picture nominee “The Zone of Interest,” a searing drama about life just outside of the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, which the director chose to have the audience hear, rather than see. Joining the discussion is producer James Wilson, as well as Johnnie Burn, the film’s sound designer, supervising sound editor, and re-recording mixer, whose work on this film also received a 2024 Academy Award nomination in the Sound category. This conversation was recorded as a live panel discussion after a screening of the film at the New York Film Festival and was part of our support of the FLC Artist Academy program, where we bring conversations about the art and craft of filmmaking to the next generation of directors:

Director Blitz Bazawule joins his composer Kris Bowers to discuss their new adaptation of “The Color Purple.” You may remember the original filmed adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, directed by Steven Spielberg, from 1985. This version is actually an adaptation of the hit Broadway show, which won two Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. Our guest host, music journalist Jon Burlingame, returns to the Dolby Institute Podcast to speak with Kris and Blitz about their collaboration on the film, which began very early in the filmmaking process.

Academy Award®-nominated composer Jerskin Fendrix joins us to discuss his first-ever film score — the latest from director Yorgos Lanthimos — “Poor Things.” It was an exciting experimental collaboration for both artists, as this was also the director’s first time working with an original score for one of his films. Our guest host, music journalist Jon Burlingame, returns to the Dolby Institute Podcast to discuss Jerskin’s background, creative process, and what it was like to work with Lanthimos for the composer’s feature film debut, which earned him a 2024 Academy Award nomination.

Director Carlos López Estrada — Academy Award® nominee for “Raya and the Last Dragon” and winner of the Dolby Institute Fellowship — returns to The Dolby Institute Podcast for another panel discussion, this time with members of Sundance. More than just a film festival, The Sundance Institute offers a myriad of resources for emerging and independent filmmakers, but navigating them all can be overwhelming. So this very special podcast episode is designed to answer this essential question, from Carlos: Today’s panel includes: Once again, this discussion was streamed live as part of Antigravity Academy’s Satellite Sessions — “monthly conversations with incredibly exciting figures from the film and TV universe” — co-presented by CAPE USA (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Recorded live just a few days ago at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Academy Award®-nominated director (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) — and Dolby Institute Fellowship winner — Carlos López Estrada brings together five filmmakers, each with debut feature films in the US Dramatic Competition this year. Today’s panel includes directors: Once again, this discussion was part of Antigravity Academy’s Satellite Sessions — free monthly conversations with high-level individuals in film and tv, whose objective is to decentralize resources/information and make them available to as many up-and-coming filmmakers as possible — co-presented by CAPE USA (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Academy Award-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) joins our guest host, music journalist Jon Burlingame, to discuss his score for the latest animated Spider-Man film. If you’ve seen it, then you already know it features incredible, cutting-edge animation. But it turns out Daniel’s approach to the score was equally “experimental.”

Five-time Emmy Award-winning composer Laura Karpman joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss her first Academy Award® nomination for the music of “American Fiction.” Karpman took a rather unique approach to composing this “jazzy” score, by thinking of the actors’ voices as musical instruments themselves.

As part of our continuing Oscars coverage, we are joined by Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, ASC, FSF, NSC. He discusses how he got his start in the film business, working with Christopher Nolan, shooting “Oppenheimer” on film, how they did all those in-camera practical effects, and his fears about creating a dynamically visual film… with so much dialogue.

Continuing our coverage of the 2024 Academy Awards®, we have another all-star team of sound artists whose work on “Maestro” is nominated in the Best Sound category. Today’s panel includes: “Maestro” is a highly stylized yet intimate film about Leonard Bernstein: his fraught marriage, his affairs, his family, and - of course - his storied career. This gave director Bradley Cooper an amazing opportunity to conduct extensive recreations of some of the composer’s famous concerts, all recorded live on set — including that unforgettable concert at Ely Cathedral:

Our coverage of the 2024 Oscars continues in this episode with our guest, Robbie Ryan, BSC, ISC. Robbie is a two-time Academy Award® nominee for Cinematography. In today’s episode, he discusses his second collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos on the film "Poor Things," following their acclaimed work together on "The Favourite," which earned Robbie his first nomination for Best Cinematography. This year, "Poor Things" boasts 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Director for Lanthimos and Best Picture. In this wide-ranging conversation, Robbie explains how he crafted the film’s unique, almost dreamlike look, which was mostly captured in-camera, and on film, without post-production effects: “[Yorgos] wanted to have a kind of porthole, vignetted, wide angle [aesthetic]… And I'd kind of done a bit of photography lately where there's a lot of lenses [that] don't fit on the large format sensor, so you get this vignette. So I said, ‘well, hang on — if we use a 16 mil lens on a 35 mil negative, that might happen.’ And it worked out really perfect. We had this 4mm lens for 16 mil, that when you put it on 35 mil, just had that perfect circle… You get these aberrations around the very edges of it and it has this organic quality to it, which was very sweet… None of that was post. That was all real.“

We have an all-star team of sound artists whose work on “Oppenheimer” is nominated for a 2024 Academy Award®. They are certainly no strangers to that award show, as they already have NINE Oscars between them! Today’s panel includes: We discussed how they approached getting inside the head of the brilliant but troubled “Father of the Atomic Bomb,” J. Robert Oppenheimer, as well as working with the brilliant, and very particular director Christopher Nolan, who loves working with IMAX cameras so much, he used some unconventional methods to record the dialogue.

With our continuing Oscars coverage, today we are joined by Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC. He discusses how he got his start in the film business, working with legendary director Martin Scorsese, the challenges of shooting “Killers of the Flower Moon,” as well as how his research into Osage traditions and rituals became directly woven into his photography for the film.

Legendary cinematographer Edward Lachman, ASC, joins us to discuss his Academy Award®-nominated cinematography for “El Conde,” Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín’s satirical horror-comedy which reimagines Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year old vampire. The film features stunning black & white photography, which required the invention of a new kind of camera sensor in order to capture the unique look and feel of the film. Edward discusses that, his use of vintage glass, and the advantages of having his director as camera operator:

The Academy Award®-nominated VFX team joins our returning guest, director Gareth Edwards, to discuss how they created such a visually stunning, effects-heavy science-fiction film with a comparatively minuscule budget. Rather than utilizing extensive previz, green screen studios, and fully-rendered CGI environments, “The Creator” was filmed on-location in Asia, documentary-style, with a very small crew, completely upending the usual methods of shooting for VFX: Joining Gareth:

Welcome to our continuing coverage of this year's Academy Awards®. We have compiled interviews from the nominees in the Best Sound category. So, if you are an Oscar voter — either as an Academy member or as a fan participating in your annual office pool — you'll have a much better idea of what to watch (and listen) for as you get to this category on your ballot! The Creator (episode 165) Maestro (episode 184) Oppenheimer (episode 180) The Zone of Interest (episode 173)

Welcome to our continuing coverage of this year's Academy Awards®. We have compiled interviews from the nominees in the Best Cinematography category. So, if you are an Oscar voter — either as an Academy member or as a fan participating in your annual office pool — you'll have a much better idea of what to watch (and listen) for as you get to this category on your ballot! El Conde - Edward Lachman, ASC (episode 183) Killers of the Flower Moon - Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC (episode 181) Oppenheimer - Hoyte Van Hoytema, ASC, FSF, NSC (episode 179) Poor Things - Robbie Ryan, BSC, ISC (episode 182)

