New emphasis on sound at ‘Wizard of Oz at Sphere’

When Sphere presented a sample of the refreshed “Wizard of Oz” a few months ago, one of the film’s legendary scenes sprung back to life: Judy Garland singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

The incredibly clean, warm upgrade was a hint of the theatrical production’s sound upgrades. Sphere Studios is “layering in” new technologies to give the 1939 film classic new life.

Sphere officials invite fans to compare the old with the new.

“There’s Dorothy and ‘Over the Rainbow’ as you heard them before, and there will be Dorothy and ‘Over the Rainbow’ as you hear them now, with the film’s classic music taking on new clarity and immersion through Sphere Immersive Sound,” Sphere Studios head Carolyn Blackwood said in a statement released Wednesday morning. “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, heard and felt through our cutting-edge technologies, will create a new emotional connection to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ that is only possible at Sphere.”

The film experience opens Aug. 28, running multiple times daily. Go to TheSphere.Com for intel.

As the company specifies, to maximize the technologies in Sphere Immersive Sound’s 167,000 programmable speakers, and ability to direct sound anywhere in the venue, the original film’s mono score was re-recorded to take on new clarity via Sphere Immersive Sound, while preserving the cast’s vocal performances.

The mono audio had to first be separated into individual stems of vocals, dialogue, and sound eﬀects. This process, a collaboration between Sphere Studios and Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services, used advanced audio technologies to create the individual components without distortion.

Inside Sphere, the stems are being layered together to create a sound mix that reveals a depth and clarity unheard in the 1939 film.

Attention to the original score for the Academy Award-winning music extended to re-recording the score on the same scoring stage as the 1930s original — retaining the same acoustic environment. The re-recorded score features more than 80 musicians playing in the 1930s style of film music, including techniques, such as pizzicato and vibrato that were standard for the era, but are less common in modern scores.

An ocarina, a small wind instrument used during the original recording session of “If I Only Had a Brain,” was also used for “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere” recording.

Each section of the orchestra was also recorded individually with state-of-the-art miking. Traveling through Sphere Immersive Sound’s directional capabilities and the vocal and sound eﬀect stems, it will seem as though sound travels around the venue. As the Tin Man tilts back and forth during his number, the isolated sound of the strings will also oscillate to emphasize his movement in visual and sonic unison.

“We approached the recording and mixing process for ‘The Wizard of Oz at Sphere’ with a deep reverence for the original music, resulting in a breathtaking blend of legacy and innovation,” said Julianne Jordan, Grammy Award-winning music supervisor of “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere.” “Sphere Immersive Sound oﬀers opportunities for sound mixing that go well beyond a traditional theater, and this score will now be heard and felt with a level of clarity and immersion that was previously impossible.”

For the first time, the venue’s infrasound and haptic seat technology is being used for the first time to create more than vibrations. The systems will also emit tones that emphasize moments in the film experience. When the characters enter the haunted forest, an eerie tone will emanate from the seats, bringing the audience into the foursome’s perspective.

“This is the first time sound technology has been used in this way in any venue,” said Paul Freeman, vice president and principal audio artist, Sphere Studios. “We developed a physical way of delivering sound that allows us to not only vibrate the seats, but also place tone in them that puts you in the film – audiences will literally feel what they are hearing.”

As described, the vibrations, infrasound, and Sphere Immersive Sound will blend for maximum impact during key moments of the movie. When the main characters visit the Wizard in his throne room, his voice will boom throughout the venue, complemented by tremors and low frequency sounds from the seats. Internal vibrations will be created within the venue to completely immerse the audience in sound and suspense.

The original film, shot for a 4:3 movie screen in the 1930s, will now fill Sphere’s 160,000-square-foot interior display plane, which wraps up, over and around the audience.

The sound creative team for “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere” includes Grammy Award-nominated music producer/sound designer Paul Freeman (“Spies”); Grammy Award-winning music supervisor Julianne Jordan (“A Star Is Born”); Academy Award-nominated composer David Newman (“Anastasia”); and Academy Award-winning sound engineer Shawn Murphy (“Jurassic Park”).

And from Warner Bros. Post Productions Creative Services: sound engineer Tony Pilkington (“Sinners”); Academy Award-winning supervising sound editor/sound designer Richard King (“Dune: Part Two”); and Cinema Audio Society-nominated re-recording mixer Tim LeBlanc (“Superman”).

In an interview this month, Sphere Experience President and COO Sphere President and COO Jennifer Koester hyped the project as completely unique.

“This is not watching a movie. You’re going to be feeling and living as though you are in Oz. You’re walking down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Toto, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion. You’re in the tornado with Dorothy.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.