JOHNNIE BURN
Oscar & BAFTA-winning Film Sound Designer
European Sound Designer of the YearCannes Palme for Artist Technician of the year
Johnnie Burn is a film sound nerd
making immersive character-driven soundscapes that fully explore the emotional and narrative opportunity in every little piece of sound
"We process image. But we react to sound.
Sound hits the brain in 20 millisecondsthats' five times quicker than vision
That’s where stories take hold
Emotion sneaks in before thought"Under the Skin by Jonathan Glazer
The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos
Ammonite by Francis Lee
Waves by trey Edward Shults
The Favourite by Yorgos Lanthimos
Nope by Jordan Peele
The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer
Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos
Hurry Up Tomorrow by Trey Edward Shults
28 Years Later by Danny Boyle
Bugonia by Yorgos Lanthimos
Hamnet by Chloe Zhao
Tuner by Daniel Roher
Each one of these films has a unique lovingly crafted aposite sound world –
Made by the team to serve the film and nothing else,
Not worn like a hat, more like blood through its spine.
More about the work below...
The Zone Of Interest
by Jonathan Glazer
Redefined how silence and off-screen sound can terrify — critics called it one of the boldest uses of sound in cinema history
Poor Things
by Yorgos Lanthimos
Built a surreal, Frankenstein-like sound world — grotesque yet playful textures that critics said made the absurd feel alive
NOPE
by JORDAN PEELE
Re-imagined the UFO — transforming sky and atmosphere into a living predator. Sound became the monster.
"What they've orchestrated as the soundscape of this film is otherworldly in a way so haunting that I literally had nightmares just about these sounds. Some of them come from terrestrial terrors, allowing Peele to suggest scenes of grisly violence without making a gruesome visual spectacle. Instead, off-camera attacks are seen in shrewd glimpses, but the violence hits hard because of the wet, pulpy thuds of the blows coming down. You don't need to see the blood when you can hear it." MASHABLE.COM
Here's How the Sound Design of 'Nope' Creates a "Creditable" Entity NO FILM SCHOOL
"Sound design so good it'll make you say #Nope!" @SLASHFILM
" “Nope” has been hand-tooled for the kind of presentation you can only get in a real theater — preferably Imax, to take full advantage of the film’s striking production design and eerie sound mix, which ranges from a thunderous, cinderblock-shaking roar to the kind of hush that isn’t so much a stillness as a sonic vacuum: the kind of silence in which you hear nothing but your own heartbeat. Kudos to sound designer Johnnie Burn"" THE WASHINGTON POST
the killing of a sacred deer
by YORGOS LANTHIMOS
Created tension through restraint — sterile voices and unnerving quiet that turned every scene into a slow knife
"There is a fantastic sound design in The Killing of a Sacred Deer from Johnnie Burn, who, along with his musical team, create an immense atmosphere of chilling horror, intense psychological musings, and euphoric orchestral releases, that become the emotional cues for the viewer to be engulfed b" - UK FILM REVIEW
Both some music and the sound in The Killing of a Sacred Deer are credited to Johnnie Burn (who did the sound design for Under the Skin as well as some of the music for The Lobster), and there’s good reason for that; the musical score and sound design are fully intertwined.
The loud and abrasive score is made up of screeching violins, buzzing synthesizers, and thumping percussion, so it basically functions as an atonal soundscape. There are some more traditional sound effects throughout, and even some more traditional music (at one point, Raffey Cassidy’s Kim sings a chilling acapella version of Ellie Goulding’s “Burn”), but the most memorable and fascinating parts are when the music and sound combine into one big cacophonous mess. It’s genius.
Johnnie Burn’s sound design, too, is thoroughly in sync with the characters — at a painfully suspenseful moment, a referee’s whistle splinters the air like a death knell — and a propulsive soundtrack of vintage and contemporary songs infuses and drives the twinned narratives, lending some sequences a modern operatic sensibility - THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
In terms of the mixing and sound editing of the music, it's incredibly intricate. How did that process come about?
(Trey): Yeah, it was intricate and a long process that started in the editing phase. I got to work with Johnnie Burn, he's our sound designer, and his whole team. Sound work doesn't get much better, in my opinion. It was a dream to work with him. He and his team have worked on some of my favourite movies.
So much of the sound in this movie felt like it could be worked on forever, because we could experiment a great deal. The only limit was time, you know? It was really, really fun. We finished sound mixing after playing the film at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals – right before we played at the London Film Festival, actually. At that point, it was like, 'OK, I think we should stop'.
THE FAVOURITE
by YORGOS LANTHIMOS
Johnnie made a short about the Super immersive Sound Design and mix of THE FAVOURITE, watch it here
While this film could have been played very straight from a sound perspective, you and your team made a lot of bold sound design decisions that really lead the narrative. Can you talk about those decisions? Interview with Korey Pereira at DESIGNING SOUND
2019 Nominee Golden Reel Award. Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Sound Effectsand Foley for Feature Film.
Disturbing. Discordant. Often unnecessarily so. In an early scene in “The Favourite,” we slowly become aware that there’s a steady thrumming, thumping noise on the soundtrack. Occasionally there’s an urgency to it, as if it were warning us of some upcoming shock, but mostly it’s just there: constant and annoying and taking us out of the movie. To me, it sounds like a headache. It’s classic Yorgos.
The 2015 Georges Delerue Award for Best Soundtrack/Sound Design went to Johnnei Burn & Yorgos Lanthimos for The Lobster
The Lobster portrays a love story set in a dystopian future where single people are arrested and forced to find a mate within 45 days. Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman, Lea Seydoux and John C. Reilly star in the production.
