Star Wars Sound – Audio For The Force Unleashed

As mentioned in a recent sound design post, the level of detail that goes into producing audio for a computer game is ‘most impressive’. In this video, David Collins takes us through the different layers of audio that were added to a 90 second cinematic sequence…

A Short Act To Follow

The Star Wars games brand is remarkably popular, and practically guarantees a title bestseller status. I actually played ‘The Force Unleashed’ on the Wii, and found it very enjoyable – but just as I was getting the hang of all the movements, the game was over. It is an embarrassingly short title – albeit well made – so I hope the sequel provides a bit more sustain. However, as you will see below, a lot of work goes into every sequence…

The Force Of Foley

David Collins is the Audio Lead (and voice of ‘Proxy’) for The Force Unleashed 2, and here he shows us a short cinematic sequence – first as they receive it, with no sound, bar the actors lines. The first step in creating an immersive audio experience lies with the Foley artists, who act out the movements and record them.

Then various other effects are layered in, as well as music. It’s particularly interesting to hear the mixing when listening to each layer in isolation, as the movements seem very crude at times – but hearing the finished product, it’s a perfect illustration of how the art of mixing means knowing when to sacrifice a particular part for the good of the whole…