Matthew Wood and Scott R. Lewis (‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’) bring the legacy of ‘Star Wars’ sound to ‘new places’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

Sam Eckmann
·5 min read
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“Star Wars has that special feel where it’s something that’s only heard in our universe,” notes Matthew Wood of the iconic sounds of the franchise. So with the recent work on Disney+ series in the “Star Wars” galaxy, he and Scott R. Lewis needed to ensure that the classic sound design was “going to be paid homage to as well as create new places for it to go.” The Television Academy clearly enjoyed those new places, as Wood and Lewis received Emmy nominations for sound editing and sound mixing, respectively, for both “The Mandalorian” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.

“It’s great being part of the toolbox,” notes Wood, the library of effects at his disposal at Skywalker Sound. “All these new directors coming in who have their vision…but they also want it to feel connected to Star Wars, and sound really is that sort of glue that can do that in a very subconscious and emotional way. Because you’re not seeing it on screen, you’re feeling it.”

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It sounds as though the entire toolbox is being put to use during the epic finale of “The Mandalorian” Season 3. Bo-Katan leads an army of Mandalorians to retake their home planet from Moff Gideon and his enhanced soldiers, resulting in a multi-battle warzone, blasters and sabers ringing through the air, with a starship crash landing onto the battleground. “The big challenge in mixing any scene like that is we start with the kitchen sink,” reveals Lewis. “We’ll have hundreds of layers of sound and really drill it with our creatives.” The many weapons, Force powers, and explosions are exciting, but it can’t just be all mindless noise. “It might be fun to play up all the engines and the lasers and stuff, but ultimately we want to carry the emotional resonance of the scene,” he explains, “So it takes a lot. It’s a tight balancing act.”

Wood points to this moment as a perfect example of the ways in which the use of sound can direct the viewer’s focus and totally alter a scene. “When Grogu creates a little safety bubble for our heroes as the ship’s crashing, that’s one of those moments,” says Wood. “There were all different ways to play that scene. You could have played it like the enormity of all the fire going around them, or you could bring it in really intimately, to have it there with Grogu, and you feel the fragility of that space that’s been created.”

The pair of sound gurus also dealt with the legacy of “Star Wars” during the finale “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which features a brutal lightsaber duel between Obi Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen). Lewis describes working on the scene as a “dream come true” having burned out his VHS copies of the original “Star Wars” movies, replaying lightsaber fights over and over. “It’s like you’re in the laboratory,” describes Lewis, “you’re like, okay, we all know these sounds. They’re ingrained in our minds. So it’s about using them effectively.”

“These two titan characters are in their prime,” notes Wood of the dynamics of the fight. Not only are the characters exhibiting immense strength by hurling rocks through the air with the force or dealing devastating blows with their sabers, there is an intensity that the actors bring through their dialogue. Director Deborah Chow “definitely wanted to have those characters be at the peak of their rage during the battle,” according to Wood, which necessitated the need for a clarity to the dialogue amid the earth shattering sound effects.

SEE Deborah Chow interview: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ producer and director

The sound editor specifically set aside an extended amount of time to work on the final moment between these two titanic figures, when Obi-Wan has smashed Vader’s breathing apparatus and believes he is leaving his former padawan to die. “We really want to feel the machine of Vader dying in there,” explains Wood, who reveals that “there was a sound that we used that was Vader’s wheezing from the original ‘Return of the Jedi’…and we’d taken that and twisted that a little bit.” The sound design of that moment speaks to the overall approach for the limited series. As Wood frames it: “we wanted things to feel familiar, but new and just more intense.”

This year marks Wood’s third Emmy nomination for “The Mandalorian,” having won for Season 1. He earned additional nominations for “Star Wars: Rebels,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Loki,” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” He is a five-time Oscar nominee for “There Will be Blood,” “WALL-E,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Lewis won an Emmy for “House of Cards” in 2014. He would receive three additional nominations for that series, as well as bids for “Cinema Verite,” “Moon Knight,” and this year’s double bids for “The Mandalorian” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

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