I heard about this project years ago in Lucasfilm newsletter around late 90’s. I thought it was going to be TV-mini-series. Well looks like its already for release and the trailer of the aerial combat scenes looks impressively polished.

The story focuses on the Tuskegee Airmen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen
and all black fighter pilots squadron. I think, we have also seen thus before in Glory (1989) which used an all black regiment 54th Massachusetts. it seems when the US is dire-straights they have to call on someone to help out.

I guess Rick McCallum would have good reason to be excited.

http://www.digitalcinemareport.com/Luca ... o-3D-Barco

Anyway apart from the politics I’m rather interested in finding out what this film would sound like and I have seen the trailer and even heard some past Luke Skywalker sound effects so I guess all the sounds won’t be entirely new, expect for the sound system format 12 channels and I hope they use them wisely.

I like to hear above and below surround of the aerial combat scenes with airplanes barrel-rolling down on each other from behind swopping upwards to overhead surrounds then scaring the wits out of the audience as it leaves gut wrenching low frequency feeling as the airplanes pull up from underneath seats and up onto the screen.

Note the airplane explosion at 0:16sec sounds like the lightsaber being tweaked when cutting though the AT-AT in Empire or the mortar attack in Forrest Gump in rise paddy fields and in Indiana Jones 4, when the door control is exploded to open the doors to Area-51.
Red Tails (2012) trailer



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485985/

(Cuba Gooding Jr). Major Emanuelle Stance, “show me the 11.1” seems like a bit typecasting again playing another historical part.

Its nice the film is filmed in genuine anamorphic, I just can’t stand super35.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485985/technical

As for as sound specifications goes on the IMDB site no mentioning of 11.1? Dolby and datasat/dts

Well after looking at the diagram I see no beneath underneath surrounds or totally overhead surround. So they keep with the existing sidewall to rear surrounds and install more of the same loudspeakers at different angles to the rear back and place three more matching stage channels no doubt above the already existing common three-screen. I think the 6 screen might work but what about below the as sound moves in strange ways. I think 9 screen would do it. But 11.1 seems to be already exhausted of channels?

http://www.barco.com/en/product/2439

We’ve all heard that Dolby can do 16channels and 16 might be enough but I get the feeling no one wants to place loudspeakers beneath the seating as it would be very complex to get it sounding right and yes a challenge. I want underneath surround in stereo and overhead in stereo as well.

Overhead was tried a few years back with "We Were Solders" (2002) Sonic Whole Overhead http://www.smartdevicesinc.com/pdf/sonic_boom.pdfby using some anti-phase out of phase signal encoding so the Dolby SA10 can use the extra channel or rear matrix, same way as Dolby Stereo used to encode early Dolby Stereo optical soundtracks, but its still used as back-up track and I think analogue Dolby stereo SR will be around for many more years.

I can think of one cinema in the UK that might install this system Empire Leicester Square looks ready its got enough JBL 8340 surrounds fitted in screen 1, along the sidewalls and placed around the back wall and above/around the projection booth on the wall. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they install a further 10 or more surrounds but the stage channels would have to be modified and it seems a bit of waste money for what might only be one film using this sound system as replacing the stage channels in the THX baffle wall would take a fair few weeks if not a month.

I see the film playing in few selected cinemas where there is enough room behind the screen for the extra three stage channels and more surround loudspeakers.

Auro-3D, Barco's 3D sound technology for the digital cinema industry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhzAk-Xz ... _embedded#!