Ben Burtt's Overrated Prequel Effort?

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

I was talking to our audio director about Star Wars and I made the mistake of saying "well for all the prequel flaws, Burtt's sound effects were at least amazing."

Boy was that a mistake, it brought on the audio director tangent from hell.

His point was this: even the sound design for the prequels was functional and nothing more. Name a single iconic sound from the prequels that isn't from the original trilogy.

All I could think of were the annoying super-loud mines Jango Fett detonated in the AotC asteroid chase.

Meanwhile on the original trilogy side: Darth Vader's breathing, the TIE Fighter roar, R2's beeps, the lightsaber hum, the blasters, the force-choke rumble, the Death Star alarm, the X-Wing sound, the AT-AT sound (ktcch-klunk!), Chewy's roar.

[Henry B 50]

The only sounds I remember are the horrible processed voices: battle droids, super battle droids in Episode III (kill me), General Grievous, the midwife droid, and the Confederacy goons in Episode II.

[Brónach 1,301]

All I could think of were the annoying super-loud mines Jango Fett detonated in the AotC asteroid chase.

I liked that one. I don't remember anything else.

[Ollie 1,059]

He's right Blume, your Audio Director is 100% correct.

[dylan345 3]

What about the pod race sounds from the phantom menace?

[indy4 155]

If I remember correctly there are some cool sound effects for the spaceships during the Coruscant chase on AotC

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

nothing really memorable, save the scene Blume mentioned.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

All I could think of were the annoying super-loud mines Jango Fett detonated in the AotC asteroid chase.

I liked that one. I don't remember anything else.

So do I. I still remember first watching that scene and it was awesomely over-the-top.

[Brónach 1,301]

The recent work by the guy that I did find striking was WALL·E and Star Trek.

[Trent B 337]

Most of the sfx were recycled from the OT for the Prequels. Although I did like some of the Pod Race sfx as well as the Padme's big ship from the beginning of AOTC (the one that got destroyed). Oh and also the charges that Jango detonated in the asteroid field, those too were cool.

Other than that....eh.

Of course we can blame Ben Burtt for basically wanting his sfx to dominate Williams' music in the Prequels. He should never have had any say so in the mixing of the films after he made his sfx.

[Max 141]

It's difficult for me to choose one specific example, but I really enjoy the combination of music and sound effects in Revenge of the Sith. I think they go together beautifully.

[Incanus 5,713]

Hey I remember the hovering sound of the Trade Federation tanks thanks to the documentary where Burtt reveals that it was created by using a metallic mixing bowl and putting an electric shaver against it. BUZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz! Memorable as hell!

[Datameister 2,034]

He was working within an existing sonic universe. Virtually all of his iconic sounds were created (in some form or another) for Star Wars, but that doesn't mean his work on the rest of the OT was less than exemplary, and same goes for the PT. For all its problems, the PT still had excellent sound design, most of which was based on Burtt's past Star Wars work.

Highlights for me included that one Geonosian dude's speech, loads of new (but still Star Wars-y) vehicle sound effects, the seismic charges, Grievous's voice, and various creature effects. Are these achievements on the same level as what he did for Star Wars? Of course not. But considering the films he was working with, I'd say he did a damn fine job on the sound effects.

[A24 4,326]

Audio guy: Name a single iconic sound from the prequels that isn't from the original trilogy?

Yes, the sound of the pod racer.

Next!

[crocodile 7,979]

Hey, that's pre-Inception! Ben Burtt is to be blamed for that as well.

Karol

[Brónach 1,301]

Ah the pod racer sounds were cool. I don't remember the Federation tanks sound.

[Incanus 5,713]

Ah the pod racer sounds were cool. I don't remember the Federation tanks sound.

You should have watched that documentary! It would be imbedded into your brain forever after that! Electric shaver on metallic mixing bowl!

[Faleel 5,326]

Queen Amidala's Silver Blaster.

[Romão 2,274]

Being iconic or not depends on a myriad of factors not always related to the quality of the work inteself. But I must say I found his work on the creature sounds (the arena monsters, specially the lobster-like Acklay, and the Boga in ROTS), to be some of the most striking sound design I've heard

[Max 141]

that one Geonosian dude's speech

I meant to mention Poggle the Lesser's voice. I thought it was very well done. Matthew Wood, who worked on *at least* Revenge of the Sith with Burtt, explained in a Clone Wars featurette how they used different animal sounds (penguin is the only one I remember specifically) to create his voice. I thought that was pretty neat.

This video has a good sample of his voice, as well as other cool PT sound effects.

[Datameister 2,034]

I meant to mention Poggle the Lesser's voice. I thought it was very well done. Matthew Wood, who worked on *at least* Revenge of the Sith with Burtt, explained in a Clone Wars featurette how they used different animal sounds (penguin is the only one I remember specifically) to create his voice. I thought that was pretty neat.

Ah yes, Poggle the Lesser, that's his name! As I recall from the AOTC features, there was a lot of sliced-and-diced human performance in there, too. (And Matthew Wood did work with Burtt on all three prequels.)

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Naïve Old Fart 9,490]

The pod race is a wonderful sequence to listen to. I especially like the low "chug-chug-chug" noise as Sebulba's pod catches-up with Anakin's.

