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The Surprising Ways All The Star Wars Sound Effects Were Made

KaptainKristian tackles the work of the sound designer responsible for the majority of the franchise’s iconic sound bank.
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On a movie set, the job of the audio department is to create seamless contextual soundscapes for the visual environments being shown on screen. But how do you create sounds for things that have never existed, like, say, a lightsaber? This is one of the questions posed in YouTuber KaptainKristian's new video essay, Star Wars - Designing a Universe of Sound. In the past, Kristian has made videos about surveying things like Calvin and Hobbes, Pixar, and The Walking Dead. In his latest lecture, Kristian studies the work of Ben Burtt, the sound designer responsible for the majority of the sound effects in the Star Wars library, which Kristian says holds over 5,000 unique sounds. Archival images, old interviews, and production footage demonstrate how Burt revolutionized the industry and the sound designer's role on the movie set. By juxtaposing production footage with clips from the completed film, Kristian demonstrates the extent to which sound design can enhance even a series the size and scope of the Star Wars universe.

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Watch KaptainKristian's lesson in sound in the video below:

Check out more KaptainKristian videos on his YouTube channel.

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