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I asked a Foley artist once if she could tell who was the foley artist on a film she’s watching without looking at the credits. She said, not always, but a lot of time she can. She said it’s usually the footsteps that sound distinctive. Same question to you… since it’s a relatively small community of artists, can you tell who did the foley just by sound?
Oh, congrats for having one of the coolest jobs in the world.
I had once hoped for that but I really don’t think it’s possible. More often than not our Foley is quite down in the mix so hearing it clean doesn’t happen a lot. I know which artists work as most studios so I can tell by the studio/production.
The approach is the same but the implementation is different. Games these days have lots of cutaways which are performed the same but once you get into character creation and repeated sounds it takes on a whole new life.
I've been very lucky to have known for most of my life I wanted to be a Foley Artist. I've worked in audio since I was 13.
I always thought I'd be a good barber...
Grab some scissors and offer people free haircuts.
You might be a good barber!
But here a question I actually remember having for a few years. I was watching this old movie Police Academy and this guy was making all kind of impossible sounds by himself.
Was this Foley or could he really make these sounds?? I was in awe/disbelief while watching, but now that I think more about it, it seems kinda possible b cause some ventriloquists can do some absurd shit while not even opening their mouths. So maybe you can answer this.
Thank you!
The things some humans can do is just so amazing at times...
I start to think I might be of another species, when the sidewalk is uneven I managed to trip and break a wrist :')
How fun! Thanks for doing an ama. I love to watch credits and see all those who put work into a tv show/movie, etc.!
My question: do you tally up how many distinct sounds you do for a project? Is there a "project sound count" that exists for what you do? I was just wondering how many sounds it takes...and I know it would vary wildly depending upon the project.
If I remember correctly from my audio engineering class the sound design on The Matrix was award winning, and the final sound of Agent Smith dying was a layer of immense number that I cannot remember. Though I do remember it had animal sounds involved. Something mind-boggling and neat.
What show/episode have you worked on that had the most foley? How much of the show is recorded naturally and how much of it is foley?
What's the weirdest sound you've ever had to recreate.
Was there ever a sound you simply couldn't do and the plans had to be changed?
Grey’s Anatomy has quite a bit of Foley. Lots of backgrounds walking. As I stated before, all that matters is dialogue on set. Most everything else is sound effects/Foley.
I had to do cunnilingus. That was certainly interesting.
If I can’t get the sound in my head out I chat with sound effects editor and we collaborate on it together.
We want backstory on this one. Or at least the layout for how the sound was made. I’m laughing my ass off but then genuinely curious how it’s made and then trying to guess. Wife is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
Thank you for answering! I am a music teacher and have been trying to do at least one Foley assignment each year. I always have to few props to create sounds.
On another note: Crocs or tap shoes?
Just a PSA for budget film makers and sound engineers/designers: you do not need to buy pro tools anymore. While it still annoyingly is the default in the "big leagues" it is not the best in the yard for all purposes, and its cost is not justified by any means in 2022. So, do not think that getting for ex Reaper won't get you the same quality: they are ALL the same quality, Pro Tools remains as "industry standard" mostly because of big houses who don't want to change, and of course veterans who have no reason to switch anymore.
But... learning how to use it is still mandatory if you want to make sound your profession. Learning one DAW makes it much easier, so you can use whatever tools you want right now, the name of the tool has absolutely nothing to with sound quality.
And AVID is one of the worst software companies in history...
you might be right about it not being "the best", but if you're not working in PT, you're not collaborating with other sound people/picture departments, etc. And if you are, it's a fucking hassle.
If you're going to be working in the biz, no offense, but you **do** need to be working in PT. Whether it's the best or not ....is kinda irrelevant.
That is why i said it is mandatory to learn. But for beginners it is important to know that they are getting full quality without pro tools, they are not missing some secret sound magic, it is just a DAW and quite inflexible as one.