Welcome to our continuing coverage of this year's Academy Awards®. We have compiled interviews from the nominees in the Best Original Score category. So, if you are an Oscar voter — either as an Academy member or as a fan participating in your annual office pool — you'll have a much better idea of what to watch (and listen) for as you get to this category on your ballot! American Fiction - Laura Karpman (episode 178) Oppenheimer - Ludwig Göransson (episode 156) Poor Things - Jerskin Fendrix (episode 171)

Academy Award®-winning Director of Photography Greig Fraser, ACS, ASC, returns to the podcast to discuss his work on “Dune: Part Two.” The film is a stunning achievement, from both the technical and artistic standpoints, which benefitted greatly from being a continuation of his work from part one: “Whenever you do a movie, you've got to solve a series of problems... And a lot of the technical stuff had been solved for us in advance, because we'd done part one. So this allowed us the opportunity to dream a little bit. And I wouldn't say, ‘dream bigger.’ But it allowed us to dream with more opportunity… We felt empowered that we were doing the right thing. At least, people were appreciating the job that we had done. And instead of having that paralyze us... We were able to make bold decisions and bold choices. Like the infrared photography on Giedi Prime and the eclipse scene. So we were able to do that a little bit more boldly.“ Previous podcast episodes with Greig Fraser: 118 - Best Cinematography Nominees: Academy Awards 2022 117 - The Cinematography of The Batman

This week we discuss the sound, music, and cinematography of “Masters of the Air,” the epic WWII limited series from Apple TV+. With so many films and shows about World War II over the past several decades, one of the biggest challenges of the series was keeping things fresh. So the creative teams took some ingenious approaches to give every episode and action sequence a unique look, sound, and feel. Joining our conversation:

The collaboration between director and cinematographer is arguably the most important dynamic on any film shoot. Here to discuss that are Director Kobi Libii and Director of Photography Doug Emmett, with their satirical comedy, “The American Society of Magical Negroes.”

Recorded live at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Academy Award®-nominated director (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) — and Dolby Institute Fellowship winner — Carlos López Estrada brings together another all-star panel of Hollywood talent, this time posing the question: Is “No Budget Filmmaking” even possible in this day and age? Today’s panel includes independent filmmakers: Once again, this discussion was part of Antigravity Academy’s Satellite Sessions — free monthly conversations with high-level individuals in film and tv, whose objective is to decentralize resources/information and make them available to as many up-and-coming filmmakers as possible — co-presented by CAPE USA (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Many thanks to the co-presenter of this panel, MACRO: “a multiplatform media company representing the voice and perspectives of Black people and persons of color.” Learn more about MACRO: Learn more about Antigravity Academy: Learn more about CAPE — The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment: Be sure to follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels. #LoveMoreInDolby

2-time Academy Award®-winning composer Hans Zimmer joins us on the podcast to discuss his work on “Dune: Part Two,” after winning an Oscar for his score to the first installment of the sci-fi franchise, directed by Denis Villeneuve. And like Denis, Hans had been dreaming about working on these films since he was a boy. And he also knew he wanted to take them in a less traditional direction, sonically:

Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff — co-creators of “Game of Thrones” — and Alexander Woo (“True Blood”) join us to talk about their epic new science fiction series: “3 Body Problem” on Netflix. Rounding out the discussion are: The show is based on a series of bestselling books by Liu Cixin — which, famously, have been described as “unadaptable” to film & TV, due to the complexities of particle physics, which are at the heart of the premise of the story.

Academy Award®-nominated director (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) — and Dolby Institute Fellowship winner — Carlos López Estrada brings together another panel of working filmmakers and creatives, this time to discuss the hot button issue of AI in Filmmaking. Joining the discussion are: This is another amazing conversation which is part of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrity voice actors in the new Audible Original adaptation of “George Orwell’s 1984.” But this adaptation is unique in that it is audio-only — not unlike a radio play. In doing so, writer Joe White had to translate the novel, which was written from a third-person perspective, and put the audience completely into Winston’s POV. And the creative team needed to rely purely on audio to do all the world-building, without the advantages of visuals or an omniscient narrator. But, as it turns out, the experience came quite naturally for director Destiny Ekaragha.

One of the reasons behind the immense popularity of this hit multiplayer roleplaying game is its incredible soundtrack. Today, we are joined by the Audio Director of Larian Studios — the makers of “Baldur’s Gate 3” — Stefan Randelshofer, along with our guest host, Dolby’s Senior Game Developer Relations Manager, Alistair Hirst, in a live discussion from this year’s Game Developers Conference, to discuss what went into creating the rich, sonic atmosphere of the video game.

Documentary filmmaker Lance Oppenheim, as well as sound supervisor and re-recording mixer Paul Hsu, join us to discuss their new HBO documentary limited-series, “Ren Faire.” The show details the Succession-like power struggle atop the Texas Renaissance Festival, amid its founder’s impending retirement. It was filmed in an appropriately over-the-top theatrical style, and features some incredible sonic world-building, which — in true Lance Oppenheim style — very cleverly mixes real and fantastical elements... often leaving the line between the two quite grey.

Blockbuster film composer Tom Holkenborg — aka Junkie XL — returns to George Miller’s post-apocalyptic dystopian world with his latest installment, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” Regular guest host Jon Burlingame joins the podcast to discuss Holkenborg’s hands-on approach to crafting the music for this film, which included an unusual addition to his typical job of composer.

Academy Award®-nominated director (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) — and Dolby Institute Fellowship winner — Carlos López Estrada brings together another exciting panel of film professionals. As one of the producers, Carlos joins fellow Academy Award®-nominated director (“Nai Nai & Wài Pó”) Sean Wang, along with members of the cast and crew, to discuss the herculean task of bringing their independent film “Dìdi (弟弟)” to life. Today’s panel also includes: and Moderator “Dìdi (弟弟)” was a recipient of the Dolby Institute Fellowship Award, our grant program for exceptional independent films to finish in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®. And we couldn’t be more proud of this film, even before it went on to win the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. This discussion was another edition of Antigravity Academy’s Satellite Sessions — free monthly conversations with high-level individuals in film and tv, whose objective is to decentralize resources/information and make them available to as many up-and-coming filmmakers as possible — co-presented by CAPE USA (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). Learn more about Antigravity Academy: Learn more about CAPE — The Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment: Be sure to follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

How Hollywood studios work and operate can be mystifying, especially for emerging filmmakers. Luckily, Dolby Institute Fellowship winner Carlos Lopez Estrada returns for another of his excellent Satellite Sessions (this one from December), featuring executives from some of the biggest studios in the entertainment industry, all to help de-mystify how they, and the studios, find, develop, and produce their projects. Joining the discussion are: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Perhaps the top colorist in his field, Stefan Sonnefeld joins us for our 200th episode! So what does it take to be a top colorist in Hollywood, working for some of the biggest personalities in the business?

Nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards®, “Ripley,” the new Netflix limited series from creator Steven Zaillian, is a masterclass in filmmaking and the art of sound. So it’s no wonder that two of those nominations are for Outstanding Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. And it’s clear why the sound team was given so much creative freedom to explore the sonic possibilities of the show, as many of those details and nuances were written directly into the scripts, and overseen by a showrunner with a sharp attention to detail. Today we are joined by members of the sound team behind the show, including:

Pulitzer Prize-winning and Emmy- and Grammy-nominated composer Michael Abels joins our guest host, music journalist Jon Burlingame, to discuss the music of “Star Wars: The Acolyte.” The music for the series was a massive undertaking, made even more formidable by the knowledge that every cue would be compared to the work of legendary composer John Williams. But as a longtime fan of “Star Wars,” Abels jumped into the project eagerly.

“Sing Sing” — an independent feature film now in theaters — made a big splash at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Greg Kwedar, the film is notable for its unique casting approach, blending actors such as Colman Domingo with real-life, formally incarcerated individuals. It’s set in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, focusing on the prison’s theater troupe. But one of the most interesting aspects of the production was how it was financed. And in particular how it used a profit-sharing model where all crew members, including those non-professional actors, received a share of the film's profits. Today’s discussion details how exactly that financing strategy worked, as well as the inspiring journey to getting the film made. Joining today’s discussion: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Multi-platinum mixer and engineer Richard Chycki joins us to dive deep into his work with legendary rock bands such as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Dream Theater, Mick Jagger, and, of course, the iconic Rush. Richard has been at the forefront of immersive audio with his Dolby Atmos® mixes of Rush classics like “Moving Pictures” and “Signals,” building upon his original surround mixes. In this conversation with guest host Ben Givarz, Richard shares his process for respecting the creative intent of these timeless tracks while adapting them to Dolby Atmos, ensuring an immersive experience that translates seamlessly across various playback systems. He delves into how Dolby Atmos allows him to emphasize the sonic nuances of Geddy Lee's voice and bass, Alex Lifeson's intricate guitar work, and Neil Peart's legendary drumming, all while maintaining the integrity of the original recordings. Plus, he offers his insights into the future of music mixing, and his excitement for new, original compositions being created in Dolby Atmos from the ground up. This interview is part of our new series, "Reimagining the Classics." Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our free resources to give you a jump start!

Bob Clearmountain and Rhett Davies, legends in the world of music recording, production, and engineering, join guest host Ben Givarz to delve into the process of transforming Roxy Music's iconic album "Avalon" and Bryan Ferry's platinum record "Boys and Girls" into Dolby Atmos®. They dive deep into the background of the recording and engineering processes they used on these and other legendary Roxy Music records in the 70s and 80s, as well as how they used the original multi-tracks to go from 5.1 mixes in the early 2000s, onto these incredible new Dolby Atmos mixes. This interview is part of our new series, "Reimagining the Classics." Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our free resources to give you a jump start! And be on the lookout for his next collaboration with Bryan Ferry, the recently announced:

“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” is the first David Bowie studio album to be released in Dolby Atmos® and joining us today is Ken Scott, the original co-producer of the album (and many others from Bowie), as well as Dolby Atmos mix engineer, Emre Ramazanoglu. Ken Scott is a legend in the world of music production and engineering, and he takes our guest host, Ben Givarz, inside the studio with David Bowie to explore the production of the original album and discusses how he wanted to create a new experience for listeners in Dolby Atmos, which also led him to the creation of brand new stereo mixes. This interview is part of our new series, "Reimagining the Classics." You can purchase the album, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,” here: Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our free resources to give you a jump start!

You have probably heard about the Hollywood writer’s room, but what, exactly, goes on inside one? Joining us once again to demystify yet another filmmaking topic is our good friend — and Dolby Institute Fellowship winner — Carlos López Estrada, with another of his excellent Satellite Sessions — this one from March 2024. Carlos welcomes an impressive and diverse panel of film and television writers to share their experiences, break down how these rooms come together, and discuss how collaboration drives storytelling from inception to screen. Joining today’s discussion are: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Pharrell Williams has had a remarkable life and career in music, which are chronicled in the film “Piece By Piece,” a uniquely animated documentary made entirely out of LEGO. Joining today’s discussion is Director Morgan Neville, Supervising Sound Editor Al Nelson, and Re-recording Mixer Pete Horner, to talk how Pharrell’s creative vision for using LEGO opened up exciting storytelling possibilities, the film’s imaginative sound design and immersive audio mix, and how they brought Pharrell’s experience with synesthesia to life through sound and animation.

Director and co-writer Nora Fingscheidt joins her sound team to discuss their extraordinary work on the new film “The Outrun” — a moving portrayal of one woman’s struggle with sobriety and memories of a traumatic childhood, using sound design to explore the emotional landscape of its main character, Rona, played by the extraordinary Saoirse Ronan. From the quiet, wind-swept expanses of the Orkney Islands to the bustling streets of London, the team reveals how they crafted distinct sonic environments that reflect Rona’s turbulent emotional journey. The film was a standout at this past year’s Sundance Film Festival and is a masterclass in how to use sound design to tell a compelling, layered story. Joining today’s discussion:

Joining today’s discussion:

Academy Award®-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and executive music producer Jason Ruder join our guest host, music journalist Jon Burlingame, to discuss their extraordinary work on “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The sequel to 2019’s Oscar-winning “Joker” comes with high expectations, and Hildur and Jason talk about the challenge of evolving the sound of the Joker universe, while incorporating new elements like live-recorded songs and experimental instruments. They discuss how the music helps define the tone of the movie, blurring the lines between score and song to create an immersive experience.

The art of pitching is a high-stakes, nerve-wracking aspect of filmmaking, where ideas transform from concepts into potential projects. Joining us to help demystify the pitching process is Dolby Institute Fellowship winner Carlos López Estrada, hosting another insightful Satellite Session from April 2024. Carlos gathers an exceptional panel featuring film and television creators, each sharing personal insights and practical tips on crafting pitches, to offer invaluable wisdom on what it takes to pitch a project and navigate the journey from idea to production. Joining today’s discussion are: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Renowned film composer Harry Gregson-Williams joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his sweeping score for “Gladiator II,” the highly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 Academy Award®-winning classic. Having collaborated with Scott on seven films now, Gregson-Williams shares his approach to crafting a fresh sound for the world of Gladiator while also paying homage to Hans Zimmer’s iconic original score. From using ancient-inspired instruments and choirs, to experimenting with vocalists from around the globe, Gregson-Williams reveals how he wove together a richly textured score that enhances the film’s epic scale and emotional depth.

