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  • CAREER EXPLORATION
    • Ben Burtt

    Ben Burtt

    Sound Designer

    Skywalker Sound

    San Francisco, CA USA

    “It's important to have clear goals in mind...but you can always change a goal. There's no need to suffer if something isn't working out.”

    Videos

    Videos

    By Roadtrip Nation

    Ben Burtt

    Highlight
    Now Playing
    01:03
    Ben Burtt HighlightInterview Highlight
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    09:12
    InterviewThe Interview
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    01:30
    Lincoln's WatchWeb Exclusive
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    01:12
    Idea BooksWeb Exclusive
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    02:19
    Sound MapWeb Exclusive
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    02:05
    Refrigerator NoiseWeb Exclusive
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    01:27
    Mixing Science and Science FictionWeb Exclusive
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    01:06
    Everything Applies to FilmWeb Exclusive
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    01:07
    Get Used to RejectionInterview Excerpt
    Now Playing
    01:47
    The Human InputInterview Excerpt
    Now Playing
    00:36
    I Made ThisInterview Excerpt
    Now Playing
    00:47
    VaderInterview Excerpt
    Now Playing
    02:00
    I Chickened OutInterview Excerpt
    See More
    Milestones

    Milestones

    My road in life took a while to figure out.
    As a teen, he'd make movies with his friends; says going into the movie business would be a way of "not growing up."
    When he went to college, he studied physics-thought he wanted to be involved in the moon landings-but kept making movies on the side.
    One of these side films won him a scholarship to USC's film school; he moved to L.A., was preparing to start school, then chickened out and moved home.
    After freaking out and thinking he'd blown his one chance, he started doing some sound work for local stations near his home.
    Once he'd gained some more experience, USC said he could try again, so this time he went for it; got his master's degree in film production.
    Got the call from Lucasfilm; realized in his interview that this Star Wars job would synthesize his interests-aerospace, physics, electronics.
    Says you have to be okay with rejection-one of his sounds was rejected from Alien so he used it in an Indiana Jones film, won an Academy Award.
    Gets anxious when he thinks about his twenties, when he felt "stuck," but says feeling stuck is a "rite of passage" everyone experiences at some point.
    Keep following my journey
    Education

    Education

    highschool
    High School
    undergrad
    Bachelor
    Physics, General
    Allegheny College
    graduate
    Graduate
    Film/Cinema/Video Studies
    University of Southern California
    Career

    Career

    Sound Designer

    I create sound effects for motion pictures like "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones," and "Wall-E."

    Career Roadmap

    Roadmap
    My work combines:
    My work combines:
    Film
    Film
    Technology
    Technology
    Being Creative
    Being Creative

    Day to Day

    I experiment with various materials and technologies to develop sound effects for movies. I spend a lot of time recording, editing, and manipulating different sounds to create something new.

    Skills & Qualities Beyond School

    Having a background in science has helped me understand the way we react to sounds and how they can be manipulated to generate specific emotions.

    Advice for Getting Started

    Here's the first step for everyone

    You have to get used to rejection and be willing to keep going. I have a library of sounds that didn't work out for the project I was developing them for, but some have worked for others and succeed.

    Hurdles

    Hurdles

    The Noise I Shed

    From Myself:

    "I can't do this. I'm just going to fail. "

    My first attempt at film school, I got so intimidated that I left after 10 days. After exhausting all opportunities back home, it pushed me to give it another try. Luckily, the film school allowed me to come back to try again.