Is there any theater experience better than seeing a great horror movie in a packed house alongside a bunch of terrified strangers? I personally don’t think so. There’s just something about sharing fear with those around you that magnifies the experience, which is why it should come as no surprise that IMAX experts spend a lot of time thinking about horror movies.
That was a hot topic of conversation when we joined AMC Theatres to visit the premium format giant’s headquarters ahead of the release of A Quiet Place: Day One to discuss the science behind IMAX® and the science behind making scary movies as scary as possible. One of the conversations we had was with Jeff Dunant, IMAX’s Senior Manager Of Digital Mastering. He talked to us about how important creating “atmosphere” is and how it relates to sound design. You can read a portion of his quote below…
Horror is really all about sound design, having an atmosphere to build up the tension and then surprise you at the last second. The IMAX sound system really does a good job with that because even the small eerie noises you can hear clearly all the way up to the crescendo of the big scare.
That’s the key, I think, people sometimes skip over with horror movies, and it was a recurring theme in our conversation. Working toward the “crescendo of the big scare” means putting a lot of effort into the “small eerie noises” that help to build tension. Going from zero to sixty with an out-of-nowhere jump scare isn’t always the right strategy. A lot of the time it’s better to slowly build up the anticipation.
At its most basic, that’s the filmmaker’s job. The director needs to make decisions on how to build that atmosphere, but once the direction is set, it’s then IMAX’s job to help bring that vision to life. IMAX is working with filmmakers on all the biggest movies throughout the entire process to fully understand their vision and how the big screen can bring it to life.
If a moment is supposed to be quiet, it should be dead quiet. If a moment is supposed to be a little eerie, the sound design should find the right levels for that. If you got a chance to see A Quiet Place, which won the Oscar for best sound design, in IMAX at AMC Theatres, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Sometimes the point is dead silence. Sometimes the point is little noises, and sometimes the point is that crescendo where it all comes together.
A Quiet Place: Day One is officially in theaters June 27th, and there’s no better way to see it than in IMAX at AMC Theatres. We’ve been partnering with AMC this year to help tell the story of the science behind IMAX, and it’s become obvious just how much effort throughout the process the experts put in to make every single bump in the night that much bumpier. You can check out a more general overview below…
Tickets are on sale right now for A Quiet Place: Day One. Grab some friends and see it right now on the best screen possible. See it in IMAX at AMC Theatres.