Director Denis Villeneuve returns to Dolby Creator Talks to discuss the incredible sound work in “Dune: Part Two,” his latest adaptation of the epic sci-fi saga. He and his multiple Academy Award®-winning sound team share their thoughts on how sound plays such a pivotal role in his films, offering insights into his process of integrating sound design even during the early stages of development. From Paul’s iconic worm-riding sequence to the hauntingly quiet deserts of Arrakis, this episode explores the bold artistic choices that make the film such an immersive sonic experience. Joining today’s conversation:

Academy Award® and Grammy Award®-winning songwriter Stephen Schwartz, Tony Award®-winning musical director Stephen Oremus, and Oscar-nominated composer John Powell join guest host Jon Burlingame for an in-depth discussion about bringing the iconic Broadway musical “Wicked” to the big screen. Together they discuss how they collaborated with director Jon M. Chu to adapt the beloved musical into a cinematic experience, the challenges of blending live and pre-recorded vocal performances, and the ways in which they expanded the orchestral arrangements to match the scale of this massive Hollywood movie musical.

Multiple Emmy® Award-winning A1 audio mixer Glenn Stilwell joins us for an in-depth discussion on mixing live sports in Dolby Atmos®. As one of the first to adopt this immersive audio technology for sports, Glenn shares his journey into the high-pressure world of live sports audio, where he has worked on everything from the Olympics to Apple’s Friday Night Baseball. From setting up microphones for the iconic “bat crack” in baseball to leveraging the immersive capabilities of Atmos for crowd sounds and announcer placement, this conversation offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the artistry and challenges of live sports audio production.

The director and sound team join us to discuss their work on the new Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” covering the cast’s extraordinary performances, how they recreated those iconic original recordings, and why it took so long to bring this film to the screen, after being greenlit five years ago. Joining the conversation:

Director Jon M. Chu joins us, alongside the brilliant editing and sound team behind “Wicked,” the hit movie musical based on the beloved Broadway show. Joining the discussion: Following our previous episode on the music of “Wicked,” this conversation dives deep into the film’s innovative sound design, immersive mixing, and groundbreaking visual storytelling. Hear how the team seamlessly integrated sound, music, and picture to bring the world of Oz to life as well as how the live recordings brought authenticity and spontaneity to the performances, creating magical moments that could only happen on set.

The groundbreaking musical “Emilia Pérez,” which captured the Jury Prize at Cannes, is redefining the movie musical genre. Directed by the visionary Jacques Audiard, the film explores identity, transformation, and redemption with a powerful ensemble cast. From the vibrant choreography of its musical numbers to its daring and surreal visual style, “Emilia Pérez” is a boldly original film. Join us as we dive behind the scenes with the creative team to uncover how this extraordinary film was brought to life and how it all came together as a successful musical. Joining today’s conversation are:

“Maria,” the latest film from director Pablo Larraín, offers a mind-bending exploration of the life and final days of legendary opera singer Maria Callas, with Angelina Jolie delivering a transformative performance. To bring her world to life, the acclaimed sound team faced the unique challenge of blending iconic original recordings of Callas with actual, live performances from Jolie, who trained extensively to sing opera at a professional level. From live on-set vocal performances to intricate post-production layering, the team reveals their cutting-edge techniques for weaving together these extraordinary performances into a seamless auditory experience. Joining today’s discussion are:

Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross and his acclaimed sound and music team join us to discuss the making of “Nickel Boys.” In adapting Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Ross employed first-person cinematography to draw audiences directly into the emotional and physical experiences of the film’s protagonists in a completely immersive way. This innovative approach created unique challenges for the sound team. Joining the discussion are: This conversation was recorded as a live panel discussion after a screening of the film at the New York Film Festival. It was part of Dolby’s support for the FLC Artist Academy program, which brings conversations about the art and craft of filmmaking to the next generation of directors:

Turning a script into a fully packaged film can be one of the most daunting challenges for any filmmaker. From assembling the right team to securing financing and attracting talent, the process—known in the industry as “packaging”—requires strategy, creativity, and connections. To help demystify this process, filmmaker Carlos López Estrada hosts another insightful Satellite Session, featuring an exceptional panel of producers, financiers, and agents who share their real-world experience and insider tips on packaging films. Joining the discussion: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of “3 Feet High and Rising,” De La Soul's iconic 1989 debut album, mix engineer Rich Keller joins Dolby Creator Talks guest host Ben Givarz to discuss reimagining the group’s legendary catalog in Dolby Atmos®. Rich reflects on the process of remixing these classics while preserving their essence, and explores how Dolby Atmos enhances hip-hop’s depth, energy, and spatial dynamics. Drawing from his work with legends like DMX, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and many other hip-hop artists, Rich offers invaluable insights into honoring the past while embracing the exciting new creative possibilities with Dolby Atmos. This interview is part of our ongoing music series, "Reimagining the Classics." Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start! To find out more about Rich Keller and his work, check out his website:

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen joins us to discuss his latest feature, “Blitz,” alongside his acclaimed sound team. The film, which explores the harrowing experience of the London Blitz during World War II, is shortlisted for Best Sound at the upcoming Academy Awards. In this episode, McQueen and his team take a deep dive into the process of creating a visceral, immersive soundtrack that captures both the chaos and quiet moments of survival, all presented in stunning Dolby Atmos®. And the film starts off with a literal bang, all designed to plunge the audience directly into the horrors of this place and time. Joining today’s conversation:

Visionary director Robert Eggers joins forces with acclaimed sound artist Damian Volpe to deliver a stunning reimagining of the classic vampire tale “Nosferatu.” In this episode, Eggers and Volpe take us behind the scenes to discuss how they used cutting-edge sound design and Dolby Atmos® to create a truly terrifying and immersive experience. From the spectral sounds of Count Orlok’s castle to the brilliant use of silence and dynamic range, this conversation unpacks the intricate audio techniques that make the film so unforgettable. Joining today’s conversation: Damian Volpe also wanted to thank his fellow team members:

Nine-time GRAMMY Award®-winning audio engineer Mick Guzauski and Robert Guzman, audio engineer at Studio DMI, join guest host Ben Givarz to discuss their work reimagining Daft Punk's iconic album “Random Access Memories,” in Dolby Atmos® for its 10th Anniversary Edition. Mick takes us back to the album’s original recording sessions, sharing how he and Daft Punk meticulously crafted the sound that went on to win Album of the Year in 2013. Robert adds his perspective on adapting the record to Dolby Atmos, a process that opened up new spatial dimensions while staying true to the album's artistic intent. This interview is part of our music series, "Reimagining the Classics." Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our free resources to give you a jump start! Learn more about Robert Guzman and Studio DMI here:

We are joined by Director of Photography and first-time Academy Award® nominee Jarin Blaschke, as well as Director Robert Eggers, to discuss the stunning cinematography of “Nosferatu.” Together, the frequent collaborators delivered a gothic masterpiece, blending German romanticism and chilling horror into stunning, painterly visuals. In this conversation, Eggers and Blaschke discuss the meticulous development of the film’s look, the challenges of shooting with practical lighting, and their shared love for highly composed one-take shots. From the fog-drenched crossroads to the eerie interiors of Orlok's castle, the pair reveal the painstaking care and simple, practical ingenuity that brought this cinematic fever dream to life.

Academy Award®-nominated composer Daniel Blumberg joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his evocative and unconventional music for "The Brutalist," directed by Brady Corbet, which earned the film an Oscar® nomination for Best Original Score. Blumberg shares how his long-time friendship with Corbet influenced the creative process, how he crafted the film’s musical language using improvisational techniques, and how he recorded some of the score’s most striking pieces — including a live jazz sequence and a prepared piano overture, which was played on set to help choreograph the movement of one of the film’s opening sequences.

