Dolby Creator Talks

Academy Award®-winning composer Volker Bertelmann joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his tense and atmospheric score for “Conclave,” directed by Edward Berger. Nominated for his third Oscar, Bertelmann — who won in 2023 for Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” — shares how he crafted the film’s unique musical palette, eschewing the sounds of traditional church music in favor of experi...

We are joined by Director of Photography and first-time Academy Award® nominee Jarin Blaschke, as well as Director Robert Eggers, to discuss the stunning cinematography of “Nosferatu.” Together, the frequent collaborators delivered a gothic masterpiece, blending German romanticism and chilling horror into stunning, painterly visuals. In this conversation, Eggers and Blaschke discuss the meticulous...

Mix engineer and producer Cian Riordan as wells as mix engineer Matt Cerritos join guest host Ben Givarz to discuss their work on St. Vincent’s seventh studio album, “All Born Screaming,” which garnered critical acclaim and four GRAMMY® nominations, and is now available in stunning Dolby Atmos®. Cian and Matt discuss the recording and mixing process, how they collaborated to re-mix the album in Do...

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of “3 Feet High and Rising,” De La Soul's iconic 1989 debut album, mix engineer Rich Keller joins Dolby Creator Talks guest host Ben Givarz to discuss reimagining the group’s legendary catalog in Dolby Atmos®. Rich reflects on the process of remixing these classics while preserving their essence, and explores how Dolby Atmos enhances hip-hop’s depth, energy, and sp...

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen joins us to discuss his latest feature, “Blitz,” alongside his acclaimed sound team. The film, which explores the harrowing experience of the London Blitz during World War II, is shortlisted for Best Sound at the upcoming Academy Awards. In this episode, McQueen and his team take a deep dive into the process of creating a visceral, immersive sound...

Turning a script into a fully packaged film can be one of the most daunting challenges for any filmmaker. From assembling the right team to securing financing and attracting talent, the process—known in the industry as “packaging”—requires strategy, creativity, and connections. To help demystify this process, filmmaker Carlos López Estrada hosts another insightful Satellite Session, featuring an e...

Nine-time GRAMMY Award®-winning audio engineer Mick Guzauski and Robert Guzman, audio engineer at Studio DMI, join guest host Ben Givarz to discuss their work reimagining Daft Punk's iconic album “Random Access Memories,” in Dolby Atmos® for its 10th Anniversary Edition. Mick takes us back to the album’s original recording sessions, sharing how he and Daft Punk meticulously crafted the sound that...

Visionary director Robert Eggers joins forces with acclaimed sound artist Damian Volpe to deliver a stunning reimagining of the classic vampire tale “Nosferatu.” In this episode, Eggers and Volpe take us behind the scenes to discuss how they used cutting-edge sound design and Dolby Atmos® to create a truly terrifying and immersive experience. From the spectral sounds of Count Orlok’s castle to the...

“Maria,” the latest film from director Pablo Larraín, offers a mind-bending exploration of the life and final days of legendary opera singer Maria Callas, with Angelina Jolie delivering a transformative performance. To bring her world to life, the acclaimed sound team faced the unique challenge of blending iconic original recordings of Callas with actual, live performances from Jolie, who trained...

The director and sound team join us to discuss their work on the new Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” covering the cast’s extraordinary performances, how they recreated those iconic original recordings, and why it took so long to bring this film to the screen, after being greenlit five years ago. Joining the conversation: - James Mangold, Director, Co-Writer, and Producer - Ted Caplan, Supe...

Director Jon M. Chu joins us, alongside the brilliant editing and sound team behind “Wicked,” the hit movie musical based on the beloved Broadway show. Joining the discussion: - Jon M. Chu – Director - Myron Kerstein – Editor - John Marquis – Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Designer, Re-Recording Mixer - Nancy Nugent Title – Supervising Sound Editor - Jack Dolman – Supervising Music Editor - Andy...

NOTE: This interview contains spoilers! Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross and his acclaimed sound and music team join us to discuss the making of “Nickel Boys.” In adapting Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Ross employed first-person cinematography to draw audiences directly into the emotional and physical experiences of the film’s protagonists in a completely immersive...

The groundbreaking musical “Emilia Pérez,” which captured the Jury Prize at Cannes, is redefining the movie musical genre. Directed by the visionary Jacques Audiard, the film explores identity, transformation, and redemption with a powerful ensemble cast. From the vibrant choreography of its musical numbers to its daring and surreal visual style, “Emilia Pérez” is a boldly original film. Join us a...

