Gravity is definitely one of my favorite movies of the year, and I’ve seen it three times, in three different formats:
- Telluride Film Festival, Dolby 3D Image, Dolby 7.1 Channel Sound
- NYC AMC Loews Lincoln Square, IMAX Image, Dolby 7.1 Channel Sound
- NYC AMC Empire 25, RealD 3D Image, Dolby Atmos Sound
The best presentation of the film was certainly the third time I saw it, and the standout of the screening was the Dolby Atmos sound mix. The sound design of the movie was created especially with Atmos in mind, and it really was an incredible experience. This was my 2nd Atmos screening, my first one was at Bangkok’s Siam Center Theater where I saw Ironman 3.
A bit more on Gravity, and the Dolby Atmos Soudn Mix from The Verge:
3D and IMAX may receive top billing, but the secret weapon of Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity is something the audience will never even see. From the sound design to the score, Gravity features one of the most innovative and inventive sound mixes to make its way to theaters — one that breaks with modern movie convention in significant ways. It’s a film where space is actually silent, touch is the best way to hear, and dialogue whirls around the audience in an immersive 360-degree cyclone.
Two of the artists who helped bring it to life are sound designer and supervising sound editor Glenn Freemantle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours), and sound re-recording mixer Skip Lievsay, a frequent Coen brothers collaborator. We spoke with them both to learn about the techniques and tricks used to bring Gravity’s aural panoramas to life — and the technology that made it possible.
How the sound masters of ‘Gravity’ broke the rules to make noise in a vacuum | The Verge.