The artistic and business benefi ts of Dolby Atmos in post – Niko Remus


digital platforms like Lightworks and Avid were new. I was an editor for years and saw how technology was changing editing and fi lmmaking. I became convinced that, to fully explore this, people across the industry needed to know how post was increasing its role in cinematic storytelling. Technology keeps increasing the possibilities. Understanding what it can do, and why it matters, gives producers and directors a powerful toolkit for the future.


Niko Remus, a German post-production supervisor and head of studies for the APostLab workshop, talks to us about how new technology —Dolby Atmos in particular—has started a revolution in fi lm sound, both creatively and commercially.


How have you seen post-production evolve during your career? I started when everyone was editing physical workprints on fi lm and the fi rst


What does working with Dolby Atmos change, and what does that imply for post? Dolby Atmos doesn’t change how we shoot or edit. It’s a new tool and gives us new options. It changes how we do sound editorial and how we mix.


[Dolby Atmos] creates a new dimension. It gives us more room and new spaces, so sound designers, directors, and mixers have to think – and can think – how to use the extra dimensions.


People further down the production line need to become involved earlier in the process. As a result, those of us in post can both help shape the way audio enables narrative and ensure a proper workfl ow is in place at the outset.


What have you worked on that demonstrates this? A good example is Styx (2018), directed by Wolfgang Fischer. He came to me and said the fi lm was about two characters in a boat, with the ocean as the third character, one that made its presence felt through sound, and what did I think of Dolby Atmos? We explored what we could do, even before the sound design, thinking about how hearing rain come from above creates a threatening, immersive dynamic, and when and where to change the atmosphere to advance the story.


It also taught me how important it is to not always use all of the new audio palette. The key to good post is to not overdo it with effects. The start of the movie is on


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