Dolby Creator Talks

Writer, director, and producer Bradley Cooper joins us to discuss the sound of his latest film, “Is This Thing On?” Audio became a primary storytelling tool in shaping the film’s deeply subjective point of view. In conversation with the film’s sound team, the director breaks down how perspective, texture, and restraint were used to place audiences directly inside the emotional experience of a man discovering stand-up comedy as his marriage unravels. For Cooper, that approach ultimately comes back to how films are meant to be experienced in theaters.“It’s really about the theatergoing experience — how you best tell the story in these rooms, in this theatrical space. And to me, I haven’t seen a better version than those two elements: Dolby Vision and Atmos. When Stefan [Sonnenfeld] and I colored the Dolby Vision, it was like, ‘Oh — there’s the movie.’ And when you do it in Atmos, in terms of mixing sound… the immersive experience — it’s just a whole different experience than a 5.1 mix. It’s not even in the same universe… And once you go there, you can never go back. I watched a movie the other night that wasn’t in Atmos, and I couldn’t stop imagining what it could be.”—Bradley Cooper, Writer, Director, Producer, “Is This Thing On?”Joining today’s conversation:- Bradley Cooper, Director, Producer- Dane A. Davis, Supervising Sound Editor- Tom Ozanich, Re-recording Mixer- Dean A. Zupancic, Re-recording MixerBe sure to check out “Is This Thing On?,” now in theaters.Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.You can also check out the video for this episode on YouTube.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Audio Director Chris Fox and Composer Olivier Derivière sit down with guest host Alistair Hirst to explore the immersive sound of “South of Midnight,” the groundbreaking action-adventure game from Compulsion Games. Set in the American Deep South, the score skillfully weaves together traditional Southern-style music and folk songs with a dark, otherworldly essence as the player faces the eerie creatures of Southern legend. In this conversation, Fox and Derivière break down how sound design, music, and a fully realized Dolby Atmos® mix work together to pull players deep into the game’s mythic world.“It really comes back to the idea that the entities — the magic entities — we wanted to make them a character. So the kids, the kid choir that Olivier put together and recorded down in Nashville, are the stars of the show, because they really are everywhere. A lot of what you hear — there are two different samples, actually. One is the agitated samples when you get close to an object or station, and the other is the vowels we were talking about… When you do your magic, they’re in tune with the backing, the non-diegetic music that’s playing at the time… We also played with that in combat. When things get agitated all around you, that’s not just in the front — it’s surrounding you. So there’s a lot of use of space to complement the score.”—Chris Fox, Audio Director, “South of Midnight”Be sure to check out "South of Midnight," available now in Dolby Atmos, on supported systems.Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.You can also check out the video for this episode on YouTube.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

What does it mean to create art during times of global conflict? Guest moderator Abiram “Abi” Brizuela leads a thoughtful and timely conversation on how filmmakers respond to war, displacement, and uncertainty through their work. Spanning both narrative and documentary filmmaking, the discussion explores the emotional challenges of telling these stories and the enduring role of cinema in helping audiences reflect, connect, and understand complex human experiences.Joining the discussion: - Cherien Dabis – Writer/Director (“All That’s Left of You”) - Ramona S. Diaz – Director (“And So It Begins”) - Gregory Nava – Writer/Director (“El Norte”) - Bao Nguyen – Director (“The Greatest Night in Pop”)This is another installment of our ongoing “Satellite Sessions” series, which we’re bringing to you in partnership with Antigravity Academy and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment. Follow @antigravityacademy and @capeusa for more information on even more upcoming panels.Antigravity AcademyCAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment)For more inspiring Satellite Sessions just like this one, be sure you are subscribed to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.You can also check out the video for this episode on YouTube.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

Legendary filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC, LPS, join us to reflect on their three decades of creative partnership: from “Pi,” “Requiem for a Dream,” “Black Swan,” and “The Whale,” to their newest collaboration, “Caught Stealing.” In this wide-ranging conversation, they discuss the evolution of their visual language, how technology continues to reshape the craft, and the inspirations behind the kinetic, East-Village-in-the-’90s aesthetic of “Caught Stealing.” And as the industry stands on the brink of profound transformation, Aronofsky shares why he believes the future is full of opportunities for new kinds of innovative storytelling. “I think how we make films is about to change more than any other time in history. And there’s many ways that can go, many possibilities. So I think for storytellers, it’s really exciting because there’s a lot of discovery ahead of us. There’s the potential for lots of very specific, individual types of films. But I think there’s an absolute need for storytellers to be inventive and to be looking forward.” —Darren Aronofsky, Director and Producer, “Caught Stealing” Be sure to check out “Caught Stealing,” 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 on YouTube. Learn more about Sundance Collab here. Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

Academy Award-winning composer Volker Bertelmann, known for his evocative scores, dives into his work on A House of Dynamite. He shares how he embraced unconventional textures and low-frequency resonance to amplify tension, explaining that 'mistakes' in his prepared piano became integral to the score's character. Volker recounts his collaboration with director Kathryn Bigelow, focusing on the balance between darkness and humanity, and discusses how live recordings and manipulated sounds crafted a rich soundscape that heightens the film’s emotional impact.