Mix engineer and producer Cian Riordan as wells as mix engineer Matt Cerritos join guest host Ben Givarz to discuss their work on St. Vincent’s seventh studio album, “All Born Screaming,” which garnered critical acclaim and four GRAMMY® nominations, and is now available in stunning Dolby Atmos®. Cian and Matt discuss the recording and mixing process, how they collaborated to re-mix the album in Dolby Atmos, and the unique opportunities this immersive audio format provided to elevate the experience of the album and give it new dimensionality, while maintaining its emotional and sonic integrity. Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start! To find out more about St. Vincent, check out: To learn more about Just For The Record Studios, go to:

Academy Award®-winning composer Volker Bertelmann joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his tense and atmospheric score for “Conclave,” directed by Edward Berger. Nominated for his third Oscar, Bertelmann — who won in 2023 for Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” — shares how he crafted the film’s unique musical palette, eschewing the sounds of traditional church music in favor of experimental instruments like the Cristal Baschet. He also discusses his approach to scoring thrillers as well as his deep collaboration with Berger.

Academy Award®-winning production sound mixer Simon Hayes joins us to discuss his groundbreaking work on “Wicked.” Nominated for his third Oscar®, Hayes shares how he captured live vocals on set, blending the technical innovation with the emotional. He reflects on lessons learned from “Les Misérables,” how he worked seamlessly with the music department, and the intricate process of ensuring performers like Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande had the freedom to deliver their most powerful performances while always staying in sync with the film’s score.

Recorded live at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, Academy Award®-nominated director (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) Carlos López Estrada once again brings together a panel of first-time feature filmmakers making their world premieres at the festival. These five directors have graciously joined us to offer some insights in how to navigate the first-time filmmaker experience at Sundance, as well as how they overcame the challenges of getting their films made in the first place. Joining the discussion are: This is another amazing conversation which is part of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Academy Award®-nominated composer Kris Bowers joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his stunning orchestral score for "The Wild Robot," directed by Chris Sanders. The composer dives deep into how he crafted the film’s sonic landscape, incorporating orchestral textures, electronic elements, and unique percussive sounds. He also shares insights into his collaboration with director Chris Sanders and how becoming a parent influenced his emotional approach to crafting the film’s original score.

Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Lol Crawley joins us to discuss his approach to "The Brutalist," the epic indie film from writer / director Brady Corbet. Crawley delves into his decision to shoot the film in VistaVision, how it shaped the film’s aesthetic, and his use of practical lighting to create its atmospheric look. He also shares insights into how they executed the film’s many “oners” (one-shot scenes), the challenges of capturing the marble quarry sequence, and how his cinematography reinforces the film’s themes of ambition, displacement, and artistic legacy.

Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Ed Lachman joins us to discuss his gorgeous cinematography on “Maria,” directed by Pablo Larraín. The seasoned director of photography shares his approach to blending formats — including 35mm, Super 8, and 16mm — to capture the operatic essence of Maria Callas’s life, as well as his use of color psychology, lighting techniques, and period-specific film stocks to evoke emotion and authenticity.

Table of Contents: CINEMATOGRAPHY This past year featured some of the most stunning, innovative, and groundbreaking work in the categories of Cinematography, Original Score, and Sound. And since we’ve been diligently interviewing the artists and teams who have received Academy Award® nominations in those categories, we offer you this special round-up episode — to help give some greater insight into how to cast your final votes. The soundbites in this episode are mere snippets from the discussions we’ve been conducting through the past several months. If you’d like to take a deeper dive: 237 - Lol Crawley and the Cinematography of The Brutalist - Feb 10th, 2025 189 - Greig Fraser and the Cinematography of Dune: Part Two - March 5th, 2024 220 - The Making of Emilia Pérez - Dec 4th, 2024 236 - Ed Lachman and the Cinematography of Maria - Feb 7th, 2025 231 -  Jarin Blaschke, Robert Eggers, and the Cinematography of Nosferatu - Jan 28th, 2025 233 - Daniel Blumberg and the Music of The Brutalist - Feb 3rd, 2025 232 - Volker Bertelmann and the Music of Conclave - Jan 31st, 2025 220 - The Making of Emilia Pérez - Dec 4th, 2024 219 - The Music of Wicked - Nov 27th, 2024 235 - Kris Bowers and the Music of The Wild Robot - Feb 5th, 2025 223 - Director James Mangold and the Sound and Music of A Complete Unknown - Dec 9th, 2024 217 - Director Denis Villeneuve and the Sound of Dune: Part Two - Nov 21st, 2024 220 - The Making of Emilia Pérez - Dec 4th, 2024 222 - Director Jon M. Chu and the Sound and Editing Wizards of Wicked - Dec 6th, 2024 234 - Capturing Wicked's Live Singing with Simon Hayes - Feb 4th, 2025 210 - The Sound of The Wild Robot, with Writer/Director Chris Sanders - Oct 1st, 2024

Joining the discussion:

Filmmaker Carlos López Estrada hosts a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation with five acclaimed artists about the power of storytelling to foster compassion, connection, and empathy. Joining the discussion: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Guest host Alistair Hirst returns to Dolby Creator Talks to speak with the audio team behind "Star Wars Outlaws," one of the most successful games of last year. Developed by Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, the title delivers a rich, cinematic gameplay experience — thanks to its immersive sound design and dynamic score. Recently nominated for a BAFTA in Audio Achievement, the team shares how they built the game’s soundscape from the ground up, mixing original Star Wars recordings with new field material to create unique environments, iconic weapons, and vehicles. They also explain how Dolby Atmos® was used to deepen the spatial realism — from starships above to rain on rooftops — and how their creative approach to sound design gave the game its gritty, signature edge. Joining today’s conversation from Massive Entertainment:

Mix engineer and recording engineer Jayda Love, along with Dolby Atmos® mix engineer Juan Razuri, join guest host Ben Givarz to discuss their work on Doechii’s Grammy®-winning mixtape, “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” which took home Best Rap Album at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards® and earned nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best New Artist. In this episode, Jayda and Juan break down their creative process — from initial recording sessions in Los Angeles to the immersive final mixes in Dolby Atmos. Stay connected! Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!

Guest host Ben Givars returns to Dolby Creator Talks for a live panel at SXSW 2025 to discuss how Dolby Atmos® empowers musicians and creatives to take their music and audio to the next level. Producer and musician (Spoon) Jim Eno joins collaborators from Colorado-based fuzz folk band autumnal to discuss how he used Dolby Atmos to mix a totally immersive audio experience for their song, “breathing.” Joining the conversation:

Supervising Sound Editor, Re-recording Mixer, and Sound Designer Mixer David Acord and Supervising Sound Editor and Dialogue & ADR Supervisor Margit Pfeiffer join us to discuss the powerful, visceral sound of the final season of "Andor." As one of the darkest and most grounded series in the Star Wars galaxy, "Andor" features a deeply cinematic soundscape — ranging from brutal hand-to-hand combat to haunting silence, immersive crowd scenes, and intentionally fuzzy radio transmissions. David and Margit break down their collaborative process, the evolution of the sonic language across the series, and how they used Dolby Atmos® to bring audiences even deeper into the world of espionage, rebellion, and sacrifice.