"We’re extremely excited for Yorgos, Johnnie and the hardworking team that worked on the film, and we can’t wait to see how it goes down at the festival."
UNDER THE SKIN
by JONATHAN GLAZER
Everyday sound bent until it felt alien — hailed as one of the most radical soundscapes of modern cinema
"Under the Skin," directed by Jonathan Glazer, serves as a masterclass in the importance of sound design in film. The movie, which stars Scarlett Johansson as an extraterrestrial being preying on men in Scotland, largely relies on its eerie, atmospheric soundscapes to create tension and immerse the audience in its otherworldly narrative.
Here's a summary of the importance of sound design in the film
Atmospheric Immersion: The sound design in "Under the Skin" is instrumental in establishing the film's unsettling and alien atmosphere. The ambient sounds, whether it's the hum of the van or the echoing void during the seduction scenes, contribute to the film's haunting and hypnotic quality.
Character Development: The alien's journey from predator to someone more human-like is accompanied by a sonic evolution. Initially, the sounds associated with her are more mechanical and inhuman, but as she begins to understand humanity, the sounds become more organic and familiar.
Narrative Drive: Given the film's minimal dialogue, sound plays a significant role in moving the narrative forward. The audio cues help provide context and guide the audience's emotions, making them feel the alien's curiosity, confusion, and eventual fear.
Emotional Resonance: The film's score, composed by Mica Levi, complements the sound design perfectly. The unsettling strings and otherworldly melodies mirror the protagonist's alien nature and her emotional journey, enhancing the audience's emotional engagement with the story.
Contrast and Juxtaposition: The sound design often plays with contrasts, such as the serene Scottish landscapes juxtaposed with the eerie and mechanical sounds of the alien's world. These contrasts heighten the film's unsettling nature and underline the alien's outsider perspective.
"Under the Skin" exemplifies how sound design can be as crucial as visuals in storytelling, character development, and emotional engagement. The film's sound design is a testament to the power of audio in amplifying a movie's impact and leaving a lasting impression on its audience.
Some of the most disturbing moments in Under the Skin are two scenes set at a remote and rocky beach. Narratively speaking, they are built around two murders – including one of a baby left to die on the shoreline – but sonically they create layers that are profoundly upsetting and unsettling. We hear the sounds of the waves breaking on the shore, a dog barking, a baby crying, screaming and shouting, as well as footsteps on shale, the beehive effect, and the wind in the air. However, each sound carries its own impressionable register – the sublime enormity of the waves and white horses set achingly against the piercing, hysterical cries of the baby that has been left on the beach. The scene’s horror doesn’t just come with the three adult corpses, two of whom drown, and one of whom is murdered by the seductress, but with the death of the baby that will be. The return to the beach scene some hours later, to find the child still wailing in the (now) acrid darkness, sounding waves now close to his feet, carries real and all-encompassing phenomenological power
Listen.
If you listen closely, intensely, you will hear the sounds of loneliness scoring the most profound encounters found on our screens and in their relatable, traceable senses.
Sounding loneliness is heard in the timbre of the vanquished voice, the rhythmic pattern of raindrops falling, the nervous beep of a horn emitting from a car parked in the urban shadows.
Listen.
Sounding loneliness is made manifest in the cries of a sibling, the weeping strings of a violin, the rustle of yesterday’s newspaper, the click click click of a midnight mouse, and the primordial raptures of the wind banging at the back door.
This seminal film uses sound like no other
Still the reason the phone rings! - HERE IS THE TRAILER
Other
Skype - Sound Design of the Skype Login/ringtones etc Sound palette Madonna 'Music' - by Jonas AkerlundDavid Bowie 'Thursday's Child' - by Walter SternThe Dead Weather 'Treat Me Like Your Mother' - by Jonathan GlazerThe Fat Slags - Slags At LargeThe Spice Girls 'Say You'll Be There' by Vaughn Arnell
PressSelected interviews, features, and reviews.
Filmmaker Magazine
Sounds that Cannot Be Unheard: Sound Designer Johnnie Burn on The Zone of Interest
An in-depth interview exploring the meticulous sound design process behind the film.
BBC Culture
The Zone of Interest: How the most horrifying sounds in film history were created
A chilling analysis of the film's haunting sonic choices.
Los Angeles Times
Subtle moments of sound add to the chilling impact of 'Zone of Interest'
An exploration of how subtle sound cues contribute to the film's suspense.
Oscars.org / AMPAS
'The Zone of Interest' Sound and Cinematography: Interview with Łukasz Żal and Johnnie Burn
The Academy's own interview exploring visual and sonic restraint in the film.
Awards Daily
'Nope' Sound Designer Johnnie Burn Created the Sounds of Terror for Jordan Peele
A discussion on crafting unsettling sounds and the delicate balance of their placement in the film.
Motion Picture Association
“Nope” Sound Designer Johnnie Burn Puts the Fear in What We Hear
An exploration of how subtle sound cues contribute to the film's suspense.
Screen Rant
Nope: Interview with Sound Designer Johnnie Burn
Insights into the early involvement in the film and the process of crafting its unique soundscape.
A Sound Effect
Designing and Mixing the Far Out Sound of 'Nope'
A deep dive into the collaboration with director Jordan Peele and the creation of the film's immersive audio experience.
Wave Magazine
Johnnie Burn: Mastering the Art of Immersive Sonic Storytelling
An exploration of Johnnie Burn's approach to creating immersive soundscapes in film.
