Dolby theatrical Surround Sound first wowed audiences in 1977 with the debut of the megahit movie – Star Wars™. Cinema has never been the same since.

Dolby’s newest surround sound technology – ATMOS – is being rolled out world-wide to revolutionize the theater-going experience again. Dolby’s challenge was crafting a unique trailer to educate fans, in-theater and at home, that they are about to hear cinematic audio in an entirely new and exciting way.

Writer/Director, Garrett Nantz of Luxurious Animals, Aurora’s sister studio, tapped our production team to help realize his vision of HORIZONS:

First, we decided that we needed a voice that would become the guide for our audience. We decided early on were going to give this a more human approach by staying away from trappings of all the specifications and features that are commonly used to showcase technology. This trailer had to be relatable. Secondly, we looked for universally recognized cinematic landscapes that were inspiring to both to the ear and the eye. The theme we landed upon was one of awe. The roar of a boisterous concert hall, the quiet of a desert landscape punctured by a speeding car, the power of water falling over a cliff, the textural grace of an underwater kelp forest, the sounds of night in the country from the perspective of a child, and even the deepness of outer space were some of the early favorites.

Aurora’s production team was integral from the start – previz through principal photography through sound-design and post-production. Mixing at Dolby headquarters in the original theater was a treat for the creative team.

Look for the trailer in Atmos equipped theaters in 2015 and beyond. The above video is meant to be heard and felt in the theater. Stereo simply doesn’t do the soundtrack justice but the visuals remain elegant and inspiring.

Hear from directors like Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity), Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim) and Francis Lawrence (Hunger Games) why Atmos is an exciting new tool for filmmakers.

Experience Atmos for yourself in a theater near you: Dolby’s Atmos Theater Locator

Ten years is a long time.

Just think…way back in 2004 iPhones, Twitter, and YouTube didn’t exist. Facebook and the iTunes store just opened. NASA landed the first rover on Mars. And, Aurora Studios opened for business.

Hundreds of projects and a decade later we’re still here. Brainstorming. Ideating. Writing. Playing. Producing. Directing. Still amazed at how technology continues to evolve and empower storytellers everywhere. For this, we are grateful.

We’re also fortunate that our other design studio – Luxurious Animals, (link) is alive and well and celebrating her seventh birthday. Both studios have gone on to win numerous awards and the respect of our peers and clients. This reel celebrates some of our finest work over these past ten years.

If you’ve been part of our journey so far, a heartfelt thank you. If not, what are you waiting for? Reach out (info@aurorastudios link) and see how we can help you make an impact in your little part of the world.

There are still so many stories to tell.

Milady, the leader in beauty education, tapped Aurora Studios to create a new Razor Cutting video series featuring Nick Arrojo, a celebrity hair stylist based in New York. You may remember Nick from seasons 1-7 of TLC’s hit show “What Not to Wear”. Nick now runs one of the most successful salons and beauty schools in SoHo.

Aurora Studios’ creative team provided the full suite of production services including script editing, casting, production design, principal photography and post-production.

Harken Yacht Equipment is a legendary brand in the sailing community. Their hardware and accessories can be found on everything from mega-yachts to America's Cup racing boats to dinghies on your local lake.

Harken selected Aurora Studios for a global web redesign project consolidating 10 different sites and systems into one integrated content management and commerce system.

Aurora developed the sites using the Ektron Content Management System and integrated with back-office systems including Perfion Product Information Management and Microsoft Dynamics AX.

A nationwide shortage of health care workers has created unprecedented opportunities for high school students interested in professional careers. Similarly, intensive specialization has generated dozens of new roles and responsibilities in the delivery of care. Yet most guidance counselors and parents are unaware of the spectrum of options available to individuals just starting out in the field.

Cengage partnered with Aurora Studios to solve this problem with a fun and unique approach. Career Exploration for Health Professions is an interactive story where the main character travels through the entire health care system meeting professionals as she recovers from an auto-accident. In addition to the dramatic storyline, the product features interviews with over thirty-five different professionals, which allow students to quickly see if a health care career may be a good fit. Students can also explore related careers, build a personal career library for later exploration, and print career profiles to review with parents, instructors and guidance counselors.

Viva International is one of America's leading eyewear manufacturers. Stylish brands like Guess, Rampage, and Skechers trust Viva to design and distribute their eyewear worldwide. Viva partnered with Aurora Studios to create a new corporate and stylish B2B eCommerce site for retail partners.