Today we let Kier guide us into the extraordinary sound work of season two of "Severance," the hit Apple TV+ series from creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller. Focusing on the groundbreaking storytelling of episodes 207 and 210, Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Designer, and Re-recording Mixer Jacob Ribicoff, Re-recording Mixer Bob Chefalas, and David Schwartz (the Production Sound Mixer on those two episodes), break down how they crafted the show’s eerie, minimalist sonic landscape. They explore everything from the show’s surreal dreamlike ambiences and rhythmic sound/music interplay, to that unforgettable marching band sequence in the season finale.

Director of Photography Adam Newport-Berra joins us to discuss his incredible work on “The Studio,” the hilarious behind-the-scenes satire now streaming on Apple TV+. The cinematographer shares how he helped co-creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg pull off the show’s bold cinematic concept: shooting nearly every scene as a continuous long take. Join us as we go behind the camera on episode two, “The Oner,” a technical and comedic marvel executed as one uninterrupted 25-minute shot. Newport-Berra details the challenges of capturing ensemble performances, navigating comedic timing, and using cinematography to enhance the absurdity of Hollywood.

This week we return to the stunning visual world of “Severance,” the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series from creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller. Cinematographer and fellow director Jessica Lee Gagné joins us to discuss her work on the show’s second season, including how she crafted the eerie, sterile look of Lumon Industries and expanded the visual palette in new, unexpected ways. Jessica discusses her collaborative relationship with the creative team, the emotional and psychological subtext behind the framing, and how film was used to deepen the surreal, dreamlike atmosphere of the important flashbacks in episode 7, which she directed.

Legendary sound mixer JC Aguila joins us at Telemundo’s state-of-the-art headquarters in Miami. With nearly 30 years at the network, JC has played a key role in Telemundo’s rise as one of the leading Spanish-language broadcasters in the United States. In this wide-ranging discussion, he reflects on his journey from mixing his first live show at age 14 in Cuba to becoming Network Audio Technical Manager at Telemundo—working across everything from award-winning news coverage to live telenovelas, entertainment programming, and global sporting events.

Join us as we boldly go behind the scenes of Black Mirror: “USS Callister: Into Infinity,” with the creative team behind the episode. In this panel, the director, composer, supervising sound editor, and VFX supervisor share how they brought the nightmarish galaxy of Robert Daly back to life with bold visuals, cinematic music, and immersive sound, as well as the reasons why this became the very first Black Mirror sequel ever. Joining today’s conversation:

When director Joe Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer set out to make “F1,” their goal was to create the most authentic Formula One film ever made. Recorded in person at Skywalker Sound, this episode features the sound team behind the film, who share how they brought that vision to life. They discuss the extraordinary lengths they went to in order to craft a visceral, true-to-life experience for racing fans and everyday viewers alike — while also highlighting the invaluable support they received from the production and the film’s director, Joe Kosinski. Joining today’s conversation:

Recorded live at Netflix HQ in Hollywood, this special FYSEE panel brings together the visionary sound teams behind four standout Netflix titles. This conversation explores how these sound artists crafted the unique sonic identities of each project and reveal how they worked with their directors, showrunners, and creators to craft the perfect balance of emotion, tension, and, of course, storytelling. Panelists include: Be sure to check out each of these titles now streaming on Netflix, in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos® —

Mix engineer Alex Gamble joins guest host Ben Givarz to discuss the creative and technical process behind mixing FKA twigs' new album Eusexua in Dolby Atmos®. He shares how his immersive mixes in Dolby Atmos enhance the record’s intimacy, rhythm, and vocal playfulness — pushing boundaries while staying true to FKA twigs’s artistic vision. Stay connected! Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!

Composer Rob Simonsen joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his sweeping and emotionally rich score for Pixar’s “Elio.” The composer shares how he approached scoring the story of a young boy making first contact with aliens, weaving together emotional warmth, cosmic wonder, and a sense of fun. He also discusses how Dolby Atmos® helped shape the immersive quality of the soundtrack, after being a bit of a skeptic of the technology at first.

Composers John Murphy and David Fleming join guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss their original score for “Superman,” directed by James Gunn. In this two-part conversation, Murphy and Fleming share their personal connections to the character, the emotional and thematic goals of the music, and the creative process of scoring an iconic superhero story for a new generation. They also reflect on the legacy of John Williams’s original theme and how it influenced their approach.

Emmy Award®-nominated Director Philip Barantini and fellow nominees — including cinematographer Matthew Lewis and the sound team of James Drake, Jules Woods, Rob Entwistle, and Kiff McManus — join us this week to discuss the making of “Adolescence,” Netflix’s hit limited series. Nominated for thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, the show’s four episodes were each filmed as single, continuous takes, creating a gripping real-time experience for viewers — and offering some unexpected advantages for the filmmakers. Joining today’s conversation:

How do you make a short film sound big on a small budget? Recorded live at Aspen Shortsfest 2025, Glenn sits down with filmmakers Lindon Feng & Hannah Palumbo (“A Bear Remembers”), Louis Bhose (“The Cost of Hugging”), and Elham Ehsas (“There Will Come Soft Rains”) to explore the art of creative sound design for short films. From crafting immersive soundscapes to collaborating with sound designers and mixers under tight deadlines, this panel reveals how powerful sound choices can transform a story — even with limited resources. Whether you’re a filmmaker, sound designer, film student, or just love behind-the-scenes insights on filmmaking, this conversation is full of practical tips and creative inspiration for making your short film sound unforgettable. Many thanks to Community College of Aurora (CCA), Department of Cinematic Arts, who filmed and recorded this panel discussion for us: And thank you to the folks at Aspen Film: Thanks as well to Colorado Mountain College for their production support:

Academy Award®-winning composer Michael Giacchino returns to Dolby Creator Talks to discuss his bold and emotional score for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” In this in-depth conversation with guest host Jon Burlingame, Giacchino shares how he approached scoring one of Marvel’s most iconic franchises, including how he balanced moments of sweeping sincerity with all that pulpy fun. Check out Michael Giacchino’s previous appearances on the Dolby podcast:

Director Gareth Edwards returns to Dolby Creator Talks to discuss “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” the latest installment in the iconic dinosaur franchise. He and his sound team share how they crafted the film’s breathtaking sonic landscape — along with the challenges of an accelerated production schedule, and why that constraint ultimately proved creatively liberating. Joining today’s conversation:

Writer/Director Mary Bronstein and Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Designer, and Re-recording Mixer Filipe Messeder join us to discuss “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” — the searing and darkly funny new indie film from A24 about the dark side of motherhood. Featuring a tour-de-force performance by Rose Byrne, the film made quite a splash when it premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Despite its relatively small budget, quite a lot of work went into the sound design of the film, with a sometimes unconventional, yet wildly effective approach to sound as a storytelling tool.

