Case: Sound design, mixing, and mastering of the 2.1 and 5.1 versions of the documentary film “Ark.” The film explores the Greater Caucasus Biosphere Reserve, its wildlife, and the people who live within it. Here, in the Western Caucasus, Europe’s highest biodiversity is found. The tallest forests grow here, and the deepest snow falls. It is also home to one of the largest European bison populations in the world, miraculously restored from a single surviving bull named Kavkaz.
Director: Stanislav Stavinov.
Client: Krasnodar Film Studio named after N. Minervin.
Task:
From the rough audio edit of the full-length documentary “Ark,” assemble several final versions for distribution across various platforms, in accordance with their technical requirements:
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For streaming platforms and the TV channel “My Planet.”
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For theatrical screenings at film festivals in Russia.
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A challenging task: from the stereo version of the film, create a “surround sound” (5.1) version suitable for full theatrical release in cinemas equipped with Dolby® Surround systems, including screenings at international film festivals while adhering to cinema technical standards.
Solution:
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All audio tracks were leveled to consistent volume parameters. Some crucial narrative phrases were cleaned of extraneous noise and repositioned within the sound space.
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For full immersion, SFX were added, both produced in-house and sourced externally.
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“Leering” and sound framing techniques were applied—volume was increased or decreased depending on the shot size of the character, and spatial processing of voices and ambient sounds was applied according to the scene’s environment.
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To create a surround sound experience, two rear channels were artificially added along with numerous sound effects, frequency- and spatially integrated into the scenes. A subwoofer track was included for 2.1 and 5.1 mixing.
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Overall mixing and mastering were completed in compliance with platform technical requirements. The film is currently receiving awards at various festivals in Russia and abroad.
Author and Director: Stanislav Stavinov
Cinematographers: Stanislav Stavinov, Igor Osipov, Sergey Trepet, Anastasia Stavinova-Vasilyeva
Editing: Elena Kabanova
Design and Color Grading: Anastasia Stavinova-Vasilyeva
Sound Engineer: Konstantin Omelchak
Composers: Ruslan Prosvirin, Sergey Efimenko, Anton Platonov, Konstantin Omelchak
Producer: Valeriy Timoshchenko
Production: Krasnodar Film Studio named after Minervin LLC
