The entire confusion was centered around the difference between a “vacuum” being the absence of sound, or a “vacuum” being a sound effect in it of itself. This apparently wasn’t quite what Johnson had in mind.

In the documentary, Klyce admits to trying to give Johnson several versions of a “vacuum sound,” and in doing so, imitates a sucking sound, as though he was trying to emulate a vacuum cleaner. Both Klyce and Johnson make it clear that for a brief time, they weren’t on the same page as to what a “vacuum” sounded like. Specifically focusing on the sound design for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the documentary details the organic processes by which several of the sound effects were made for the film.Īnd one obvious focus of the documentary was a scene in which no sound is heard at all. On Tuesday, ABC News Features debuted a new documentary called The Force of Sound.

But, director Rian Johnson had to clarify to sound designer Ren Klyce exactly what he meant when he used that word.

The definition of the word “vacuum” helped create the most memorable scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.