When I think of a great example of a movie with perfect film score, I immediately think of Star Wars. The Star Wars franchise, created and directed by George Lucas, utilized the composer John Williams. Their combined efforts created a masterpiece with this film franchise both visually and audibly. Today’s films are putting emphasis on computer animated graphics for intense action sequences and setting/backdrops; this lack of focus on sound design and musical scoring has taken away certain charismatic aspects of modern film that Star Wars was able to tap in to. Weinman (2015) elaborates, “One reason the Star Wars music has such a nostalgic glow is that it sounds different from most of today’s film music. Today’s movies, even the blockbusters, don’t usually have iconic theme music, or scores that we’re supposed to walk away humming” (p. 50).

                As unfortunate as it may seem, I do know people that have not seen any Star Wars films. However, they do know the music and the sound effects used in the films! When most people hear this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R97xPTV6P6g, an image of Darth Vader has most likely popped up in their mind. John Williams is clearly a master at leitmotif; another one of Williams’ recognizable themes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llKVNLdvoo8. Although the last example is from another film, his creation of melodies for leitmotif creates a visual for certain characters and actions in films even if we are only hearing the music.

              Not only is the music iconic in Star Wars, so is the sound design and effects created for this film. Ben Burtt deserves just as much notoriety as George Lucas and John Williams. The first Star Wars film was created at a time without the convenience of creating sounds with the technology we have today. As a foley artist (a person that incorporates sound in post-production), Ben Burtt had to create sounds to concepts that the audience had never heard of before…such as the light saber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__sDEWIjQ_g.   

               Combing the imagination and vision of George Lucas with the music/sound talents of John Williams and Ben Burtt you get a nostalgic film(s) such as Star Wars and its franchise. In an interview, Dove (2005) shares Lucas’ insight, “I hold firm to the belief that the sound in a movie is 50 percent of the moviegoing experience and it is the primary reason I invest heavily in the auditory elements upfront” (p. 2). Founder of Skywalker Ranch (a sound design and post production mixing facility) and THX surround sound, George Lucas’ has set a high standard for audio in films.

Dove, K. (2005). Learning From George. Computer Graphics World, 28(9), 2. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy1.library.eiu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=18329384&site=ehost-live

Weinman, J.J. (2015). Da-da dun-dun-dun da-da. Maclean’s, 128(45), 50-52. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-com.proxy1.library.eiu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9hAN=
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