Burtt pioneered modern healthy project, especially when it appears around science fiction & fantasy picture. Prior to his act around Star Wars, science fiction moving picture tended to have electronic-sounding results for futurist hardware. Burtt sought the additional natural healthy, blending & "found sounds" to produce a results. the lightsaber healthy, e.g., come part from either either that of the movie projector, & the chargeman outcome began sustaining the healthy acquired from hitting a guy wire in a radio tower using a wrench.

Natural around Syracuse, New York, Burtt earned a college degree within Physics. Within 1970, he won the National Student Film Festival with a war movie called Yankee Squadron. For his operate on the favorite results film Genesis he won the scholarship to the University of Southern California, where he earned an expert's Degree around Film Production. Burtt has the reputation for including the healthy burden dubbed "The Wilhelm scream" in many of the motion picture he's worked in. Taken from either the character known as "Wilhelm" in the film Charge at Feather River, the healthy may be heard within Star Wars whilst the stormtrooper falls into a chasm & around Raiders of the Misplaced Ark while the Nazi soldier falls from either the moving car.

Burtt appeared inside both of the Star Wars films as an extra. He appeared in Return of the Jedi (the Purple officer world health organization yells "Freeze" prior to Han Solo throws him off a balcony) & The Phantom Menace (appears in a background near the prevent whilst Amidala congratulates Palpatine).