'Brave' targets audiences' ears in Dolby Atmos (new sound system on the way!)

[Indian Hills Theater]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/201...D9VH5J9G0.html

By DERRIK J. LANG

LOS ANGELES (AP) - At the recent premiere of Disney-Pixar's "Brave," an animated tale about a bow-wielding Scottish princess named Merida, the whooshing of arrows seemed to glide even closer to the audience's ears, a bear's roar felt even more dangerous and a storm sounded like it was swirling over the audience.

It's the Dolby Atmos system at work, the latest innovation in movie theater audio that's aiming to make the big-screen 3-D experience sound as three-dimensional as it looks.

"Brave" is the first feature film mixed entirely for the new audio platform from Dolby Laboratories Inc. "It's a new way of thinking," said "Brave" sound designer Gary Rydstrom. "We had to make sure we captured the opportunities that the Dolby Atmos mix gave us, without getting gimmicky."

There were also concerns about not overwhelming the computer-generated film with the new technology. "The choices that we made in the mix were based on what made the movie more dramatic or funny," said Rydstrom.

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http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/Film...0619223008.jpg
This undated image released by Dolby Laboratories shows trusses prepared with overhead speakers before being lifted into place at the new Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The posh 3,400-seat Hollywood & Highland Center home of the Academy Awards is officially christened with a new name and a state-of-the-art audiovisual system that can project 3-D imagery and blast sound from multiple perspectives. (AP Photo/Dolby Laboratories)