""Jeanne d'Arc"" Wins ""Best Sound"" CÈsar Award
""Jeanne d'Arc,"" the first European film mixed in DolbyÆ Digital Surround EXô, has won the award for ""Best Sound"" (CÈsar du meilleur son) at the recent CÈsar ceremony, held in Paris, France on February 19, 2000. The award was shared by the mixing team of FranÁois Groult, Bruno TarriËre, and Vincent Tulli. ""Jeanne d'Arc"" was mixed at Digital Factory, Director Luc Besson's state-of-the-art studio in rural Normandy, France. The mixing team found that the Dolby Digital Surround EX format was ideal for the film. ""It was perfect for the sound effects of many of the medieval weapons. For example, the catapult really does seem to fly from behind the audience and onto the screen, and there are many quick sound effect 'flashes,' like arrows swishing past the audience to the back of the theatre,"" said FranÁois Groult. ""Surround EX has helped to create a hugely exciting and realistic experience for the audience."" The film was released October 1999 in France by Gaumont Buena Vista International, and will be released under the title ""The Messenger: The Joan of Arc Story"" throughout the United Kingdom on March 10, 2000 by Columbia Pictures. Dolby Digital Surround EX adds a third surround channel, allowing a sound designer to create true ""fly-over"" and ""fly-around"" effects that are smoother and much more accurately placed, either directly behind or beside the audience. It is the fastest-selling product in cinema sound history with over 5,000 Dolby Digital Surround EX adapters (SA-10) sold in its introductory year. Jointly developed by Dolby and Lucasfilm THXÆ, Dolby Digital Surround EX is quickly becoming the format of choice for blockbuster hits. Recent titles in Dolby Digital Surround EX include ""Toy Story 2"" from Buena Vista, ""The World Is Not EnoughÆ"" from MGM, ""Fight Club"" from Twentieth Century Fox and ""The Bone Collector"" from Universal. Forthcoming titles include DreamWorks' ""Chicken Run"" and ""Gladiator,"" and ""X-MEN"" from Twentieth Century Fox. About Dolby Laboratories Dolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion picture sound, consumer entertainment products and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco, California with European headquarters in England, the privately held company also has offices in New York; Los Angeles, California; Shanghai and Tokyo.