Dolby Sound & Music Challenge 2024

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Sound and music are two of the most powerful instruments in a filmmaker’s toolkit, profoundly impacting the audience experience. Sound can be used in bold and imaginative ways to heighten the sense of reality, direct a viewer’s attention, and augment the visual experience. Music can also set the mood, enhance the emotional impact, or build tension and suspense. We challenge you to choose one of the three provided scenes from CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT and design the sound and/or music to tell this story the way you see it...

Sound and music are two of the most powerful instruments in a filmmaker’s toolkit, profoundly impacting the audience experience. Sound can be used in bold and imaginative ways to heighten the sense of reality, direct a viewer’s attention, and augment the visual experience. Music can also set the mood, enhance the emotional impact, or build tension and suspense. We challenge you to choose one of the three provided scenes from Chronicles of a Wandering Saint and design the sound and/or music to tell this story the way you see it...

Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, written and directed by Tomás Gómez Bustillo, was nominated for three 2024 Independent Spirit Awards including Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

Film synopsis: In a tiny Argentinian town, a pious yet competitive woman decides that staging a miracle could be her ticket to sainthood. After discovering a lost statue, she orchestrates a grand reveal that will finally anoint her as the most admired woman in town. But before the unveiling, a jarring event illuminates the hidden magic of her world, forcing her to reevaluate everything she once took for granted.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Originality: The uniqueness demonstrated in the sound and/or music
Synergy: The degree to which the sound/music and visuals harmonize
Emotional Resonance: The effectiveness of the sound and music in enhancing the connection to the story.
Technical Proficiency: The technical quality of the elements.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

All sound and music must be original and submitted by the creators.
Accepted video file formats: AVI, MOV, MP4, or MPEG-2.
Note: If you choose to upload a .MOV file, make sure that it is not using the Apple ProRes compression. We do not support reading Apple ProRes files or raw camera formats like ARRI and RED at this time.
The maximum file size you can upload is 4.9 GB.

CHALLENGE RULES

Our challenges are open to everyone in the Sundance Collab community. If you are not a member of the Sundance Collab community, you can sign up for free. One entry per person, per challenge. All submissions will be viewable to the worldwide Sundance Collab community. All submissions will be given equal consideration and the final winner will be determined by the consensus of the designated Jury. Only those submissions that meet the criteria outlined in the submission guidelines are eligible to be selected as a winner.

The challenge closed on Monday, July 15, 2024 at 5 p.m. PT.

If you have questions regarding the challenge, please email collabsupport@sundance.org. You may be disqualified if you contact members of the jury directly.

PRIZES

The Winner will receive:

Their work featured on Sundance Collab as part of the Dolby Institute Series
Sundance Collab winner course package, which includes:

(1) free self-paced course ($325)
(3) free on-demand courses ($345)
(5) free Master Classes ($135)
Total value: $805

Two selected Runners-up will receive:

Their work featured on Sundance Collab as part of the Dolby Institute Series
Sundance Collab runners-up course package, which includes:

(1) free self-paced course ($325)
(1) free on-demand course ($115)
(1) free Master Class ($27)
Total value: $467

Jurors

Glenn Kiser

Juror

Glenn Kiser is the Director of the Dolby Creator Lab, Dolby’s initiative to bring education and inspiration to filmmakers and content creators about the creative use of sound and picture in storytelling. Previously, Kiser was the VP & General Manager of Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound, where he oversaw sound work on film projects such as Avatar, The Incredibles, the Star Wars prequels, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter films.

Before joining Skywalker, Kiser was a post-production executive at Propaganda Films, where he worked with directors including David Fincher, Spike Jonze, Jane Campion, and Neil LaBute. Fun facts: Glenn played a mean tuba in high school, and at one time Marlon Brando called him obsessively for two weeks.

He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Tomás Gómez Bustillo

Juror

Tomás Gómez Bustillo is an award winning writer and director from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brought up across Argentina, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the US, he studied Political Science in Buenos Aires, and later earned his MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute Conservatory. After graduating, he co-founded indie production company Plenty Good.

His debut feature film CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT premiered at SXSW 2023 and won the Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, “in honor of a filmmaker whose work strives to be wholly its own, without regards for norms or desire to conform.” It received multiple awards on the festival circuit and was nominated for 3 Film Independent Spirit Awards: Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

Katy Wood

Juror

Katy Wood is a supervising sound editor originally from New Zealand. Her career in sound for film has spanned more than 20 years. Katy has worked extensively in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. She has also lectured in sound for film in Australia, Chile, and Mexico.