Guillermo del Toro, a three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker known for his visually rich storytelling, teams up with seasoned cinematographer Dan Laustsen, famed for his collaboration on films like The Shape of Water. Together, they delve into the striking visual language of Frankenstein, discussing their painterly approach to emotion-laden black tones and the use of large-format cameras. They share insights on lighting philosophy, emphasizing single-source lighting, and reflect on creating practical effects for set design, all while keeping artistic flexibility at the forefront.

Composer Max Richter joins guest host Jon Burlingame to discuss his luminous, emotionally rich score for “Hamnet,” the new film from director Chloé Zhao. In their conversation, Richter shares how early musical sketches shaped the production, how he blended period instruments with processed textures, and how the film’s psychological and natural landscapes guided his approach. And as Richter explains, Elizabethan-era music became a key creative touchstone for capturing the film’s folkloric sensibility.“Elizabethan music is one of my great passions, really. It’s an amazing moment in English music history where you have this community of composers writing just extraordinary things, both instrumental and chorally. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to go back and connect to that material… Which evoked what [director] Chloé [Zhao] called the witchy sensibility of the sort of folkloristic… maybe dark fairytale quality of the relationship with nature and the connection between human beings and nature.”—Max Richter, Composer, “Hamnet”Be sure to check out “Hamnet,” now playing in theaters in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®, where available.Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts.You can also check out the video for this episode on YouTube.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

Join sound legends John Marquis, Andy Nelson, Jack Dolman, and Simon Hayes as they delve into the auditory magic behind 'Wicked: For Good.' They explore the contrast between the youthful exuberance of the first film and the emotional depth of the sequel. Hear how they captured intimate live vocals and highlighted character emotions through sound design. Discover their creative process behind the film's new songs and the innovative soundscapes that brought aerial sequences to life, all while following Jon M. Chu’s visionary direction.

Director Jon M. Chu and Director of Photography Alice Brooks join us to discuss the dazzling cinematography of “Wicked” and its newly released sequel, “Wicked: For Good.” Though the two films together tell a single story — adapted from the beloved Broadway musical — each was crafted with a distinct visual style to reflect the evolving tone and emotion of its chapter in the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West. “When Jon and I first started talking about the movies, we talked about emotional intentions. And some of those emotional intentions for the first movie were ‘dreams’ and ‘yearning’ and ‘friendship’ and ‘choice.’ And the second movie, they were ‘separation’ and ‘sacrifice’ and ‘surrender’ and ‘consequence.’ And so quickly in our conversations it became clear that the first movie would glow in daylight, and the second movie would be steeped in density and maturity and shadow. And so we have these two worlds. We've got the whole visual arc of both movies, but each lived in their own distinct worlds.”—Alice Brooks, Director of Photography, “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good” Be sure to check out “Wicked: For Good,” now playing in theaters and Dolby Cinemas®, in Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®. - Our previous episodes of Dolby Creator Lab with the artists behind Wicked: Director Jon M. Chu and the Sound and Editing Wizards of Wicked The Music of Wicked, with Stephen Oremus, John Powell, and Stephen Schwartz Capturing Wicked's Live Singing, with Simon Hayes Please subscribe to Dolby Creator Talks wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out the video for this episode on YouTube. Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

Two-time Academy Award®-winning composer Ludwig Göransson and Executive Music Producer Serena Göransson join us to discuss the powerful use of music in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” recently nominated for six 2026 GRAMMY® Awards. In this conversation with music journalist Jon Burlingame, the Göranssons share how integral music was to the film’s storytelling — and how their close collaboration with Coogler shaped the creative process from start to finish.“Serena and I were there, on the dub stage, almost every day… [Director] Ryan [Coogler] is an incredible collaborator. He wants to hear ideas… take it in, and make difficult decisions. He really wanted this to be such an immersive experience... That's why he really spent time on the mix, like panning things around, making it create an experience… Sometimes I had to pinch myself and think to myself, Ryan and I, we've been doing this since USC, and our first studio film. We were young and we had a great experience. But at the same time, when you get started, people always think, oh, these guys don’t know what they're doing. And there's a lot of things that you have to prove. And now we're at this stage in our professional careers where we are experienced and also have more responsibilities and can really create in a different way… and try to push the envelope as much as we can.”—Ludwig Göransson, Composer, “Sinners”Be sure to check out “Sinners,” now streaming on HBO Max, 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 on YouTube. Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.