POST
HIGH-END TELEVISION CRAFT
KATH POLLARD
Re recording mixer, freelance The Two Popes, Das Boot, Crossing Lines, Spotless, The Sleepers, Da Vinci’s Demons
Dolby Atmos HE lends itself to high production values; to detail, scale and ambition. Yet at the filming stage, the considerations do not need to go beyond the fundamentals of good sound recording – a respect for the craft, and the requests of the crew. Sound needs to be treated as an equal to picture, whether it’s in Dolby Atmos or not. A clean production sound track allows for a rich soundscape to be built around it in post-production. The bulk of the depth and spatial detail that is possible with Dolby Atmos will be achieved at that latter stage.
94 Spring 2021
televisual.com
In post-production it’s essential to have a facility on board that can handle Dolby Atmos HE. The studio monitoring will need to be set up to handle the additional surround speakers and height channels, with a Dolby ‘renderer’ to produce the delivery files and down-mixes. As well as that, a more powerful digital audio workstation (or two) may be needed than might otherwise be the case. The cost to facilities of providing a studio capable of Dolby Atmos HE can be high, of course, but once they have that capability, they are usually keen to put it to good use!
The main people dealing with the format will be the re- recording mixer(s). They will know its capabilities and be able to guide producers and directors through the process. Often the supervising sound editor or sound designer will also be onboard with the format, and their involvement can shape conceptual soundscape decisions early on.
The music department should also be made aware that a sound mix will be in Dolby Atmos, as some of its most interesting uses involve musical elements. Even if the music department aren’t confident in delivering for the format, they can be guided to provide enough separation in the elements to allow the re-recording mixer(s) to get the most from their tracks.
Productions mixed natively in Dolby Atmos tend to down- mix surprisingly well to 5.1 and stereo, somehow keeping much of the spatial detail of the original format. Also, whether or not a
Dolby Atmos HE mix is planned from the outset, it’s still possible to create one at the final mix stage, even if the mix was originally destined for 5.1 or stereo.
In terms of mix schedule and budget, it is wise to allow for an extra day or two per episode to allow for the Atmos HE mix and the extra deliverables required. It’s also worth noting that updates to the mix can take longer once the Atmos file has been recorded: accommodating last-minute picture cuts or making fixes off the back of QC notes can be time-consuming.
The most fun I’ve had with the format was mixing the voting scene in The Two Popes where we were able to place the audience inside the ballot bowl, with the ball spinning around. Not every scene is cut that way or lends itself to that sort of treatment but thankfully the creative possibilities of Dolby Atmos stretch beyond its ability to pinpoint the source of a sound; the format makes space, allowing for greater depth and detail overall.
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