Dolby Institute Fellowship
There's a lot of action moments in this, and you think, 'Oh, man, action! I'm going to put explosions here! I'm going to put zip-bys here! It's just going to be crazy!' But what we found out to be really amazing is the subtle moments is what [Dolby] Atmos really shines in.
BRENT KISER, SOUND SUPERVISOR/RERECORDING MIXER, SWISS ARMY MAN
Music is a huge emotional driver of the film, and the Dolby Atmos format gave first-time film composers Andy Hull and Robert McDowell — of the indie band Manchester Orchestra — the freedom to place the musical score, comprised almost entirely of voices (including Dano's and Radcliffe's), around the action onscreen in a completely immersive and captivating way. (Check out the music video for the film's song, "Montage." )
Sound designer and rerecording mixer Brent Kiser, a longtime collaborator on the Daniels' short-form pieces, joined Academy Award® nominated mixer Beau Borders to construct the film's elaborate track, including some 16 tracks of premixed fart sounds, for reasons that become obvious when you watch the film.
"I will say the great thing about [Dolby] Atmos for this film in particular is we always try to make things that are very visceral and just take you on an experience and kind of push you through it really quickly, too fast, so logic doesn't even really get to become a part of the equation," said Daniel Kwan. "Being able to use sound to push that even further, it kind of reaches this really great fever pitch, and I'm just really excited because I think it's going to explode some brains in a really great way."