[Pieter Boelen 740]

The pod race is a wonderful sequence to listen to. I especially like the low "chug-chug-chug" noise as Sebulba's pod catches-up with Anakin's.

Too bad they left out the music for most of it. For me, it only becomes exciting once the music kicks in.

Before that, it just seems rather samey-samey.

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

the greatest trick in burrts sleeve was substituting the great Williams' "The Arena" cue for some bland percussion drums.

well done pal!

[Jonesy 55]

I wish to hear that cue in the film.

[Brónach 1,301]

the greatest trick in burrts sleeve was substituting the great Williams' "The Arena" cue for some bland percussion drums.

Oooh, I liked the march there a lot.

[Smeltington 1,436]

The mines from the Jango chase were the first thing I thought of as well. Without looking at anyone else's answers:

- Sebulba's podracer (my personal favorite)

- The sound one of the dudes in the pod race makes when he's about to crash (can't think of his name)

- Engines failing on Anakin's pod

- Lasers impacting on the Gungan shields

- Darth Maul calling those little flying droids out of his ship

- Jango Fett's mines

- Geonosian language

- The sound Boga makes (my other favorite, I love Boga)

- Lava sounds in RotS

There are probably others I'm not thinking of, but I think Burtt did a fantastic job.

[Luke Skywalker 1,792]

the greatest trick in burrts sleeve was substituting the great Williams' "The Arena" cue for some bland percussion drums.

Oooh, I liked the march there a lot.

you mean burrt's cue? That's no march...

If you mean the williams cue... the 1st half of it is dialed out and heavily edited afterwards.

[Trent B 337]

The percussion drums in the Arena...that aint music, it's just noise. Williams' music would have done very well for that sequence. Damn you Ben Burtt!

[Delorean90 42]

When you revisit the initial "The Arena" sequence, it feels a bit...hollow? dull? without the music. It definitely would've helped it.

[Trent B 337]

When you revisit the initial "The Arena" sequence, it feels a bit...hollow? dull? without the music. It definitely would've helped it.

I agree.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

But then it found a home in ROTS during a crucial sequence that required a robust and antagonistic march cue.

[Giftheck 916]

A lot of the Lightsaber SFX were new, not from the OT, though, right? I remember thinking they didn't sound as static as they did in the OT (I think literally the OT lightsaber sound effects consisted of about seven swing FX and three hit FX). For some reason I seem to remember the droideka blasters too.

[Trent B 337]

But then it found a home in ROTS during a crucial sequence that required a robust and antagonistic march cue.

Blah the tracking for the music was even worse!

[Delorean90 42]

Indeed.

"Let's see here, our hero is turned to the dark side, marching on his old home turf, leading troopers in to slaughter his former compatriots. What should we use? The Imperial March? The Emperor's Theme? Something like that?"

"What about that music for those monsters?"

[Fabulin 3,506]

What a weird topic. Time for a clean-up.

TPM:

---Droidekas unfolding

---Droideka shields

---Droideka blasters

---Gungan steed noises

---Underwater giant fish sounds

---Pod racer engine sound fest

---Gungan shields charging

---Artillery effect on gungan force field

---Gungan bombs

---Amidala's blaster

---Naboo starfighter guns

Overall sound design of droids, ships, and animals. All the little things. (droid flying minibikes, the mechanism that releases droids from a transporter)

AOTC:

---Zam's blaster

---Jango's blasters

---Jango's ship engines

---seismic charges

---Geonosian vocalizations

---Geonosian blasters

---Acklay (arena mantis)

---LAAT engine sound

Overall sound design in the Coruscant chase.

ROTS:

---Vulture droid "speech"

---Droid Tri-fighter engines

---Magna Guard sound

---Lizard from Utapau vocalizations

---Palpatine howl

 

I would say TPM is incredibly strong in this department (like in many others), and AOTC has some very cool elements. Only ROTS is rather bland.

[Giftheck 916]

12 minutes ago, First TROS March Accolyte said:

What a weird topic. 

TPM:

---Droidekas unfolding

---Droideka shields

---Droideka blasters

---Gungan steed noises

---Underwater giant fish sounds

---Pod racer engine sound fest

---Gungan shields charging

---Gungan bombs

---Amidala's blaster

Overall sound design of droids, ships, and animals. All the little things.

AOTC:

---Zam's blaster

---Jango's blasters

---Jango's ship engines

---seismic charges

---Geonosian vocalizations

---Geonosian blasters

---LAAT engine sound

Overall sound design in the Coruscant chase.

ROTS:

---Vulture droid "speech"

---Droid Tri-fighter engines

---Magna Guard sound

---Lizard from Utapau sound

 

Pretty much what I was thinking of too.

[mstrox 6,637]

If the burden is to come up with sounds to rival the original Star Wars in quality and quantity, that's a tall order for any movie - and especially for a movie that is required to use those preexisting iconic sounds!  Still, I can immediately hear podracer sounds or Jango's sonic bombs, even having not seen those movies for a decade.  That's more iconic than any sound from, like, The Chronicles of Riddick or something.

[Fabulin 3,506]

There is a nice video about it. It covers all Burtt films.