Monocle 24: The Power of Sound

Johnnie Burn

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Episode notes

Throughout his career as a sound designer, editor and mixer, Johnnie Burn has worked on iconic TV commercials for clients such as Guinness; created the sounds you hear every time you log onto Skype; and developed the sound world for films including Yorgos Lanthimos’s ‘The Lobster’ and ‘The Favourite’ and Jonathan Glazer’s ‘Under the Skin’. In this episode, he discusses how he makes sound choices to enhance a film’s narrative – and why less is sometimes more; how his obsession with audio extends to the musicality of everyday objects; and the childhood trauma that temporarily deafened him and sparked his interest in sound.