Brendan Fraser in THE MUMMY:TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR(2008).
© Universal Pictures

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Cohen Updates Status on MUMMY 3

I'm here at TODD-AO Dubbing Reel 3 (out of seven) up against the time line, as usual. The baby will soon be out for everyone to see on August 1^st, but, in order to make that date with the 4,000 plus prints, everything, including the 949 visual effects shots have to be locked by July 3^rd. Time is growing short.

Dubbing is a fascinating process, a meticulous process by which the sound effects (tens of thousands of them), the music, and the dialog are balanced together to create the sound tapestry of the movie. If it's done well, the mix will deliver the excitement of the effects, clarity to the dialog, and the cohesion of the music--but all these elements have to share a common space in your local theater, even in 5.1 and that's the trick, to choreograph the three elements for maximum effect. Of course, that is a matter of taste. Some directors favor a vivid, almost naked sound effects and dialog approach ("No Country for Old Men"); other like to let the music dominate (like Terry Malick's film "Days of Heaven"). In the first two "Mummy" movies, Stephen Sommers did an excellent dub, balancing everything for maximum effect that made those movies extremely vivid.

I want to deliver no less to you.

The scoring in London went so well. Randy Spent ten days, two sessions a day, with the 105 piece London Symphony and the music is doing a great job giving the movie bravado, adventure, and thematic beauty.

I'm not seeing much of my wife Barbara or my triplets these days as dubbing goes on ten hours a day, visual effects about five hours a day, and color timing another three hours from 10 till 1 A.M.

It's a glorious process finishing a film, seeing it all knit together. I have completed 783 visual effects and have 196 to go. It will be a photo finish but I take a lot of pride and satisfaction in the quality and diversity of the effects. You've gotten a taste in the teaser trailer, which brings us to this...

The full trailer will be attached to the head of "WANTED" coming out July 27^th. But, of course, it will debut here first.

I've attached a few photos for your perusal. In six weeks, you will be seeing 24 pictures per second for 1 Hr. 54 Minutes of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" with all its bells and whistles blazing.

Then, I'm going surfing!!!!!

Bye, for now...

Rob