The experimental short film Refuge, which explores new sound and image formats, was screened for its North American premiere under the giant dome of the SAT (Société des Arts Technologiques) during the Symposium IX event in Montreal, June 3, 2016.
The 2016 edition of IX, "sonic perspectives", highlighted the importance of sound in creating strong immersive experiences. This was a chance for instructive demonstrations, often never seen before, in immersive sound and visual creation.
Une nouvelle version de Refuge, film court co-produit fin 2014 par b<>com, la maison de production de l’agence Sid Lee Studio et l’entreprise de production de contenus multi-plateformes BLVD, a été retenu pour sa prouesse technologique associée à un scénario de fiction. Le réalisateur Thibaut Duverneix s’était associé à David Drury, compositeur pour créer l’histoire et la trame sonore permettant d’exploiter au mieux les avancées technologiques conçues par les chercheurs de b<>com, notamment celles liés au « Reality Surround Sound ». Pour Thibaut Duverneix, « Refuge est un projet unique qui nous a permis d’explorer, dans un contexte cinématographique, de nouveaux outils comme le HFR et le HOA Je voulais qu’on oublie la technologie pour laisser place à l’émotion et à l’immersion ».
An initial version had been shown in France at the IRT Forum, on an Ultra High Definition screen in order to display the work done on the image, and via an audio headset to appreciate its binaural sound.
The new version of Refuge has been redesigned for sonic immersion using HOA spatialization, for 31.0 playback on the Satosphere's 156 speakers. The work of the New Media Formats laboratory, and particularly its sound engineer Clément Cerles, made it possible to convert and rework the initial approach.
"50 viewers, all experts in 360° audio and video, were very enthusiastic and curious about the conversion methodology. They greatly appreciated the particularly immersive rendering in this impressive dome," said Clément Cerles.
This screening gave another opportunity to strengthen partnership ties with SAT. "After having several of our experts at round tables or demonstrations in past editions, getting screened under the Satosphere was a challenges that we were delighted and honored to meet: A unique chance to present Refuge in a never-before-seen format before an informed, demanding audience," said Emmanuelle Garnaud-Gamache, director of international development at b<>com and producer of the project.
As for the Canadian co-producers, they are pleased as well to finally be able to show the results of this collaboration to an audience. Richard Jean-Baptiste, global head of the Studio and partner at Sid Lee, as well as a coproducer of Refuge, is happy: "We are very proud to have co-produced this film with b<>com. The fact that this unique sonic experience was chosen by Symposium IX for the North American premiere is really exciting."
