If you found yourself unable to breathe during the 91-second teaser trailer for Gravity (see below), wait until you get a load of the film itself in Dolby Atmos.
Tonight, the critically acclaimed drama made its Dolby Atmos debut at the AMC Lincoln Square Theatres in New York City. It's actually the very first film to be screened in the immersive audio format at that location. To mark the occasion, Gravity director/screenwriter Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) joined stars (and Oscar winners!) Sandra Bullock and George Clooney for a special screening of the film. Producer David Heyman and screenwriter Jonás Cuarón were also part of this evening's red carpet event.
Our editor in chief, Chris Boylan was there tonight and was impressed, not just with the film itself (more details on that closer to release date), but also with the immersive surround sound. "This film relies heavily on its soundtrack to create atmosphere and I can't imagine a better fit to reproduce that sound than Dolby Atmos."
Dolby Atmos promises a whole new theatrical experience, via a more natural, realistic soundfield, with up to 128 discrete audio tracks and up to 64 unique speaker feeds. The format basically allows for more screen speakers, pan-through arrays, and speakers positioned on the ceiling. To date, more than 300 Dolby Atmos screens have been installed or committed to in 30 countries with over 85 exhibitor partners. Since the format first made its debut back in 2012, more than 75 films from 10 different countries have been or are scheduled to get a Dolby Atmos release.
Gravity has Bullock starring as Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) in command. During that seemingly routine mission, distaster strikes, the shuttle is destroyed and all communication is lost. That basically leaves Stone and Kowalski alone, in space, without a link to Earth.
"Just as 3D offers added visual dimension, Dolby Atmos creates a virtual reality of sound, which fully immerses the audience in the aural journey," said director Cuarón. "There is no sound in space, so we incorporated music as an integral element of the movie. The music was composed and designed for a surround experience -- different harmonies emerging from the different speakers around the room, constantly moving, crashing and blending to create a dynamic experience. A special sound mix was created for Dolby Atmos, taking full advantage of the amazing nuance, spread and separation of the speakers on the ceiling and the total range of all the speakers in the room. Dolby Atmos is the sound experience I have always dreamed of."
Gravity will be released in 2D, 3D and IMAX formats on Friday, October 4, 2013. For a complete listing of Dolby Atmos theaters and locations, check out the Dolby Atmos website.
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