NERDBOT
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Subscribe
    NERDBOT
    • News
      • Reviews
    • Movies & TV
    • Comics
    • Gaming
    • Collectibles
    • Science & Tech
    • Nerd Culture
    • About Us
      • Want to Write for Nerdbot?
    NERDBOT
    Home»Movies & TV»How “Attack of the Clones” Blew Me Away With One Sound Effect
    Movies & TV

    How “Attack of the Clones” Blew Me Away With One Sound Effect

    Heath AndrewsBy Heath AndrewsMay 23, 2022Updated:May 23, 20223 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

    The “Star Wars” universe is as defined by its music and sound effects as it is by its characters and settings. The ignition of a lightsaber, the whine of a TIE Fighter, Darth Vader’s breathing; they’re all instantly recognizable. But there’s still one sound effect that has stuck with me 20 years after it originally reverberated through the theater I heard it in. It’s the sudden silence and resounding twang of a seismic charge.

    “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” is a mess. It is easily the weakest fof the first six films. It has some atrocious pacing, lackluster script, ridiculously over the top fights (not in a good way), and a tremendous amount of missed potential with Obi-Wan’s quest. It does however give us Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) and by extension, Boba Fett‘s (Daniel Logan) origins. We also get Jango’s ship, Slave-1, and its arsenal of weapons.

    Among them is an explosive ordinance known as a seismic charge. Fett deploys it against Obi-Wan while the two are battling in the middle of an asteroid field. “Star Wars” has always played loose with the fact that there’s no sound in space, and the seismic charge is no exception to that. When the charge first deploys, it creates a sonic vacuum only for it to then explode outwards with a loud, reverberating, thudding twang. A circular blast linearly radiates outward, shattering anything in its path.

    The sound effect was created by Ben Burtt, who had worked as the sound designer for “Star Wars” since the first film in 1977. In 2012, Burtt was asked on a StarWars.com community page how he created the sound. While he didn’t want to give up the secret, he did say:

    “…this is something I’ve wanted to do since ‘A New Hope,’ we just never had a sequence which allowed the explosion to be featured in a way that I could exploit the idea of delayed sound in space… what I call an ‘audio black hole,’ an explosion so cosmic that the energy of the sound is unable to escape at the time of ignition, but is released a moment later.”

    That’s what it felt like in the theater as well. There was that chilling absence of sound, and then this delayed reaction that suddenly impacts you. It’s not the same listening to it anywhere but in a theater with that sound system. The impact is completely different, the rumble isn’t as impactful, and the impression is lessened considerably. That sound effect was in and of itself, the most memorable moment I’ve ever experienced at the movies.

    [Editor’s Note: which makes it all the more awesome to have the sonic charge make an appearance in “The Mandalorian” as well.]

    Say what you will about the rest of “Attack of the Clones,” but in the week of its 20th anniversary, it deserves some credit. That moment of sonic brilliance has not yet been replicated for me and I don’t know if it ever will be.

    Author

    Heath Andrews
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleSiriusXM Acquires Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco Podcasts
    Next Article AMC with ANOTHER “Interview with the Vampire” Tease
    Heath Andrews

    Heath Andrews has been a student of pop culture ever since he found himself to be the only student in 3rd grade who regularly watched "Get Smart" on Nick-At-Nite. Ever since then he's been engrossed in way too much media with a growing collection of music, books, comics, TV on DVD box sets, and a video game collection that could rival a brick and mortar store. Prior to writing for Nerdbot he's written for Review You, MyAnimeList, and various advertising companies. Since 2016 he's run his own YouTube channel under the moniker of The Critical Android where he livestreams video games and uploads podcasts about pop culture and Frasier.

    Related Posts

    "Jay Leno's Garage"

    Jay Leno’s 30-Year NBC Run Comes to an End

    January 27, 2023

    Mark Hamill Won’t Do Joker Again Following Death of Kevin Conroy

    January 20, 2023

    Ash Ketchum, Pikachu’s Adventures Come to A Close After 25 Years

    December 17, 2022

    Crunchyroll Announces Winter 2022 (into 2023!) Anime Line-Up

    December 14, 2022

    The Big Winners from the 2022 Game Awards

    December 9, 2022

    “Dune: Awakening” Brings Frank Herbert’s Masterpiece to Gaming

    December 9, 2022
    • Trending
    • Latest
    • Movies
    • TV

    Christian Activist Suing The NFL For $867 Trillion Over Half-Time Show

    February 5, 2020

    Marvel Eyeing GOT Star Nathalie Emmanuel To Play The MCU’s Storm

    June 27, 2019

    Rumor: Charlie Hunnam In Talks For New Wolverine Movie

    May 20, 2019

    Scientists Are Actually Trying to Open a Portal to a Mirror Universe(Yes Really)

    December 28, 2019

    Surprise: “Star Trek: Picard” New Trailer Hits During AFC Championship

    January 29, 2023

    Science Claims Chris Hemsworth is Second-Most Handsome Man

    January 29, 2023

    Scientists Find Dinosaur So Well Preserved, You Can See Scales

    January 29, 2023

    Mutekimaru Claims Pet Fish Bought Nintendo Points, Not Him

    January 29, 2023

    Science Claims Chris Hemsworth is Second-Most Handsome Man

    January 29, 2023

    J.Lo’s “Shotgun Wedding” is an “I Don’t” [Review]

    January 27, 2023

    Tobey Maguire Would LOVE to Do 5th “Spider-Man”

    January 27, 2023
    "Children of the Corn"

    “Children Of The Corn” Remake Finally Gets Release Date

    January 27, 2023

    Surprise: “Star Trek: Picard” New Trailer Hits During AFC Championship

    January 29, 2023
    "Jay Leno's Garage"

    Jay Leno’s 30-Year NBC Run Comes to an End

    January 27, 2023

    Phoebe Waller-Bridge Writing Amazon’s “Tomb Raider” Series

    January 27, 2023

    “Frasier” Revival Reveals Son of Niles and Daphne

    January 27, 2023
    Related Posts

    None found

    San Diego Comic-Con
      • auction
      • carnivorous plant
      • dinosaur
      • pennyworth
      • San Diego Comic-Con
    NERDBOT
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    © 2023 NERDBOT Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.