Dolby creates magic with its 'Silent' film

New consumer campaign made by Dolby and Moonbot Studios shows the collaboration of sound and picture in successful storytelling

Sohini Sen | Mumbai | March 5, 2014

Click on the image to watch the TVC.

Most people are aware of technological specifications, especially those which are required for watching movies or videos. However, they may not realise the huge role both sound and moving pictures make in the making of a movie. Keeping that in mind, Dolby Laboratories has unveiled a new consumer campaign called 'Silent' to celebrate the evolution of cinema entertainment.

There are two sides to any storytelling – the pictures and the sound. These collaborate to create movies. Dolby's most advanced imaging and audio techniques – Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision – have therefore been used to make the heart warming short feature, 'Silent'. The animated short film, which debuted at the Oscars Science and Technology Awards, was created in partnership with the Academy award-winning Moonbot Studios.

"We are always looking for new and interesting ways to bring amazing experiences 'in Dolby' to audiences everywhere. We wanted something unique, something different and 'Silent' is a perfect example of the thought put behind each of our efforts in order to keep audiences engaged and informed about the importance of sound in all entertainment experiences. For this year's Academy Awards, Dolby launched a short animated film, 'Silent', which premiered at the Oscars Scientific and Technology Awards ceremony. This is the story of Picture and Sound working together, a collaboration that is enhanced when Dolby technology allows them to create movie magic and advance the art form of cinema. It is a fun, animated short film following two unlikely allies – one representing 'picture', the other, 'sound' – as they discover how to collaborate to create movie magic,” explained Vince Voron, Vice-President and Executive Creative Director, Dolby.

The film opens with a father-daughter duo performing on the street. While the father operates a bioscope, the daughter plays music on a little keyboard. Accidentally, the bioscope breaks and they are left jobless. The duo runs towards a theatre and goes inside not knowing what awaits them. The daughter finds a keyboard there and starts playing. The father, who is on stage, is somehow transported inside the screen where a train chases him. The scene changes as the daughter's music changes and he is found hanging from a clock. The scenes keep changing as the daughter keeps playing different tunes. It moves from black and white to colour, from silent to full sound. As the father realises the potential this new medium has, he winks to his daughter who catches on to his plan. She hugs him and the environment around them changes to show a packed house full of applauding people. The feature ends with the Dolby logo.

'Silent' follows two unlikely allies: Moonbot's own Mr Morris Lessmore, representing 'picture', and his partner, a young girl, who represents 'sound'. When the pair discovers an abandoned theatre, they begin an adventure of sight and sound through cinema history, from silent movies to horror flicks, children's stories, and thrillers. Silent is Mr Morris Lessmore's most recent adventure since appearing in the Academy Award-winning short 'The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore', a groundbreaking iPad app and the New York Times bestselling book by the same name.

“It represents our commitment to creating interesting and powerful content that we own and can use to demonstrate all the amazing experiences available in Dolby. 'Silent' is a part of a broader, multi-year effort to remind people of Dolby's ongoing role in enhancing entertainment and to create demand for great experiences 'in Dolby'. We are always looking for ways to showcase the best in audio and imaging technologies. We chose to make an animated short because it is universal and timeless. It evokes emotions and transcends generations and cultures. We wanted to connect emotionally with audiences and open their eyes to the intrinsic importance of sound in storytelling ...not deliver a lecture on cinema sound,” Voron explained.

The TVC:

https://img-cdn.thepublive.com/filters:format(webp)/

Credits:

Client: Dolby Laboratories

Agency: Moonbot Studios

Director: Brandon Oldenburg + Limbert Fabian

Marketing Partner: Creative Artists Agency

Music: John Hunter

Sound Design and Mix: Steve Boeddeker

Sohini.Sen@BestMediaInfo.com

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