Technicolor’s new immersive audio unit, dubbed The Sound Lab at Technicolor, is up and running at its Burbank headquarters. It will also use space at the company’s Technicolor at Paramount sound facility and work closely with its Technicolor Experience Center.
The Sound Lab was conceived to explore creative approaches and new technical workflows for developing immersive content, including virtual, augmented and mixed reality; video games; and experiences for theme parks and other special venues.
The facility is led by veteran supervising sound editor and designer Scott Gershin, Technicolor’s director of sound editorial, whose work spans features (American Beauty, Pacific Rim), TV and games. “VR, AR and MR are touching many areas of entertainment, from mobile to special venue,” he said, adding that content developers are still learning “how to capture their audience and identify the audiences of the future.”
The Sound Lab team also includes supervising sound designers Adam Boyd, Masanobu (Tomi) Tomita, and Bryan Celano; senior technical sound designers Viktor Phoenix and Chris Hegstrom; sound designer Nick Interlandi; composer and sound designer Johannes Hammers; audio specialist/music production and licensing, executive producer Debbie Gonzalez; and associate sound designer asset manager Jesse Garcia.
The new Burbank space includes 9.1 and four Dolby Atmos rooms, supporting all commonly used playback formats as well as providing headsets for VR/AR; eight 7.1 rooms; and The Loft, a private room for testing Immersive technology. Foley services are offered at the Paramount location. As part of the Technicolor Production Network, the units can connect in real time with clients at Technicolor company locations worldwide, including New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and London. The Sound Lab also has launched a voiceover casting and recording service for immersive entertainment.
While the Burbank facility was being set up, the company handled sound for a few projects via the Technicolor Experience Center. That included VR/AR piece Wonder Buffalo (a collaboration with the Entertainment Technology Center at USC); Tree, an official New Frontiers selection at Sundance; and My Brother’s Keeper, a VR reenactment of the Civil War.