"Joachim and the Apocalypse"
The Delt@Lab and R&D department of Delta Star Pictures, in collaboration with Sud Sound Studios of sound engineer Gianfranco Tortora – a member of A.I.T.S. Italian Association of Sound Technicians and has worked on over 140 national films –recently created special sound environments for some scenes of the film "Joachim and the Apocalypse’’, directed by Jordan River. The film was shot in ultra-high resolution 12K, with Gianni Mammolotti directing the photography.
"The images were superlative, and the director wanted to infuse the film with not only visual but also sonic and neurosensory stimulus more broadly - they tell from the production- in fact, the film develops on several narrative levels and some scenes take place in different psychic and spiritual dimensions," explained Valentina Gramisci, Communication Department of Production at Delta Star Pictures. "While composer Michele Josia composed the film's original soundtrack (recently won the Global Music Award), the director wanted to involve several scientific researchers as well as expert consultants in musicology, technologies, and sound arts. Among the team of experts, there were also Italian university professors, including Bruno Gioffrè (professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, a scholar of the subject, and populariser of science with more than 40 publications with Mondadori Informatica)," she added.
The innovation that was developed in the film is the management of sound frequencies to originate special creative sound waves, including ‘Theta’ sound waves for emotionally interesting sensory experiences. "These have also been scientifically demonstrated to evoke even more vivid mental images, facilitate greater mental clarity and relieve stress, thus also performing a function of psychophysical well-being," Gramisci said.
In the film, the protagonist experiences a dream state, in which some visions emerge, and in other scenes, he discovers the experience of ecstasy and meditation. "The director was fascinated by the idea of creating a kind of transference by making the viewer experience what the monk feels in elevated states of consciousness while watching the film," she concluded . The film is scheduled for release in autumn/winter 2024, coinciding with the start of the Holy Year.