How Dolby helps make the Oscar ceremony sound as good as it looks

ByGeorge Pennacchio WPVI logo
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
How Dolby helps make the Oscar ceremony sound as good as it looks
On Oscar Sunday, Dolby will be present once again inside the Dolby Theatre.

LOS ANGELES -- On Oscar Sunday, Dolby will be present once again inside the Dolby Theatre. As it turns out, the company's film and sound technology, coupled with excellent work, could result in some Oscars for the nominees.

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos play a part in the five of the eight nominations this year for best picture, explained Dolby Institute director Glenn Kiser.

Among this year's nominated movies with Dolby's laboratory input are "BlackKklansman," "Black Panther" and "Roma."

"Dolby has a long history of supporting and working with filmmakers and content creators, basically as far back as the last iteration of "A Star Is Born" in 1976 with Barbra Streisand. It was one of the very first movies to come out in Dolby stereo," Kiser said.

When it comes to the broadcast audio you'll be hearing on Sunday from inside the Dolby Theatre, that's left to the expertise of veteran audio director Paul Sandweiss and his team of experts.

"It's about elegance and it's not boom boom boom. It's very old-school style, at least for me it is," he said. "It's a little bigger this year because we've got the Philharmonic coming in, which is great. We've got Gaga coming in with her band, we've got Queen coming in with their band, so it's a little bigger this year."