Interview with Mixer Gary Rydstrom of Star Wars: Episode I

While mixing Star Wars: Episode I in October of 1998, five- time Academy Award® winner Gary Rydstrom spoke with us about Dolby® Digital Surround EX™ technology.

Gary, why did you want a rear surround sound channel?

The current left and right surrounds could never place sounds behind an audience; only by having a channel along the back wall can we encircle the audience with sound. Detailing specific elements all around us will be fantastic for ambience and for dramatic sound moments. Films emulate how we take in the world: We see a narrow field to the front of us, while we hear in 360 degrees. Dolby Surround EX will better simulate our perception of the world. And what better way to scare an audience than to have sound sneak up from behind?

How does the new Surround EX environment change the way you prepare for a mix?

Not much: The choices about how and when to use the new channel will take place in the actual mix. We'll be thinking of the extra channel by providing enough sound elements to fill out the theatre.

How does a director, such as George Lucas, use this new mixing tool to expand the experience?

Directors who have a great sound sense—and George Lucas is one of them—will be happy that we can use spatiality to tell a story more particularly with sound. Dolby Digital Surround EX will help us handle the corresponding complexity of sound in modern films. Star Wars: Episode 1—The Phantom Menace is like the other Star Wars films in that it pushes the quality of the theatre experience.

What enhancements should audiences expect to hear in a Surround EX movie?

People will feel pulled into the experience in a way they might not be specifically aware of, but will nevertheless benefit from. Part of the soundtrack's job is to help the audience get lost in the movie. I don't want them to look over their shoulders at sounds coming from the back wall: I want them to feel that they've had a fuller, better experience at the movies.

What are the benefits of experiencing a Dolby Digital Surround EX film in a THX theatre?

When the director and the sound crew get it just right, including the building of a mix in Surround EX, that perfect playback is available to theatre audiences. The stereo imaging, dynamics, and cleanness of sound in a THX theatre matched with the added detail of the Dolby Digital Surround EX channel provides the best way to see Episode I and other movies coming down the road.

After Star Wars, what's your next film that will include Surround EX? And what will Surround EX bring to that particular production?

The Haunting, which is an adult, psychological, classic haunted house movie directed by Jan De Bont. In it, ghostly presences move throughout the walls and ceilings of the house. We usually can't see them, but we will hear them. We are most frightened when a threat can be heard but not seen and The Haunting will be a showcase for Dolby Surround EX. After that, I will be doing the sequel to Toy Story, with more toys running around and big chases all taking advantage of our new rear channel, followed by an additional DreamWorks project, Minority Report.