Long time reader, first time poster.
Zombie fare played itself out pretty thoroughly for me some 5 years ago, and then came along a little celebrated cinema verité take on it in the form of Netflix’s ‘Black Summer’. It focuses squarely on the theme that the undead are not the principle threat but merely the catalyst that ignited the larger peril of man’s continued threat to his fellow man. It was a small Canadian production that relied heavily on deft handheld camera work that delivered well above its modest budget and it was noteworthy to me for that. That was summer of 2019 and I had largely forgotten about it.
Discovered tonight that a second season was just released and to my astonishment it may be some of the best streaming Atmos work I’ve yet to experience!
Ep 1 has a pan-surround firefight that gives every single channel a workout with deft balance, ultimately punctuated by an overhead single engine flyover that is never seen, but only heard. The use of the overhead channels combined with the actors eyeline matched to watch it move offscreen is really pretty remarkable.
Ep 2 spreads an omnipresent ambient winter wind across surround and height channels so well that its buffeting is nearly palpable. And it’s all underpinned by articulate series of bass stabs and effects that are poweful yet distinct.
it’s powerful, but not gimmicky. Immersive, but not quite subtle. Tasteful. Mature. If this is an indication of the future of object-based mixes I am quite excited.
I’m interested to hear if my impressions are validated on other’s systems.
that said….it’s pretty brutal subject matter in both concept and execution so be warned.
