One of the most underrated and appreciated aspects of any project is its sound design. Music and sound effects are what bring life to any film, and despite this, they are given the least amount of credit when a film is being made. Although, in some way, this department is supposed to hide in the shadows, John Williams still managed to shine in the Star Wars franchise.
Over the years, he has worked as a composer for every single iconic project from the franchise, as well as others outside its world. The best example of his genius would be the 1983 film, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, where he had to join hands with two other legends, Ben Burtt and Randy Thom.
During the production of the film, it would seem that one scene in particular got a little too funny for Burtt simply because of how serious Williams got.
The Sound Team of Star Wars Took Their Jobs Very Seriously
Ben Burtt and Randy Thom are still very active in the world of Star Wars, still managing sound design for some of the most beloved projects across Hollywood. They once gave an interview with Star Wars itself and talked about all of their iconic projects, and naturally, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi was one of them.
When it comes to creating an entirely new world, oftentimes, one must completely immerse oneself to truly create something of substance. It would seem that both Burtt and John Williams knew this very well, as the former revealed during the interview. There was a specific section towards the end of filming with Burtt that was supposed to make the Ewok celebration song from scratch.
Speaking of the Ewok celebration song, I wrote all those Ewokese lyrics out. I had a big cue card with verses on it.
Even though it would sound odd to the American ear and could almost be comical, he took his job very seriously, writing down intricate lyrics for the piece. However, Williams took his dedication to a completely different level.
John Williams Took His Dedication to Another Level
During the interview, Ben Burtt revealed that John Williams got the London Symphony choir involved in the Ewok song. It is safe to say that the former did not expect such dedication, as his lyrics and vision for the song were quickly flown to England, and the composer took charge of making it come to life.
And that cue card was taken to England very seriously, and I got these tapes when we got the music back. John had the London Symphony choir do the Ewok vocals, in this perfect, classical, style, like it was Handel’s Messiah.
The Ewok vocals were perfectly sung by some of the best singers in the world, and everything was seamless. It was the best thing any sound designer could have asked for, and despite this, Burtt found it difficult to ignore just how hilarious the entire situation was.
I just couldn’t stop laughing when I listened to it, because it was so precise and so perfect.
Even though the entire piece was perfect and exactly what the movie needed, Burtt could not help but find it funny because of how seriously everyone took the project.
