One of the podcasts that I’ve come across, and listen to sporadically (depending on the guests) is Studio 360, which broadcasts on the National Public Radio in the U.S.

A few weeks ago, host Kurt Anderson (who was a cofounder of Spy magazine, by the way) was joined by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, the brains behind the movies Pi, Requiem for a Dream, and the recently released The Fountain.

Among other things the two talked about was the use of music and sound in Aronofsky’s films. He was clear that he felt that the auditory experience was essential to creating an emotional response in his audience.

I remembered watching Pi for the first time, and being captivated by how Aronofsky used simple, repetitive sound effects to create patterns in that film. His composer, Clint Mansell (who was vocalist for Pop Will Eat Itself, once upon a time) worked with the Kronos Quartet string ensemble for Requiem, which was the perfect dark, sinister sound to accompany the despair in that story.

Believe it or not, Aronofsky came to believe so strongly in sound design because of Star Wars. Not just the film, either, but an insignificant documentary about the making of the film that aired on television in the late ’70s.

Which is weird, because I actually remember seeing that documentary, too, and the only thing about it that has stuck with me is the segment about the sound designers, and how they created the sound effects for the laser cannon on the X-wing fighters by banging on telephone cables in the Californian desert.

Which is exactly what Aronofky mentioned was such a strong influence on him.

We were both born in February 1969, it turns out, so the fact that we are both fans of the original trilogy is not a surprise. That we both remember the same small clip from a forgotten television documentary, however, just seems weird to me.