Should “Materialists” be considered a rom-com? What even counts as a rom-com these days? Academy Award®-nominated writer, director, and producer Celine Song joins us to discuss the state of the modern romantic comedy, as part of Dolby Creator Lab’s ongoing partnership with Sundance Collab. Joining the conversation are supervising sound editor & re-recording mixer Daniel Timmons, re-recording mixer Josh Berger, and composer Daniel Pemberton to discuss how they utilized sound and music to flesh out the world of “Materialists,” to turn the modestly budgeted film from A24 into an unexpected smash hit at the box office.

Five-time Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos joins us to discuss his latest surreal adventure, “Bugonia.” The film is a darkly-comic paranoid thriller about a high-profile CEO who is kidnapped by conspiracy theorists, who are convinced she is an alien. Once again, Lanthimos tapped Academy Award-winning Sound Designer, Supervising Sound Editor, and Re-recording Mixer Johnnie Burn to create the sonic landscape for his film. But despite its out-of-this-world themes, it was important to the director that the sound keep the story grounded in reality.

Academy Award®-nominated composer Jerskin Fendrix joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his latest score for “Bugonia,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Fendrix shares how he developed the film’s striking — and at times paranoid — musical themes, shaped in part by his own emotional state during the writing and recording process. Lanthimos had deliberately kept him in the dark, forbidding him from reading the script before composing, a choice that profoundly influenced the tone of the score.

We are thrilled to welcome two-time Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow and her creative team to discuss her newest political thriller, “A House of Dynamite,” brought to us by Netflix. This conversation was recorded as a live panel discussion at this year’s New York Film Festival. This was part of our support of the Artist Academy program, where we bring conversations about the art and craft of filmmaking to the next generation of directors. Joining this conversation:

Two-time Academy Award®-winning composer Ludwig Göransson and Executive Music Producer Serena Göransson join us to discuss the powerful use of music in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” recently nominated for six 2026 GRAMMY® Awards. In this conversation with music journalist Jon Burlingame, the Göranssons share how integral music was to the film’s storytelling — and how their close collaboration with Coogler shaped the creative process from start to finish.

The all-star sound team behind “Wicked: For Good” returns to the show to discuss the bold sonic world of the film, and how it compared to the first. In this conversation, they break down everything from capturing on-set vocals to crafting the visceral aerial sequences — all while following Jon M. Chu’s vision for a darker, more mature final chapter of the “Wicked” story. Joining today’s conversation:

Composer Max Richter joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his luminous, emotionally rich score for “Hamnet,” the new film from director Chloé Zhao. In their conversation, Richter shares how early musical sketches shaped the production, how he blended period instruments with processed textures, and how the film’s psychological and natural landscapes guided his approach. And as Richter explains, Elizabethan-era music became a key creative touchstone for capturing the film’s folkloric sensibility.

Director Jon M. Chu and Director of Photography Alice Brooks join us to discuss the dazzling cinematography of “Wicked” and its newly released sequel, “Wicked: For Good.” Though the two films together tell a single story — adapted from the beloved Broadway musical — each was crafted with a distinct visual style to reflect the evolving tone and emotion of its chapter in the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Two-time Academy Award®-winning composer Alexandre Desplat joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his latest score for “Frankenstein,” directed by Guillermo del Toro. This long-awaited project — their third collaboration — had been a topic of conversation between the two for years, and Desplat was eager to finally help del Toro bring it to life.

Legendary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF, join us to break down the striking visual language of “Frankenstein,” their latest feature collaboration after decades of working together. In this conversation, they explore everything from their use of large-format cameras and “painterly” light to the symbolic color design that shapes the emotional arc of the film. Theirs is a visual process that begins with ideas, not rigid storyboards, so the filmmaking can stay alive and collaborative.

What does it mean to create art during times of global conflict? Guest moderator Abiram “Abi” Brizuela leads a thoughtful and timely conversation on how filmmakers respond to war, displacement, and uncertainty through their work. Spanning both narrative and documentary filmmaking, the discussion explores the emotional challenges of telling these stories and the enduring role of cinema in helping audiences reflect, connect, and understand complex human experiences. Joining the discussion: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Audio Director Chris Fox and Composer Olivier Derivière sit down with guest host Alistair Hirst to explore the immersive sound of “South of Midnight,” the groundbreaking action-adventure game from Compulsion Games. Set in the American Deep South, the score skillfully weaves together traditional Southern-style music and folk songs with a dark, otherworldly essence as the player faces the eerie creatures of Southern legend. In this conversation, Fox and Derivière break down how sound design, music, and a fully realized Dolby Atmos® mix work together to pull players deep into the game’s mythic world.

Legendary filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC, LPS, join us to reflect on their three decades of creative partnership: from “Pi,” “Requiem for a Dream,” “Black Swan,” and “The Whale,” to their newest collaboration, “Caught Stealing.” In this wide-ranging conversation, they discuss the evolution of their visual language, how technology continues to reshape the craft, and the inspirations behind the kinetic, East-Village-in-the-’90s aesthetic of “Caught Stealing.” And as the industry stands on the brink of profound transformation, Aronofsky shares why he believes the future is full of opportunities for new kinds of innovative storytelling.

Academy Award®-winning composer Volker Bertelmann joins guest host Jon Burlingame to explore his gripping and sonically inventive score for “A House of Dynamite.” Their conversation delves into his use of unconventional textures, low-frequency resonance, and layered instrumental techniques to create a sense of mounting dread throughout the film. And as Bertelmann explains, embracing irregular and unexpected sounds became central to building the score’s tension and character.

GRAMMY Award®-winning producer, mixer, and engineer Ryan Hewitt joins us from his Nashville studio to discuss re-mixing the entire Oasis catalog in Dolby Atmos®. We dive into his journey from learning the craft from his father, to engineering the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Stadium Arcadium with Rick Rubin, to building his own Stratmosphere Studios. Ryan shares insights on Dolby Atmos mixes for artists like Noah Kahan, his meticulous work preserving the power and legacy of Oasis’ iconic albums, and his experience seeing their long-awaited 2025 reunion tour at Wembley. Stay connected! Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!

Writer, director, and producer Bradley Cooper joins us to discuss the sound of his latest film, “Is This Thing On?” Audio became a primary storytelling tool in shaping the film’s deeply subjective point of view. In conversation with the film’s sound team, the director breaks down how perspective, texture, and restraint were used to place audiences directly inside the emotional experience of a man discovering stand-up comedy as his marriage unravels. For Cooper, that approach ultimately comes back to how films are meant to be experienced in theaters. Joining today’s conversation:

The sound of “Sinners” is bold, immersive, and essential to the film’s emotional power — a standout achievement that has earned the film a spot on the shortlist for Best Sound at this year’s upcoming Academy Awards®. We’re joined by re-recording mixer and sound designer Steve Boeddeker, supervising sound editor Benny Burtt, re-recording mixer Brandon Proctor, and production sound mixer Chris Welcker to break down how they layered music, dialogue, and sound design to shape the film’s mood, rhythm, and storytelling, including that incredible sequence conjuring musical spirits from the past and the future.

