Dolby Creator Talks

Join the Dolby Creator Lab director Glenn Kiser in conversation with the artists who are using image and sound technologies creatively in some of your favorite films, TV shows, video games, and music.

Latest episodes

Apr 17, 2025 • 1h 19min

238 - Meet the Nominees - Best Cinematography, Original Score, and Sound - Oscars 2025

Feb 10, 2025 • 46min

237 - Lol Crawley and the Cinematography of The Brutalist

Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Lol Crawley joins us to discuss his approach to "The Brutalist," the epic indie film from writer / director Brady Corbet. Crawley delves into his decision to shoot the film in VistaVision, how it shaped the film’s aesthetic, and his use of practical lighting to create its atmospheric look. He also shares insights into how they executed the film’s many “oners” (one-shot scenes), the challenges of capturing the marble quarry sequence, and how his cinematography reinforces the film’s themes of ambition, displacement, and artistic legacy.“The VistaVision shot… it's a little bit like anamorphic, in the sense of [it capturing] two things in one. You get this intimacy, but you also have this wide field of view. So you see the world, and you see the performance. And I think that's what gives the film a certain grandeur. And its debt to early 50s, 60s American cinema.”—Lol Crawley, Director of Photography, "The Brutalist"Be sure to check out “The Brutalist,” now in theaters.Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.You can also check out the video for this episode.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Feb 7, 2025 • 36min

236 - Ed Lachman and the Cinematography of Maria

Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer Ed Lachman joins us to discuss his gorgeous cinematography on “Maria,” directed by Pablo Larraín. The seasoned director of photography shares his approach to blending formats — including 35mm, Super 8, and 16mm — to capture the operatic essence of Maria Callas’s life, as well as his use of color psychology, lighting techniques, and period-specific film stocks to evoke emotion and authenticity."Opera and cinema are very similar… Opera's images are not representational either. Like cinema. And they create the subtext for the emotions of the story. And what helps to create the nonverbal form of communication is the same thing that happens in music of the opera. It's a heightened reality… I felt the film could be a representation if her life, mirrored in the operas that she sang in. And even though people say she was the sum of the tragedies of the opera she sang, I believe she had the resistance and strength to overcome." —Ed Lachman, Director of Photography, “Maria”Be sure to check out “Maria,” now streaming on Netflix, in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®.Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.You can also check out the video for this episode.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Feb 5, 2025 • 40min

235 - Kris Bowers and the Music of The Wild Robot

Academy Award®-nominated composer Kris Bowers joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his stunning orchestral score for "The Wild Robot," directed by Chris Sanders. The composer dives deep into how he crafted the film’s sonic landscape, incorporating orchestral textures, electronic elements, and unique percussive sounds. He also shares insights into his collaboration with director Chris Sanders and how becoming a parent influenced his emotional approach to crafting the film’s original score.“Chris [Sanders] talked about the role that music was going to need to play in this film... He already knew there were going to be these long stretches where we would have little to no dialogue. And he was trusting that music could help tell the story in those moments… Because for him, the idea of kindness as a survival technique, that was very, very key to the story... Really this idea of music needing to have this vulnerability, this warmth, clear melodic statements, and then also having the ability to go from small intimate moments to really big, huge action sequences.”—Kris Bowers, Composer, "The Wild Robot"Be sure to check out “The Wild Robot,” now available to stream and on Blu-ray, in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®.The soundtrack to “The Wild Robot” by Kris Bowers is also available to stream on Apple Music in Dolby Atmos!And don’t miss our previous episode on the sound of “The Wild Robot,” with writer and director Chris Sanders.Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.You can also check out the video for this episode.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Feb 4, 2025 • 32min

234 - Capturing Wicked's Live Singing with Simon Hayes

Academy Award®-winning production sound mixer Simon Hayes joins us to discuss his groundbreaking work on “Wicked.” Nominated for his third Oscar®, Hayes shares how he captured live vocals on set, blending the technical innovation with the emotional. He reflects on lessons learned from “Les Misérables,” how he worked seamlessly with the music department, and the intricate process of ensuring performers like Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande had the freedom to deliver their most powerful performances while always staying in sync with the film’s score."We had no idea that when Cynthia and Ari sung together, their voices would mesh the way that they did. And something very, very special happens when those two sing together… That first time when I had my cans on, and they were dueting, and the hairs on the back of my neck started standing up, and you get that tingle… You just know, as a sound mixer, 'My God, we've struck gold.' This is something very unique and special."—Simon Hayes, Production Sound Mixer, “Wicked”Be sure to check out “Wicked,” now available to stream at home in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®.And don’t miss our previous episode featuring Stephen Schwartz and the music team behind “Wicked, as well as our episode with Director Jon M. Chu and the film’s post-production team.You can also check out the video for this episode.Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Feb 3, 2025 • 34min

233 - Daniel Blumberg and the Music of The Brutalist

Academy Award®-nominated composer Daniel Blumberg joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his evocative and unconventional music for "The Brutalist," directed by Brady Corbet, which earned the film an Oscar® nomination for Best Original Score. Blumberg shares how his long-time friendship with Corbet influenced the creative process, how he crafted the film’s musical language using improvisational techniques, and how he recorded some of the score’s most striking pieces — including a live jazz sequence and a prepared piano overture, which was played on set to help choreograph the movement of one of the film’s opening sequences."[Brady Corbet] wanted to shoot the overture [of] Laszlo leaving the Holocaust behind, arriving in New York, and the optimism of seeing the Statue of Liberty to music. So that was one of my first priorities: To create a demo that would work on set… I had this sample of a piano that I’d prepared in London. This sort of percussive piano where you interfere with the strings… John Cage put screws in between strings, and that was a sound that felt right… A few weeks later, we were playing it really loud on the set. And it was great because the cinematographer could move to the music and Adrian could move to the music and the music could cue the extras… I think it was successful in terms of having an impact for the opening of the film.”—Daniel Blumberg, Composer, "The Brutalist"Be sure to check out “The Brutalist,” now playing in theaters.Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.You can also check out the video for this episode.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

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Dolby Creator Talks

Latest episodes

242 - Cinema of Empathy, hosted by Carlos López Estrada

241 - The Sound of Helldivers 2

240 - Empowering Creatives Through Dolby Atmos, Live at SXSW