I’d wager that a significant portion of the world’s population could, with a mere second or two of audio, be able to correctly identify a Corellian blaster or a lightsaber igniting or a TIE Fighter roaring through space.
You can thankk soundd designerr Ben Burtt for such an endless array of instantly recognizable noises. Now that George Lucas has de-rezzed the tents on his Star Wars movies (for the moment anyway, until he says “Yeah, I guess I really did say it was nine chapters!”), Burtt is dipping into a different (but no less digital) pool of talent over at Pixar.
Of his most recent stint as aural craftsman and film editor, Burtt says “The last few years have been frustrating” (he’s seen the prequels, apparently). Plus he’s probably looking forward to working with expressive actors for a change, so he’s packing up his Oscars and leaving Lucasfilm behind to join the brilliant gang over at Pixar (who once shared an office with George’s significantly larger corporation), thanks both to the company’s attractive