A Step Forward in Immersive Cinema: Final Stop Review

I was invited down to London’s Frightfest last Thursday to check out the brand new short-film Final Stop. An immersive horror short that has teamed up with audio giants Sennheiser to bring you a 3D binaural audio horror bonanza.

What is 3D audio?

3D audio is the idea of having sound come from all directions of your environment rather than from the left or right that standard headphones provide. The idea of 3D audio is a multi-directional audio experience where rain can be heard above you, the rustling of leaves can be heard beneath you and all other directions that don’t encompass the standard left and right stereo.

The idea behind 3D audio is to give the listener a more immersive audio experience to match the visual experience they are witnessing on screen.

Watch Final Stop (Headphones Essential)

The film Final Stop was filmed with iPhones and recorded with the AMBEO Smart Headset from Sennheiser and the experience is one that is currently unmatched in the movie world. I’ve had personal experience of working with binaural audio as the augmented reality game Night Terrors which I had the pleasure of working on was a 10 minute augmented horror experience using binaural audio.

The immersion of our 10-minute demo added to the games immense success becoming the biggest horror augmented reality demos on the app store.

My Binaural Experience

The film is a wonderfully crafted little short where for the first time in my film viewing experience the visuals take a backseat. The audio becomes the star of the show and wearing headphones in a crowded cinema suddenly immerses you so deep into the audio experience that you feel isolated.

No rustling popcorn or talking, just you, the film and the experience that you are witnessing. It’s an unusual yet wonderful experience.

The horror of the short is amplified and the visuals take a backseat as specific sounds take center stage. The sound of a bus pulling up as thou it was actually in the room with you approaching from the right-hand side is amplified. You have footsteps sounding as thou they are approaching from behind.

Suddenly you feel in the center of your own little horror movie and with the audio complimenting the visuals so well it’s quite an amazing experience.

As the AMBEO Smart Headset bedazzles in this 10-minute short it opens the possibilities of just what is possible in the future. I can’t imagine 3D Audio being something as standalone significant as VR or AR but it rather, it would just slide into modern day life without showing off.

If this tech was adapted by filmmakers and game designers on a broader scale our cinema trips and gaming nights would be all the more fun. Imagine a binaural audio cinema where more speakers are added to screens to deliver audio immersion on an unmatched scale.

Imagine gaming nights where it’s just you and a headset wandering through the jungle and all around you, you can hear the sounds, the approaching footsteps behind you and the torrential rain pelting down above you.

When I got home and tried the headset out for myself I loved the immensely detailed sound quality and although I’m still just touching the surface of what is possible for this headset the headphones actually amplify the sound around you almost giving you superhero like listening powers.

Sounds t

hat you wouldn’t pick up organically within a certain distance are amplified and it’s clear to see the possibilities you could give a content creator with this product. To shoot high-quality video with binaural audio which would add depth and immersive sound to your productions. What more could a content creator want?

Shop AMBEO HERE

Final Stop was a wonderful introduction to what the future holds and I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the experience.

Thank you to Sennheiser for inviting me down!