Ben Burtt
Back in the mid-seventies a young, bespectacled Ben Burtt must have looked a strange sight as he hauled around his unwieldy recording kit, picking up variety of diverse sounds from the real-world environment around him. Little did those onlookers know that from those experimentations, he would go on to craft the famous chirps and bleeps of a mischievous droid, the unforgettable hum of laser-like swords crashing together in battle, and a villain with severe breathing issues.
Burtt’s work in the Star Wars universe is equally as important of the likes of McQuarrie and Dykstra in forming a cohesive vision from an abstract construct. The sound designer and editor went to work all six Star Wars films and the Indiana Jones series, as well as providing the voice of the titular character in WALL-E. His Oscar for Special Achievement for Sound Effects Editing for A New Hope was a deserved win, and this success paved for way for future sound recordists and designers to receive awards recognition.