Aurora designed Brand Centers to speed delivery of new product and media through the distribution chain. Each brand showcases their frames using 3D photography, trend media, PR materials, ad campaigns, and retail merchandising. The result is a single-source solution for retail partners world wide. No more printed catalogs, no more out of date marketing material, elegant eyewear everywhere.

Cengage Learning is one of the largest educational publishers in the U.S. Their brands include Brooks/Cole, CourseTechnology, Delmar, Gale, Heinle, South-Western and Wadsworth, among others. Cengage partnered with Aurora Studios to create a new, multi-platform homework solution called LearningLabs™.

The LearningLab™ platform was conceived as a hybrid web and tablet product that would allow learners to work from their laptop, iPad, or Android device. Each Lab is designed as a 30-minute digital homework experience allowing learners to apply skills that reinforce the most difficult concepts they face in the classroom.

Medical Terminology is the lingua-franca of health care education and provided the perfect content for our pilot LearningLab. The Ehrlich Med Term LearningLab™ included complex anatomical animations, interactive patient encounters, and even mnemonic tutorials to enhance memorization and word building.

Fleye is a New England-based extreme sports tech startup. Their goal is to bring high-quality, real-time HD media capture and sharing to event sponsors nationwide. Think goPro™ on steroids.

Fleye needed a partner with the creative and technical chops to design the entire system. The final solution included automated HD Mountain Cams for ski resorts, on-mountain servers to make footage available on big-screens, and an integrated web site for playlist editing and sharing.

Automotive instructors face the challenge of preparing their students for successful careers within a limited window of classroom hours and shop time. In order to provide automotive technician students with a competitive advantage, Cengage Learning partnered with Aurora Studios to design and develop Delmar Automotive Training Online (DATO).

DATO is a comprehensive, virtual solution that supplements coursework with computer-based training. It combines strong pedagogy with rich media computer simulations to teach students how to diagnose and remedy a wide range of repair situations. This solution follows an 8-step diagnostic process and features over 60 scenarios in all 8 ASE areas.

Each simulation begins with a repair order challenging students to find the cause of the problem. In order to arrive at the correct diagnosis, students are asked to use a variety of resources, including an interactive multimeter, scan tool and service information computer. Simulating a modern, realistic repair facility, DATO has students address problems on a wide range of popular vehicle makes and models. Video-based tips from professionals are also offered along the way.

With its enriching lab experiences and innovative, skill-based activities, DATO raises the bar in the field of automotive education.

SEFCU is one of the 50 largest credit unions in the U.S. with $2 billion in assets, 200,000 members, and more than 40 branches across New York State in the Capital Region, Binghamton, Syracuse, and Buffalo.

Aurora Studios has been SEFCU's digital media partner since 2008 - creating web sites, webinars, videos, podcasts and digital signage. Our largest project was a complete website redesign.

SEFCU needed a partner who could deliver world-class creative, an intuitive reorg of content, and a powerful CMS to help manage the frequent content updates SEFCU publishes daily.

Members are raving about the results. SEFCU's highest value content and apps are now available with a few clicks and members can easily manage their money from their desktop, tablet, or mobile phone.

Medical Assistants perform a wide variety of duties in hospitals, clinics, and private practices. However, college coursework primarily focuses on core curriculum and leaves little time for applied critical thinking. Cengage Learning partnered with Aurora Studios to create Critical Thinking Challenge 3.0 to fill this gap for health care educators.

Aurora Studios wrote and designed a game-like product that immerses learners in a virtual externship at a medical practice. This product includes complex, branching stories where learners address difficult situations, such as an uninsured patient, a conflict with a mentor and a medical emergency. Learners can consult with peers and policy and procedure documentation before making each decision and are able to experience the outcomes of their choices, both good and bad. Upon successful completion of the product, students are extended a job offer at the virtual clinic.

Due the success of prior releases, Critical Thinking Challenge 3.0 is Aurora's third iteration of this title.

InfuSystem is the leading supplier of infusion services to oncologists and outpatient treatment settings nationwide. The transition to Electronic Health Records was presenting some significant challenges for them. Infusysten's ad agency, id29, thought Aurora Studios might be able to help.

id29 and Aurora previously developed InfuSystem's corporate site which included applications for securely managing physician and patient data. The next challenge was how to make it all work with an off-the-shelf mobile device and accommodate a more complex set of requirements.

