There are movie lovers, and then there are devoted “Star Wars” fans.

“‘Star Wars’ is an exceptional work. It laid the foundation for my career and created a fan community which has been remarkably long-lasting,” veteran sound designer Ben Burtt told Variety before receiving the Vision Award Ticinomoda at Locarno.

“I’ve met so many people who saw these films as children, and it inspired them to pursue a career in movies. I can’t think of anything else that has maintained such widespread popularity for so long. I will always have this ‘Star Wars’ connection.”

It came in handy when he was working on Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

“I had fewer chances to work on films that weren’t set in space. This project was very straightforward. No creature sounds, no spaceships, no loud effects. But the original script featured Lincoln checking his pocket watch frequently. He would consult it while thinking, writing, and dreaming. I thought: ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing to record the actual watch that belonged to Abraham Lincoln?'”

Burtt “went to great lengths” for a whole year trying to find and get permission to record one of the remaining timepieces.

“One was in the Smithsonian, but they were hesitant about touching it – let alone winding it up with a key. Then I discovered that the Kentucky Historical Society had the watch Lincoln supposedly wore when he was assassinated [in 1865]. Luckily for me, their curator was a big ‘Star Wars’ fan,” he chuckles.

“When I made the call, he recognized me instantly and eagerly agreed to help. ‘Star Wars’ technology allowed me to capture Lincoln’s watch!”

Burtt also visited the White House to record a “couple of timepieces” that were present “from Lincoln’s era.”

“Ultimately, these scenes were removed from the final cut, and the creative effort I poured into them is unknown to most – they don't even realize these are the same sounds Lincoln would have heard in his lifetime. But I do.”

A four-time Academy Award winner, Burtt is responsible for the soundtracks of “Indiana Jones,” “E.T.” and “WALL-E.” He also edited the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, which may finally be receiving its due appreciation after initial criticism.

“That seems to be the case,” he observes. “Interestingly, when we created ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ we heard: ‘It’s not as humorous, it’s not as good. You have ruined it!’ Then we made ‘Return of the Jedi,’ and people said: ‘It’s too cute. And what are these little teddy bears?’ It has always been a fan base that's difficult to please, and there has always been some kind of backlash,” he reminisces.

“Later, with the rise of the internet, you would suddenly face global criticism. The prequels received a great deal of criticism upon their initial release, but now, I am hearing people are becoming more comfortable with these films as being more representative of the true core narrative of ‘Star Wars.’ It simply shows you that the audience's viewpoint can change over time,” he says.

“Additionally, it's unclear what the future holds for ‘Star Wars’. At some point, the rights will become public domain. Everyone will have access to it. However, it's impossible to please everyone all the time.”

All these years later, he continues to receive the same questions from fans.

“The most common question is always: ‘How did you create the lightsaber sounds?’ If you hear that specific sound, people worldwide instantly recognize it. During later films, the actors would hum it while fighting. We had to tell them to stop!”

Burtt also crafted R2-D2’s charming “beeps and boops” and Darth Vader’s iconic heavy breathing.

“When I initially began working on the film, George Lucas explained that he wanted the sounds to be ‘naturalistic.’ Every time we created a sound, it would be based on real-world sounds. We could modify them, but he wanted to hear genuine motors, real animals, and squeaking hinges on the doors of the Millennium Falcon. He would say: ‘Make it sound like it has been used before,’” he remembers.

“Before that, science fiction leaned towards using electronic sound effects. That was the common approach, but George didn’t want that. For the Wookie, I went out and recorded bears, mainly. That’s why these sounds feel authentic to people, even if they can't identify their exact source.”

Burtt shares that he “loved and enjoyed working on these films maybe even a little bit more” with “Indiana Jones,” – he would also modify actual sounds, all the while respecting its historical setting.

“We would record vintage aircrafts or at least listen to old recordings of them. Then, we would add our own twist. In ‘Indiana Jones,’ everything is exaggerated. It’s a grand comic book. I think of these sounds as comic book bubbles with ‘boom!’ and ‘kapow!’ in them.”

Although his Locarno award is dedicated to “creatives whose work has extended the horizons of cinema,” Burtt was surprised by the recognition, he says.

“It’s always an honor to be recognized as a post-production person, film editor and sound designer. Our work is often unnoticed. The ultimate success is the illusion that what you see and hear is natural: that it just happened this way. So yes, it’s rare.”

Especially now, when he sees people watching “movies I’ve worked on” on their phones with closed captions. “It’s a concern.”

“I can’t take all my neighbors to the Skywalker Ranch, where they could hear them under great conditions, so I show movies at my house every Saturday night. This ‘film festival’ has been going on for 15 years. I try to spread ‘the sound gospel’ in my little way, in my little world. But on a global scale, it’s a challenge,” he notes.

“The joy of being a sound designer is when someone gives you a sequence, and you begin adding sounds. Right away, it comes alive. It’s like bringing something into the world. You are no longer on set; suddenly, you are immersed in that world. And you get to be the first person to experience it.”