Audiences’ Experience of Immersive Ambience Sound Design for “On-Screen” versus “Off-Screen” Elements in Films Using Dolby Atmos

This research explores audiences’ experience of immersive ambience sound design for “on-screen” (in the frame) elements versus “off-screen” (outside the frame) elements in different films scenes. Utilizing three film scenes with distinct immersive ambience sound design using Dolby Atmos—one emphasizing on-screen elements and the other treating on-screen and off-screen sounds equally—this study investigates how these approaches affect audiences’ sense of immersion, preference, awareness of specific sound elements, general experience with the story, the visual elements, and the sounds. Results from listening tests involving 40 participants indicate that immersive ambience sound design with on-screen and off-screen elements equally treated brings a higher sense of immersion and receives more preference in two of the three film scenes. Participants’ experiences also vary based on the characteristic of different film scene modes. This study provides insights into effective immersive ambience sound design in films, aiming to guide sound designers towards optimizing spatial audio production to approach better experience for audiences in cinematic environments.