BMW 'Bites As Bad As It Barks' in landmark Dolby Atmos cinema ad

Digital Cinema Media, Dolby Laboratories, WCRS and Grand Central Recording Studios (GCRS) have collaborated with BMW and Vizeum to produce the first Dolby Atmos ad to be aired in UK cinemas at The Olympic Studios in Barnes; the only independent cinema in the UK capable of hosting the ad.

The ad, created by WCRS and sound mixed by Ben Leeves at GCRS, promotes the launch of the new BMW 2 Series Coupe, using an innovative Dolby Atmos mix, featuring a menagerie of fierce animal sounds, ending with the tagline “bites as bad as it barks.” The activity is part of a wider campaign by BMW to promote the new model, which also includes The Ultimate Driver cinime campaign in UK cinemas.

Joe Evea, Commercial Director, DCM, said: “Cinema is the most engaging and immersive medium, it is home to the biggest screens and the highest quality sound systems, making it the ultimate place for advertisers to showcase their creative. Through their pioneering use of Dolby® Atmos™, BMW have taken this to the next level, using the technology to solve a creative conundrum and produce a unique and striking cinema ad.”

Cinema has always been known for the best sound and advertisers are aware of the incredible possibilities that high-quality audio provides. Dolby® Atmos™ however, introduces powerful new listening experiences for the movies and ads, with sound that truly envelops you and creates a more lifelike and engaging experience. With Dolby® Atmos™, filmmakers can now precisely position and move 118 sound objects both around and above the auditorium to heighten the realism and impact of every scene.

Laura Stead, Launch & Brand Manager, Marketing Communications, at BMW UK, said: “We are always looking for ways to communicate the ultimate driving experience that a BMW delivers. What’s more, our heritage has been built on leading from the front using the most exciting technology to improve the performance of our cars. The Dolby® Atmos™ element of this campaign brings the creative to life in a new and exciting way, achievable only in cinema.”

Ben Leeves, Senior Sound Designer at Grand Central Recording Studios (GCRS), said: “The ad has been an exciting and unique project from the onset. The brief was to create a bold unexpected sound design piece: a car commercial with no car sounds!  The idea of using the unique creative options that Dolby® Atmos™ offered was discussed and as it is in its nascent stages for advertising, both Dolby and DCM needed to be involved from the start to help us to learn what was creatively and technically possible.

“I had the creative freedom to produce a wholly original sound design from scratch and in Dolby Atmos: a thrilling opportunity that all sound designers would relish.

“This was a huge learning curve, both technically and creatively, however now that GCRS and I have successfully created the first Dolby Atmos mix for a commercial, we cannot wait to create the sound design and mix for the next one.”