Our HTML5-based iPad solution allows InfuSystem customers to manage patient information, prepare physician orders, submit treatment logs, submit insurance information, scan pump barcodes, view patient information videos, manage electronic signatures, work across multiple clinics, as well as order pumps and supplies for patient care.

The growing presence of mobile devices has resulted in a dramatic shift in the way people learn. Consumers have grown accustomed to accessing information any time they want and learning any time they need.

In response to customer demand for a fun way for health care students to practice medical terminology on-the-go, Cengage Learning partnered with Aurora Studios to create Med Term Mastery App. In an aggressive timeframe of ninety days, Aurora used a comprehensive mobile design process to create a widely popular App that is compatible with both Apple and Android mobile devices.

Med Term Mastery App includes interactive flash cards, an audio glossary, world-building games and personalized study lists. Since it was posted in the App store in May 2012, it has received over 30,000 downloads and overwhelmingly positive customer reviews.

gOE, Inc. provides consulting, research and tools to some of the world's most complex organizations including NASA and one-third of the Fortune 100. Their specialty is organizational development and team performance.

In addition to two site redesigns, Aurora Studios was selected to help gOE launch their brand new Software-as-a-Service product - DebriefNow.

The project team collaborated on the brand identity, marketing strategy, product UX design, mobile version, product demos and a new product-marketing site.

Health care professionals work in extremely demanding environments. Every day they face challenging situations - from life and death clinical interventions to information privacy issues. No amount of classroom learning can prepare them for the variety of situations they are likely to face.

Leading health care educational publisher Cengage Learning partnered with Aurora Studios to create a solution. Together, we developed a series of simulations that allow health care professionals to immerse themselves in situations where critical thinking and decisive action are required.

Aurora wrote and designed complex, interactive stories with multiple-branching that enable learners to experience the consequences of their choices, both good and bad. Learners can consult with peers and policy and procedure documentation before making each decision and receive comprehensive, performance-based feedback at the end of each simulation. Critical Thinking for Health Care Professionals enables experiential learning in a low-risk environment before students face similar circumstances in the field.

Davis Vision is one of the largest eye-care organizations in the country. They manage programs and benefits for thousands of companies and millions of employees.

Aurora Studios has been Davis Vision's digital media partner for nearly a decade. Projects include media production, frames photography, interactive CD-ROMs, and numerous web sites.

Our most recent project was a total redesign of their corporate site and customer portals for members, clients, brokers and doctors. The collaboration with their internal marketing team created a contemporary, fresh user experience powered by the Ektron Content Management system.

Pharmacy technicians perform a vital role in the filling process of as may as three billion prescriptions in the U.S. every year. It is critical that these technicians have the skills and knowledge to accurately dispense medications because one mistake could potentially threaten someone's life.

In order to provide a safe environment for students to practice filling prescriptions, Cengage Learning and Aurora Studios developed Virtual Pharmacy Externship.

Virtual Pharmacy Externship allows students to rehearse the activities involved in filling scripts, including front-office interactions with customers, data entry, submitting insurance claims, checking for negative drug interactions and managing inventory. Throughout each scenario, learners receive immediate feedback on whether their choices were correct or incorrect and are informed of the consequences of their decisions.

The uniqueness of this product is based in the fusion of critical thinking dramatizations and virtual skills simulations in the solving of complex real-world problems, thus simulating all the real-life pressures faced by a pharmacy technician in a low-risk eLearning environment.

Medical Assistants perform a wide variety of administrative duties in hospitals, clinics, and private practices. These can include answering phones, scheduling appointments, and handling billing and bookkeeping. Traditional classroom instruction primarily focuses on core curriculum and is disconnected from its real-world context.

In order to bring the benefits of real-world, situated learning to the classroom, Cengage requested a series of hands-on skills simulations, allowing medical assisting students an opportunity to address in-office task assignments and situations. As a key project requirement, the scenarios also map to 30 core competencies outlined by ABHES and CAAHEP accreditation standards.

Aurora wrote and designed day-in-the-life scenarios that immerse learners in a virtual externship at an actual medical practice. By using a variety of interactive tools and resources, software simulations and video dramatizations, these scenarios weave together common on-the-job tasks to include a natural combination of psychomotor skills and affective decisions. The result is a product that develops the professionalism and soft skills of its learners while also motivating learners to master its hands-on exercises.