As explained in the exclusive video embedded above, Oscar-winning sound designer Ben Burtt literally bumped into the sound source for Star Wars’ laser guns when he accidentally brushed against a radio tower’s guy wire. Skywalker Sound’s Randy Thom found the “ka-chung” sounds for The Empire Strikes Back ‘s Imperial Walkers in a sheet metal factory in Berkeley, California.
J.W Rinzler’s book demonstrates both back story and final effect for the sci-fi saga’s signature sounds. Rinzler describes how Burtt created Jawa dialogue by bringing in actors to mimic Zulu speech patterns, then speeding up the recordings to raise the pitch. Readers can hear examples of the chatter by pressing “017” on the digital display, which correlates to images of the tiny aliens marked “017.”
Retailing for $60, The Sounds of Star Wars, from Chronicle Books, goes on sale Sept. 14.
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