Pixar is known for great storytelling. It’s their mantra, it’s their challenge in every element of production and it’s even in the name of their first major film, Toy Story.
So how do you tell a story without words? With great pictures, right? Pixar is in the business of making motion pictures, after all.
Yes, pictures matter, but with their 2008 release of Wall-E, Pixar elevated sound design to a place it had never been in the importance of their mission of storytelling. I was reminded after seeing the film again this week.
If you haven’t seen Wall-E, do it! It’s a great movie and for people interested in sound and stories, it is perhaps the best work from Academy Award winner Ben Burtt. He’s the guy who essentially changed the role of sound design in film with his work on Star Wars (1977).
I saw Wall-E in the theater and probably once on DVD, but I was not aware until this week of the extra material on the DVD detailing the work of Ben Burtt. It’s fascinating stuff, especially as he shares his insights on the role of traditional sound design methods and the brave new world of digital audio production. The entire piece is almost 20 minutes and well worth the DVD rental.
[...] wrote a post on Ben Burtt and his work on the film Wall-E. Now he’s the subject of a new book and a story on NPR about his iconic work on the Star [...]