Despite the direct translation of the nickname, there's a lot more to seeing movies on the big screen than just the size of the projection. Theaters are now getting more and more advanced in the way in which they play the soundtrack for their films, completely surrounding their audiences in sound and immersing them in the movie-going experience in ways that even 3D can never come close to. Dolby Laboratories has developed a system called Atmos that utilizes 64 separate speaker feeds and can place the sound of creaking floorboards upstairs in a horror film straight above audience's heads or surround them with the sound of a helicopter or pouring rain. As a result, the most talented sound designers are given freedom to play with delicate touches that can change the entire impact of a scene or the plot. In the video above, which comes to us via The Playlist, you can take an 11-minute journey into how they found the sound for Superman for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel.
I must say that I am still completely baffled by the critical response to the latest comic book movie - even as a critic myself I don't understand critics sometimes - but at least one thing that most seem to agree on is that Man of Steel is a rather exquisitely crafted film. Snyder's vision of Krypton is stunning, featuring a beautiful use of computer generated imagery, and he directs action like few others can. But credit must also be given to the excellent sound design. White the presentation obviously does matter in this respect - an indie theater in a Kansas farming community (see what I did there?) probably isn't going to be equipped with the same kind of sound system as a major chain in Los Angeles - but when presented properly it's a great experience.
These kinds of featurettes are great because they do an amazing job of highlighting important parts of the film industry and don't get nearly enough attention from casual movie-goers. It's a great gateway to appreciating filmmaking more, which we owe it due to the amount of entertainment we get out of it.
While critics were mixed on Man of Steel, the film continues to be a huge hit with audiences. CinemaScore says that the movie has been averaging an A- rating, and it's killing at the box office.The film opened at number one to the tune of $116 million - the biggest June opening ever, toppling 2010's Toy Story 3 - and stands to fare well this weekend as well (movies usually make about 60% of their previous sum in week two, so a $70 million take isn't out of the question over the next three days). Are you planning to see it this weekend?