Academy Award® and Grammy Award®-winning songwriter Stephen Schwartz, Tony Award®-winning musical director Stephen Oremus, and Oscar-nominated composer John Powell join guest host Jon Burlingame for an in-depth discussion about bringing the iconic Broadway musical “Wicked” to the big screen. Together they discuss how they collaborated with director Jon M. Chu to adapt the beloved musical into a ci...

Renowned film composer Harry Gregson-Williams joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his sweeping score for “Gladiator II,” the highly anticipated sequel to Ridley Scott’s 2000 Academy Award®-winning classic. Having collaborated with Scott on seven films now, Gregson-Williams shares his approach to crafting a fresh sound for the world of Gladiator while also paying homage to Hans Zimmer’s icon...

“I think that sound is, by far, the most powerful tool in the cinematic language.” —Denis Villeneuve, Director, Co-Writer, and Producer, “Dune: Part Two” Director Denis Villeneuve returns to Dolby Creator Talks to discuss the incredible sound work in “Dune: Part Two,” his latest adaptation of the epic sci-fi saga. He and his multiple Academy Award®-winning sound team share their thoughts on how so...

Multiple Emmy® Award-winning A1 audio mixer Glenn Stilwell joins us for an in-depth discussion on mixing live sports in Dolby Atmos®. As one of the first to adopt this immersive audio technology for sports, Glenn shares his journey into the high-pressure world of live sports audio, where he has worked on everything from the Olympics to Apple’s Friday Night Baseball. From setting up microphones for...

The art of pitching is a high-stakes, nerve-wracking aspect of filmmaking, where ideas transform from concepts into potential projects. Joining us to help demystify the pitching process is Dolby Institute Fellowship winner Carlos López Estrada, hosting another insightful Satellite Session from April 2024. Carlos gathers an exceptional panel featuring film and television creators, each sharing pers...

You have probably heard about the Hollywood writer’s room, but what, exactly, goes on inside one? Joining us once again to demystify yet another filmmaking topic is our good friend — and Dolby Institute Fellowship winner — Carlos López Estrada, with another of his excellent Satellite Sessions — this one from March 2024. Carlos welcomes an impressive and diverse panel of film and television writers...

Pharrell Williams has had a remarkable life and career in music, which are chronicled in the film “Piece By Piece,” a uniquely animated documentary made entirely out of LEGO. Joining today’s discussion is Director Morgan Neville, Supervising Sound Editor Al Nelson, and Re-recording Mixer Pete Horner, to talk how Pharrell’s creative vision for using LEGO opened up exciting storytelling possibilitie...

Academy Award®-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and executive music producer Jason Ruder join our guest host, music journalist Jon Burlingame, to discuss their extraordinary work on “Joker: Folie à Deux.” The sequel to 2019’s Oscar-winning “Joker” comes with high expectations, and Hildur and Jason talk about the challenge of evolving the sound of the Joker universe, while incorporating new elem...

Director and co-writer Nora Fingscheidt joins her sound team to discuss their extraordinary work on the new film “The Outrun” — a moving portrayal of one woman’s struggle with sobriety and memories of a traumatic childhood, using sound design to explore the emotional landscape of its main character, Rona, played by the extraordinary Saoirse Ronan. From the quiet, wind-swept expanses of the Orkney...

Legendary filmmaker, animator, writer, and voice actor Chris Sanders (you may know him as “ Stitch ”) joins his sound team — including our first-ever guest on this podcast, Randy Thom — to talk about their stunning work on the latest animated adventure/tearjerker from DreamWorks Animation, “The Wild Robot.” A truly visual spectacle, the film has an appropriately spectacular soundtrack, which Chris...

“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” is the first David Bowie studio album to be released in Dolby Atmos® and joining us today is Ken Scott, the original co-producer of the album (and many others from Bowie), as well as Dolby Atmos mix engineer, Emre Ramazanoglu. Ken Scott is a legend in the world of music production and engineering, and he takes our guest host, Ben Giva...

“Sing Sing” — an independent feature film now in theaters — made a big splash at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Greg Kwedar, the film is notable for its unique casting approach, blending actors such as Colman Domingo with real-life, formally incarcerated individuals. It’s set in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, focusing on the prison’s theater troupe.&...