Dolby Creator Talks

Jessica Lee Gagné, a talented cinematographer and director known for her work on the series Severance, dives into the artistry behind the show's eerie aesthetic. She reveals her collaborative process with the creative team and how she used film to amplify the emotional depth of pivotal flashbacks. Gagné shares insights on innovative techniques for filming elevator scenes and the impact of color choices, particularly red, on character emotions. Her unique perspective as a director adds a fresh layer to the narrative exploration of this surreal world.

NOTE: This episode contains SPOILERS from the second season and season finale of Severance. Today we let Kier guide us into the extraordinary sound work of season two of "Severance," the hit Apple TV+ series from creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller. Focusing on the groundbreaking storytelling of episodes 207 and 210, Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Designer, and Re-recording Mixer Jacob Ribicoff, Re-recording Mixer Bob Chefalas, and David Schwartz (the Production Sound Mixer on those two episodes), break down how they crafted the show’s eerie, minimalist sonic landscape. They explore everything from the show’s surreal dreamlike ambiences and rhythmic sound/music interplay, to that unforgettable marching band sequence in the season finale. “One of the primary objectives, according to Ben [Stiller], was that Lumon should be a quiet place, a place with the air sucked out of it… I thought, wouldn't that be really interesting to create room tones out of breathing, out of breath, and actually just fold those in and mix those in with normal room tones? So there's kind of some animal breath and some human breath in there — like, very long… just a breath that just goes on for an entire scene.” —Jacob Ribicoff, Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Designer, and Re-recording Mixer, “Severance” Be sure to check out “Severance,” now streaming on AppleTV+, 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. 

Legendary sound mixer JC Aguila joins us at Telemundo’s state-of-the-art headquarters in Miami. With nearly 30 years at the network, JC has played a key role in Telemundo’s rise as one of the leading Spanish-language broadcasters in the United States. In this wide-ranging discussion, he reflects on his journey from mixing his first live show at age 14 in Cuba to becoming Network Audio Technical Manager at Telemundo—working across everything from award-winning news coverage to live telenovelas, entertainment programming, and global sporting events.To experience some of JC’s work, tune into virtually any live broadcast on Telemundo.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. 

Supervising Sound Editor, Re-recording Mixer, and Sound Designer Mixer David Acord and Supervising Sound Editor and Dialogue & ADR Supervisor Margit Pfeiffer join us to discuss the powerful, visceral sound of the final season of "Andor." As one of the darkest and most grounded series in the Star Wars galaxy, "Andor" features a deeply cinematic soundscape — ranging from brutal hand-to-hand combat to haunting silence, immersive crowd scenes, and intentionally fuzzy radio transmissions. David and Margit break down their collaborative process, the evolution of the sonic language across the series, and how they used Dolby Atmos® to bring audiences even deeper into the world of espionage, rebellion, and sacrifice.“We want to make sure that the audience feels the threat and the danger of these weapons. The impact of those weapons has to be violent… A laser whiz by has to strike fear.”—David Acord, Supervising Sound Editor, Re-recording Mixer, and Sound Designer, "Andor"Be sure to check out “Andor,” all episodes now streaming on Disney+, 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. 

Mix engineer and recording engineer Jayda Love, along with Dolby Atmos® mix engineer Juan Razuri, join guest host Ben Givarz to discuss their work on Doechii’s Grammy®-winning mixtape, “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” which took home Best Rap Album at the 2025 GRAMMY Awards® and earned nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best New Artist. In this episode, Jayda and Juan break down their creative process — from initial recording sessions in Los Angeles to the immersive final mixes in Dolby Atmos.“A lot of the vocal production stuff — as a recording engineer — I'll help with layering and blending. That's a big thing for her. But a lot of the time, in terms of volume and placement and stuff, she's very hands-on. She'll be like, ‘I need those higher.’ And naturally, as an engineer, ‘I'm like, these are a little too loud.’ But then I'll finally get an ear break or hear it take a step back and I'm like, ‘oh, she's very particular about this stuff, especially the presence of her voice.’ And so I can definitely credit a lot of that to her.”—Jayda Love, Mix Engineer, “Alligator Bites Never Heal” by DoechiiStay connected!- You can listen to Doechii’s “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” as well as many other classic and contemporary artists in Dolby Atmos, on enabled streaming services.- Follow Doechii on Instagram- Follow mix engineers Jayda Love and Juan Razuri on Instagram- Follow Top Dawg Entertainment on InstagramInterested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!- Dolby Atmos Music Accelerator: https://www.dolby.com/creator-lab/music-accelerator/- Dolby Atmos Essentials Course: https://learning.dolby.com/- Dolby Atmos Music Support: https://professional.dolby.com/music/Professional-resources/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. 