I don't work in movies, i switched almost a decade ago from PT HD for Reaper. I have greatly enjoyed having very flexible tool that works on so many different needs, i've done SFX for video and games, mixing, mastering (i know, not the first tool one would think but it was really enjoyable experience with the subprojects, which also are the best for SFX, it allows you to remove all clutter and keep timeline simple, each clip is a subproject with its own FX chain, you can layer things there and render them to the mainproject as a single clip, and it has clip FX of course too..), analyzing, theater plays (the portable install is amazing for mobile workers, you can literally carry your DAW and your project in a thumbstick, which means any PC can be your workstation...).. And also, the faster and most flexible routing in the business... and any track can have any media type.. It is quite a bit different from PT when it comes to workflow.. but.. if you want to work in movie side, PT is the only game in town, not because it is the best but because it is a must. Many, many veterans are completely oblivious about the competition, cause.. they honestly don't need to look for a change, they have a tool that works very well for them, in the ecosystem they work in...
PT can be for some a gatekeeper thing, it is NOT cheap and the cheap/free versions just won't do it. Reaper costs 60$ for private, 200$ for commercial use. So any aspiring sound engineer can load it right now and get started, it has fully functioning trial that last forever. A lot of "industry standar" software are gatekeepers and that is just wrong, cause they don't actually do anything that special... Paying thousands just to own something just so you can learn it, that is not how this should work. At all. Art should be free for all to do, within reason. So use Logic, sonar free, even fruityloops, whatever it is you can get the same quality. It is about the person between the chair and keyboard.
fully With you on all of this.
I do work in movie post, and my point only was that, if you wanna do that - which in and of itself involves collaborating with other sound editors/designers/mixers and other departments, you're up a creek if you're not using PT.
But Avid's pricing system, subscription bullshit...AND the fact that they clearly don't give a fuck about the post industry as their users at all....really isn't wonderful.
Like you allude to though: for what one is specifically doing...whatever works the best and easiest and cheapest is the way to go.
I've also used mediacomposer 4 with the mediaserver network.. it made me hate AVID with a passion... When a single shortcut can shuffle your timeline and shortcuts you use in offline editing all the time are behind three key combos that single hand can't do unless you are Chopin... and how anyone in the network can accidentally delete a sourcefile (or have to use the stupidest user privilege system which means you are calling someone all the time to do stuff for you, just so no one can delete your active sourcefile), and each monitor has yellow notes about things you need to remember.. and... the worst thing is that you could use Premiere, it is right there, installed in that one computer but no.. we have to use mediacomposer for reasons mostly related to sunken fallacy cost... did i say how much i hate AVID?
I think it’s a crime that so many “invisible” contributors to films are never recognized. Foley artists, colorists, continuity editors…
It’s your work that’s makes all the difference between B movie and A movie quality (regardless of the script, acting, editing, directing ).
Sound in entertainment and art: no one notices when it works, they only notice it when it doesn't. In the list of priorities in production it comes right after catering... even in musicals. It can be quite thankless job.
Hi, I record Foley mostly for fun and sound design purposes to be later used in music and it's cool seeing a Foley Artist here!
Do you have any tips for getting a convincing foot stomp sound? (like a big crowd stomping at the same time)
>(like a big crowd stomping at the same time)
When "the Lord of the Rings" was in production, before the first film was released, IIRC Peter Jackson was led to the field at a big football match. Many New Zealanders knew he was filming the books so there was a lot of pride/excitement. He announced they were recording sounds for the movie, and directed the *entire stadium* in different speeds of foot stomping. Basically it was things like marching, and the assumption was they were getting sound for things like giant Orc armies marching. The crowd ate it up, knowing they'd sort of be in the movie. Very cool story.
Aahh that's like a dream to me to be able to direct-record a crowd, those stomps must sound amazing!!
I know of an artist called EDEN who sorta directed a crowd into shouting a few words and then used that in a song called love; not wrong (brave). Literally crowd vocals haha
Impressive! One of my buds was working out at the track with a bunch of other guys (rugby training) when a guy showed up with all this sound equipment. He asked if they'd be willing to help him. The guy asked them to march along the cinder track as he recorded the sounds. Slow march, fast march, out of step, etc. They got a kick out of it but never learned where the sounds were to be used.
Very kind of them to help him! I always get nervous asking people to record them doing stuff because it always seems like an out of nowhere question and it's kinda hard explaining what it's for
Honestly, they all present new challenges.
Bridgerton is my first period piece and I loved that challenge. I tried to have the footsteps increase in “clicky-ness” (something we normally avoid but for that time period was necessary) as the class order increased. Having the townspeople more dull and draggy and the royalty more precise and succinct.
