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Skywalker Sound and the challenges of making audio for VR films
Lauded Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, best known for his work on movies such as Birdman and The Revenant, last year nabbed a "special" Oscar award for his VR exhibition Carne y Arena. The virtual reality project, dubbed Flesh and Sand in English, takes viewers into a world where they can experience what it's like to be an immigrant trying to cross a border. As much as visuals were important to tell this story, one of Iñárritu's focus was to also to create the most immersive sounds -- which can be complicated when going from traditional film to a completely new medium like VR.
Meet the Oscar-nominated sound designers behind Kylo's lightsaber
Skywalker Sound is home to Star Wars. The award-winning sound designers and mixers who inhabit the red-bricked walls of George Lucas' audio post-production facility have shaped the soundscapes for the saga so far. From the first movie in 1977 to The Force Awakens in 2015, the team of sound wizards has converted fictional ideas into believable sounds and indelible memories. Instead of pulling from a ready-made digital library, they tend to rely on organic sounds. Mundane objects and creatures are carefully manipulated into powerful spaceships and energized lightsabers. try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-554275").style.display="none";}catch(e){}
![[Image: Skywalker Sound]](https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/e2ZigaqKyPQ_USXW9PUhkw--~B/Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTQ2ODtweW9mZj0wO3c9ODMyO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/6ddd0035baced0e658b15a9f9872936a/203396237/Leslie+Ann+Jones+and+Laura+Karpman+at+Skywalker+3.JPG.cf.jpg)
From 'Halo' to Miles Davis: One woman's life behind the scenes
A long, winding drive through Lucas Valley leads to the wooden gates of Skywalker Ranch. Inside George Lucas' exclusive estate, well-manicured gardens blend in with the sweeping wilderness of California's Marin County. Past an empty baseball field and multiple rows of grapevines is a red-bricked "technical building" that houses Skywalker Sound, a state-of-the-art studio where Hollywood's most iconic soundtracks have been created. try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-891353").style.display="none";}catch(e){}
Wanna take a trip into space and back on a solid rocket booster? (video)
Ever reminisce about NASA's space shuttle launches by watching them on its Ascent iOS movie app? The footage was shot by cameras attached to the solid rocket boosters that pushed the craft heavenward and provides one of the best ways of experiencing what all that rocket thrust feels like. We're still getting over the intestine-tugging video and in awe of those who strapped themselves in for the trip, but soon there could be a high-def version to make those charred thermal tiles even more intimidating. Plans are afoot to put all of these clips out on a Blu-Ray, but only if NASA can find a partner willing to distribute it.