This week we sit down with the Oscar-nominated sound team behind Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” to explore the film’s epic and deeply expressive soundtrack. Sound designer and supervising sound editor Nathan Robitaille, supervising sound editor Nelson Ferreira, re-recording mixer Brad Zoern, and production sound mixer Greg Chapman break down their long-standing collaboration with del Toro and the bold creative choices that shaped the film’s sonic identity. From early sound exploration and practical effects to dynamic use of Dolby Atmos® and the creation of the film’s unforgettable creature voice, this conversation offers a deep dive into how sound drives the emotion, scale, and storytelling in one of the year’s most ambitious films.

After winning the Cannes Jury Prize in 2025, “Sirât” has been added to the shortlist of potential nominees for Best Sound at this year’s upcoming Academy Awards®, a rare achievement for an international feature film. We are delighted to welcome acclaimed filmmaker Óliver Laxe, sound designer & supervising sound editor Laia Casanovas, re-recording mixer Yasmina Praderas, and production sound mixer Amanda Villavieja to talk to us about how they crafted such an immersive and visceral track for this powerful film.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes conversation with the Oscar-nominated sound team behind “One Battle After Another,” as they share how they shaped the film’s world through sound—from intimate character moments to large-scale action. They discuss what it takes to capture great audio on set, build powerful sequences in post, and blending dialogue, effects, and music into a mix that plays on the biggest screens — plus how their collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson guided the sonic identity of the movie from start to finish. Joining today’s conversation:

Join us for a behind-the-scenes conversation with Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw about her work on “Sinners” — and the creative choices that shaped the film’s look from the very early stages of conception. Autumn breaks down how she and director Ryan Coogler developed the visual language together, from camera and lens selection to lighting strategies designed to support performances, tone, and mood, especially in those challenging night scenes. Along the way, she reflects on collaboration, preparation, and the real on-set problem-solving that is always involved in filmmaking.

Join us for our conversation with Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Adolpho Veloso, here to discuss his stunning work on “Train Dreams.” In this episode, Veloso breaks down his natural-light approach to capturing the film’s poetic portrait of early 20th century America, from shooting digitally on the Alexa 35 to embracing a 3:2 aspect ratio inspired by old family photographs. He also shares how close collaboration with the actors, along with memory and metaphor, shaped everything from handheld camera movement to the film’s unforgettable wildfire sequence — all in service of telling an intimate story on an epic visual canvas.

Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Darius Khondji joins us to discuss his stunning work on “Marty Supreme.” In this episode, Khondji unpacks his bold visual approach with director Josh Safdie, from shooting on film with classic anamorphic lenses and expressive close-ups to building a richly textured 1950s world through production design, lighting, and color. He also shares how collaboration across every department shaped the film’s emotional power.

Getting a project made in the entertainment industry can be a mystifying process. But one thing is for sure: nothing would happen without the Hollywood assistants who help champion them and assist (and, yes, sometimes cajole) the executives into getting a green light. To help shed some light on all this, filmmaker Carlos López Estrada hosts another insightful Satellite Session, featuring a panel of top executives, producers, agents, and assistants, to explain how Hollywood assistants work, and why they are so essential to the entertainment industry. As well as how it could be a pathway “in,” for those of you aspiring to build a career here yourselves. Joining the discussion: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

Today we welcome acclaimed horror filmmaker Lee Cronin back to the show, alongside sound designer and supervising sound editor Peter Albrechtsen, to discuss their delightfully gory new horror film, “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.” As with their previous collaboration, 2023’s hit “Evil Dead Rise,” Cronin and Albrechtsen embraced sound design from the earliest stages of the creative process, using it not only for maximum impact, but also to sharpen the film’s storytelling.

Composer Daniel Pemberton returns to Dolby Creator Talks to discuss his inventive new original score for “Project Hail Mary.” In conversation with guest host Jon Burlingame, Pemberton breaks down how he built a custom musical language for the film using everything from wooden blocks, body percussion, treated vocals, bowls of water, and even a squeaky water tap recorded on his iPhone. He also reflects on balancing the film’s vast sci-fi scale with its intimate emotional core, and how experimentation, failure, and discovery shaped one of his most ambitious scores yet.

Legendary mix engineer Kevin Madigan joins us to discuss his pioneering work helping create Santana’s live Dolby Atmos residency at House of Blues in Las Vegas and what it takes to reimagine one of rock’s most iconic sounds for a live audience. He also reflects on his work at Larrabee Studios in Los Angeles, building out the Dolby Atmos® room and mixing music from Santana’s landmark album “Supernatural.” Stay connected! Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!

Front of house mixer Vince Casamatta joins us to discuss how he helped transform Maroon 5’s residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas into a powerful live Dolby Atmos® experience. He reflects on everything from pre-production to the subtle live spatial decisions that make the technology disappear behind the music, always in service of the songs and the emotional impact of the show. Stay connected! Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!

Sam Witwer — the voice of Maul himself! — joins us alongside supervising director and executive producer Brad Rau and supervising sound editor, sound designer, and re-recording mixer David W. Collins to discuss the voice, sound, and cinematic scale of “Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord.” Together, they explore how the series deepens one of Star Wars’ most iconic villains, from Witwer’s layered vocal performance and Maul’s emotional complexity to the show’s bold sound design and Dolby Atmos® mix. Collins also reflects on carrying forward the sonic legacy of Skywalker Sound, while staying open to the strange, unexpected discoveries that have always helped make Star Wars sound like Star Wars.

Independent film financing can be one of the most mysterious — and most essential — parts of getting a movie made. In this illuminating panel discussion, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker (and Dolby Creator Lab Grant winner) Carlos López Estrada leads a practical conversation about how projects move from script to package to market, what financiers are actually looking for, and what emerging filmmakers can do to give their films the best possible chance of getting made. Joining the discussion: This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.

The sound of “Stranger Things” has always been huge, cinematic, and unmistakably its own — and the series finale takes that signature style to its most epic scale yet. In this conversation, supervising sound editor Craig Henighan, re-recording mixer Mark Paterson, and dialogue and ADR supervisor Ryan Cole join us to discuss bringing the final chapter to life, from the sonic DNA first established in season one, to the massive battles and emotional moments that define the end of the series. They also break down how the team balanced all of that scale and intensity without losing clarity, dynamics, or the emotional release that makes all “that chaos" work.

Front of house mix engineer Paul Falcone joins host Ben Givarz to discuss how he helped bring Mariah Carey’s residencies at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas to life as immersive live music experiences. He reflects on his journey from legendary New York recording studios to live concert mixing, and shares how he uses Dolby Atmos®, along with precise room tuning and even in-car reference checks, to keep the focus on Mariah’s iconic voice and maximize the emotional impact of the show. Stay connected! Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!

“Tuner” is a rare film where sound is not only essential to the cinematic experience — it is central to the story itself. Today we welcome back Academy Award®-winning sound designer, supervising sound editor, and re-recording mixer Johnnie Burn, joined by the film’s star Leo Woodall, to discuss how they brought audiences inside the world of Niki, a piano tuner with hyperacusis whose acute hearing makes him an expert safe cracker. Together, they explore how sound shapes the film’s tension, romance, and point of view, from delicate safe-cracking rhythms and subjective hearing shifts to put the audience directly inside Niki’s head.