Michael Coleman is back with another terrific SoundWorks Collection video. This time we've got the sound team from Peter Jackson's second film in the Hobbit trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. With such a large and expensive project, there is a lot that has to go into making the movie feel as large as it should, and the sound designers, mixers, and composer play a huge part in that. Check out that video below, as well as some more involving the sound from both films.

Here is a description from the SoundWorks Collection website:

In this exclusive SoundWorks Collection sound profile we visit Park Road Post Studios in Wellington, New Zealand to talk with the sound team of Director Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug".

Featured interviews include re-recording mixer Michael Hedges, re-recording mixer Chris Boyes, re-recording mixer Michael Semanick, re-recording mixer Gary Summers, composer Howard Shore, and producer and co-screenplay writer Philippa Boyens.

Michael Semanick at around 1:29 reveals a pretty interesting detail about when we first see Bilbo, how the sound starts forward and then fills the rest of the channels as the camera moves up. Playing with sound in that way may not be immediately noticeable, but it's something the audience can feel at a subconscious level (another reason sound is so important).

The Dolby Atmos tech is really interesting, and while the arguments are constantly being made for and against going to theaters, a more immersive sound experience like Dolby Atmos really changes the way you watch a movie. It's clear that it is more challenging to make full use of, but for films like this that have huge action sequences, it adds another dynamic. I had a chance to see Oblivion in Atmos last year, and now having seen the movie at home with regular surround sound, the theater experience was on a completely different level, and I hope more theaters and films take advantage of the format.

Another great video we shared before about Smaug involved the importance of a theme in the score:

If you missed the SoundWorks Collection from the first Hobbit film, here it is:

Link: The Sound of "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" -- SoundWorks Collection

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Sound & Music