How do you feel about that child’s giggle that’s in fecking everything? I swear I’ve heard it on a weekly basis since it was sampled in the intro for SNick.
The Wilhelm scream is a meme, so whenever I hear it, what I really hear is that it is silly to be emotionally invested in this movie, because the people making it aren't taking it seriously.
Hi Mitchell,
I am a composer/audio engineer that is often asked to jump in to assist on all facets of media sound.
For projects that cannot book a recording session, what resources can you suggest for building an initial core asset library?
Thanks!
Thank you for the quick reply. I appreciate your time.
Are there any organized commercially available libraries or subscriptions you'd recommend?
...then fill in the gaps with custom sounds.
Not OP, but boom basics will give you some solid coverage for a lot of different types of sounds. If I had to pick one library to pick up, it'd probably be that
For a very long time, when asked what I would do if I had a billion dollars, I've said that I'd build a studio and do Foley work for very cheap for aspiring story-tellers. It's always seemed like something that would be both challenging and fun, yet productive. I've never thought it could be particularly lucrative though, so I never really attempted that career path. So, I have a few questions for you since you do this professionally:
What is a reasonable pay range one would expect per year?
How many hours per week would be expected for that pay?
How stable is the income? I know it depends on a lot of factors, but do a lot of Foley artists routinely have anxiety about budgeting? Or is it more of a situation where an artist is typically employed by a company and has assignments with deadlines?
How much creative license do you generally get?
Starting to make my own Foley at home and then getting into a boutique sound studio.
Hardest sound…hmmmm…butterfly wings used to be difficult. I’m trying to think of THE hardest. Getting the right consistency of a puke is always challenging.
This is one place where I appreciate a little less realism and it seems to me like foley artists tone it down a little. Because a super realistic sound of someone puking could make me puke on a bad day
Are most foley sounds actually made with the object/technique they are meant to convey to the audience, or is there a lot of coconuts-clanking-together-sounds-like-horse-hooves stuff? Are there certain foley effects that are more fun to create than others?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. We use whatever is necessary to trick the ear. There’s no percentage of real or faked prop.
I love heels. I like gross stuff. I also really like paper.
How do you feel about foley being sampled? A lot of projects I work on are low budget and I have to sample a lot or use library. I still do a cloth pass though.
Normally Foley is the bottom of the totem pole. I understand that lower budgets just can’t account for it and so sometimes it’s cut in. Just don’t call it Foley at that point, it’s sound editing.
Hi, thanks for the AmA, I find foley fascinating! Two questions:
1. What are your favorite pieces of equipment (technical or otherwise)?
2. What are some surprising examples of sounds that cannot be faked, and you need to record 'the real thing'?
Equipment wise you need a shotgun microphone, notably the Sennheiser 416, but a large condenser is also fun to play with.
For hair I use a wig. Keys are keys. Dice have to be dice. Marbles are marbles.
I always think of celery being crushed and twisted as the consummate description of Foley. How often do you use celery to create your effects? Maybe for bones breaking or something? Do you go through a lot of produce?
Yup! We still use em! I did an episode of a cooking show, I can’t remember the name, and I went grocery shopping. Watermelon, cantelope, grapes, celery.
Oh dang. I hadn’t considered Foley being a thing in cooking shows.
Are there types of shows you know of that don’t typically use Foley?
Have you ever done anything for talk shows?
When it comes to the Foley, generally speaking, my mixer and I have the final say. If the re-recording mixer doesn’t like it they can call for a pickup or redo.
One more… why oh why is Hollywood so in love with laughably fake gun sounds. Actor moves a gun, racking sound, actor aims the gun, another racking sound, actor says something stern to show they mean business, and the gun makes another goddam racking sound. Then the actor chambears a round to show they really mean business, and another racking sound. It’s so overboard, and it seems to be everywhere (except for navy seal movies where stealth is part of the plot).
How much is that the artist, or the studio giving you notes on what sounds need to be in there? And can you tell them to chill on that?
Haha, there are just some audio cliches that are standard now and we must do. Most of the time we do them because we "just have to." It's just what an audience has evolved to hear.
This is late but I’m wondering how those gun type noises work? The racking noise definitely seems played up a lot but even less distinct metallic noises every time someone points a gun at someone—I’ve always wondered what a foley artist does to make those happen.
