Game over…Play again? - Audio Media

3D? Yes, We’ve been Doing That
For A While...
At a time when many of the big film releases are
coming out with both 3D and 2D versions, it’s a
good time to ask about the concept of 3D sound.
Has anything changed? Haven’t we been mixing
films in 3D for some time now?
For Tron, the 7.1 format was selected for its
additional rear channels from a number of options.
“Joe listened to a number of formats on this film,
says Teague, “Because he was really interested in
embracing as much additional 3D sound as he
could. We arrived at 7.1, which adds a couple of
channels in the back.
Teague also notes that the ‘new’ 3D is generally
different to the ‘old’ 3D, and as such, doesn’t require
novelty panning to match equally outrageous
visual effects. “The old 3D was more about coming
out at you and poking you in the eye, and the new
3D is more like an aquarium – you’re looking into
something. It’s more about depth... Of course, it
depends on the content of the film; there’s the
occasional thing, the visual cue that wants you
to bring something out into the theatre, but a
lot of it is just the depth in the front, and that’s
something that we’ve been trying to do for a long
time anyway.”
Whittle concurs – the old rules still apply: “7.1
instead of 5.1 may make it more 3D, but I think it
just fills up the room in a different way... We didn’t
do anything specific for 3D. I mean at a certain
point it gets distracting to go behind you too much.
Even if it is 3D, the screen is still in front of you.”
The idea that actually mixing to 3D picture
might be common some time soon could be a little
too progressive. There are many logistical issues
to start with, and also endurance: “It gives you a
headache,” says Whittle. “It’s really good to check
it, but your head’s going to explode if you mix all
day with those glasses on, especially if you wear
glasses to begin with and you get the 3D glasses
on top... it’s hard.”
Teague: “We didn’t mix anything to 3D picture.
I’ve done a couple of 3D films and typically the
director knows what the 3D’s gong to do, so they
can always keep that in mind.
“You have to think that’s coming at some point.
The mixers say they can’t see the faders if they
have the glasses on. There’s the fatigue standpoint
too, I mean, the main reason we don’t do it is that
technically, they don’t have the picture ready.
We can do it on these stages – we’re completely set
up for 3D projection in a mix stage environment,
but normally the picture’s not quite ready.
That’s usually why it’s after the fact.”
There is, however, at least one nod to a notion
of 3D as a creative, dynamic effect. A shift from
more subtle 3D visuals to more drastic ones marks
the film’s transition from the real world into the
game world. “The moment when Sam gets pulled
into the world,” says Teague, “Is an exception in
terms of sound. I talked about the aquarium feel
as opposed to the ‘poke you in the eye’ feel, and
that first moment right when we go into the more
aggressive 3D, is a moment that really comes at
you. So that was fun to take the sound, and play
with the surrounds a bit at that moment.”
It’s apt that a film with its roots so firmly in
technical advances – both fictional and real
– should be on the leading edge of the cinema
experience. Using a level of 3D as a creative
mechanism is another advance – another lead.
This is something Skywalker Sound is familiar
with, from the lengths it is prepared to go to
for the aural experience to be a memorable and
fulfilling one, to its constant reappraisal of what
it takes to participate in modern production
workflows. ∫
AUDIO MEDIA DECEMBER 2010 31