Guest host Alistair Hirst returns to Dolby Creator Talks to speak with the audio team behind "Star Wars Outlaws," one of the most successful games of last year. Developed by Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, the title delivers a rich, cinematic gameplay experience — thanks to its immersive sound design and dynamic score. Recently nominated for a BAFTA in Audio Achievement, the team shares how they built the game’s soundscape from the ground up, mixing original Star Wars recordings with new field material to create unique environments, iconic weapons, and vehicles. They also explain how Dolby Atmos® was used to deepen the spatial realism — from starships above to rain on rooftops — and how their creative approach to sound design gave the game its gritty, signature edge.“First and foremost, we landed on three main pillars... The first of them being a cinematic experience... We really wanted to tell a story using audio... The second was making it a true and authentic Star Wars experience... And finally, we coined the phrase we call the scoundrel sound... It’s about keeping the grit from the original trilogy, but also updating the sounds to make them sound fresh and new.”—Simon Koudriavtsev, Audio Director, "Star Wars Outlaws"Joining today’s conversation from Massive Entertainment: - Simon Koudriavtsev - Audio Director - Jacob Coles - Lead Audio Designer - Martin Weissberg - Principal Audio Designer - Simon Siegfried Klar - Senior Audio DesignerBe sure to check out "Star Wars Outlaws," available now in Dolby Atmos®, on supported platforms.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. 

Filmmaker Carlos López Estrada hosts a heartfelt and eye-opening conversation with five acclaimed artists about the power of storytelling to foster compassion, connection, and empathy. Joining the discussion: - Andrew Ahn – Filmmaker (“Fire Island,” “Driveways”) - Patricia Cardoso – Filmmaker (“Real Women Have Curves”) - Marcus Gardley – Screenwriter, Playwright (“The Color Purple”) - Qui Nguyen – Filmmaker, Screenwriter (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) - Sean Wang – Filmmaker (“Dìdi,” “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó”)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.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

Guest host Alistair Hirst returns to Dolby Creator Talks to sit down with the audio team behind "Helldivers 2," the hit third-person shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios. The game features a groundbreaking, immersive soundtrack which was recently nominated for a BAFTA in Audio Achievement. In this episode, the creative team breaks down how they crafted the game’s visceral soundscape—enhancing the gameplay with hard-hitting weapons, dynamic enemies, and a cinematic, larger-than-life mix. They also share how they utilized Dolby Atmos® to heighten the sense of immersion and verticality, from incoming projectiles to flying enemies. “Words that came up quite a lot were: visceral… chaotic... fairly violent… over-the-top movie trailer style sound effects. Grounded where possible, but larger-than-life, in-your-face, [and] action-inspired.” —Harvey Scott, Project Audio Director, "Helldivers 2" Joining the discussion: - Harvey Scott, Project Audio Director - Juuso Tolonen, Project Lead Sound Designer - Paola Velasquez, Senior Dialogue Designer - Simon Gumbleton, Senior Technical Sound Design Supervisor - Olliver Andersson, Sound Designer Be sure to check out “Helldivers 2,” now available on Sony Playstation in 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. 

Guest host Ben Givars returns to Dolby Creator Talks for a live panel at SXSW 2025 to discuss how Dolby Atmos® empowers musicians and creatives to take their music and audio to the next level. Producer and musician (Spoon) Jim Eno joins collaborators from Colorado-based fuzz folk band autumnal to discuss how he used Dolby Atmos to mix a totally immersive audio experience for their song, “breathing.”“There’s so much space. When you listen to an Atmos mix on a speaker system, you definitely hear things that you’ve never heard on a stereo mix, because they’re not cramped together… With Atmos you can take more freedom and liberties, and be able to hear more things around the 360 spectrum.” - Jim Eno - Musician, Producer, Project Traction FounderJoining the conversation: - Annalee Knies - Guitar, Vocals - autumnal - Geneva Hein - Synth, Vocals - autumnal - Justice Murray - Bass - autumnal - Jim Eno - Musician, Producer, Project Traction Founder - Sara L Hauser - Musician, Producer, Music EducatorLearn more about Project Traction’s mission to bridge the gender gap in music production and engineering here.Special thanks to our partners at Rivian Automotive for showcasing their cutting-edge in-car Dolby Atmos audio systems at the festival.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. 

Recorded live at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, Academy Award®-nominated director (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) Carlos López Estrada once again brings together a panel of first-time feature filmmakers making their world premieres at the festival. These five directors have graciously joined us to offer some insights in how to navigate the first-time filmmaker experience at Sundance, as well as how they overcame the challenges of getting their films made in the first place.Joining the discussion are:- Eva Victor - “Sorry, Baby”- Joel Alfonso Vargas - “Mad Bills to Pay: (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)”- Cole Webley - “Omaha”- Katarina Zhu - “Bunnylovr”- Sierra Falconer - “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake)”This is another amazing conversation which is part 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.Learn more about the Dolby Creator Lab and check out Dolby.com. Connect with Dolby on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.