2003 OSCAR for Sound

The Lord of the Rings-The Two Towers won the OSCAR for best sound in 2003. The elements that made this films sound great are varied. For starters the original book the film is derived from had great descriptions of sound, which enabled the sound team a good start. The sound team also traveled extensively around New Zealand to gather all the sounds needed to create a sound scape that would take the viewer into the fantasy world shown in the film.

A particularly interesting way sound was gathered was at a cricket match in Wellington, New Zealand. Jackson (the director) directed the crowd of 25000 to make various noises from whispering to stomping.

Peter Jackson was extensively involved in the sound process as to make the film to his specifications. This film very much deserved the OSCAR for sound. It has incredible detail in the sound. In the battle sequences the weapons, projectiles and voices are clear and add a new element of immersion into the film. In the forest subtle rustles of leaves and trees can be heard. All the sound are very authentic. Just as important as the actual sounds the placement of these sounds in the surround sound environment is exact. The directionality of many of the sound elements is very real.

The following websites were very helpful in finding about the sound in TLOR 2
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lord_of_the_rings_the_two_towers/about.php
http://www.audiorevolution.com/dvd/revs/lotr2.shtml