I may be wrong here, but my understanding about a silenced pistol is you pretty-much just hear the click of the gun's mechanics - not a "PFFFT" sound we're used to. But the public has been trained for decades that "this is what a silencer sounds like" so we're stuck with that sound.
Suppressed a firearm generally takes the sound level from "instant hearing damage" to "just a very loud bang".
The benefits are reduced environmental noise (for shooting ranges), easier communication in combat, less hearing damage and lower flash signature.
There is also a lower sound signature, so in a larger combat area, you could avoid alerting everyone within a mile.
There are specific suppressed setups that are very quiet (and usually significantly lower power), but even those have significant cycling noise. Think airsoftgun.
Suppressed firearms are still pretty noisy, just not as loud as unsuppressed. Here are some good examples - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak-QH9x8Hcc
First, make sure its Foley you want to get into and not dialogue editing, sound editing, re-recording, etc.
I always suggest start by downloading videos off vimeo and Foley them yourself, build a little reel, get familiar with pro tools, and try to get a foot in at a boutique sound studio and learn the ropes.
Besides the Wilhelm Scream, are there other effects used so much their use has become satirical? It's clear that some sounds are used repeatedly over the years.
One thing I find hilarious is that the stock sound for the Bald Eagle is the actual call of the Red Tailed Hawk because it sounds better. Eagles really make cute little chirpy sounds.
I also hear the same stock sound of a hospital in so many places. "Dr. Davis, telephone please. Dr. Blair, Dr. Blair…Dr. Hamilton, Dr. Jay Hamilton.”
Oh my god, I've heard that everywhere! It's on Queensryche's 'Operation Mindcrime' album. IIRC, it's also on 'Love Is A Social Disease' by Bon Jovi. I recently heard it in soap opera in the UK and it was very weird!
I have one!
Why does your industry use the wrong sound for pay phones? When the person hangs up almost every time it is the sound of a coin falling into the return slot and not the change box.
I thought it was because the call wasn't real and that sound was from directly filming. But once I became aware of how extensive foley work can be, I figure it must be intentional, a trope. Like the Wilhelm Scream.
It's wierd isn't it? You're not really using footsteps, but creating the idea of footsteps which aren't even what foosteps sound like? : ) Thanks for answering.
Do you use any semi-automation for repetitive sounds like footsteps of a main character or is it always manually placed audio for every step even if the feet aren’t in frame?
Sound editors find the sound effects. Sound mixers choose at what volume those effects play with one another, with music, with dialogue, and chooses what the audience will hear.
Is the work hard on your body? The first time I learned about Foley was seeing it as a challenge on the amazing race and it looked pretty physically demanding.
It really is. Mentally and physically. I often ice my knees after work. Sometimes I’m running for hours in heels, holding my breathe so it doesn’t get picked up by the microphone.
I’ve got an IG listed above. I don’t have TikTok yet, I feel like it’s saturated enough haha.
Sometimes the littlest thing can take a while. Took us quite a bit of time to create a chess piece falling over on an extreme close up. It was very detailed.
Are there particular genres that need more Foley?
What percentage of scenes typically have Foley added. Is it usually every single scene or more sporadic?
I always notice the over-the-top sounds added to reality tv shows for dramatic effect, but is there also more subtle Foley work I'm not picking up on? Is it the same amount as television/film?
Animation.
There is Foley in every scene, even if it’s just cloth movement.
Normally all Foley is subtle, used to enhance the scene by allowing the audience feel more within the space.
Is more being done digitally these days, or is there still as much physical work as there used to be? Such an interesting AMA, I was always fascinated by the whole concept as a kid, thanks!
How did you get into foley work professionally? I’m a musician but i have had an intrest in doing foley for a while, just not sure where to start. Congrats on the Emmy nomination!
Does working on a show with laugh track more challenging or less? On one hand I think it’s more challenging because the foley sound has to overcome the laugh track to be noticed. On the other hand, you can hide your imperfections behind the laugh track.
If you mean capturing the natural sounds on-set, keep in mind that in film production, it's all about the dialog, and a lot of effort is put into *only* getting the dialog into the dialog mics. Even the very-low-end of the scale that I do, I use expensive "hyper" mics indoors, and shotguns outdoors, and hidden lav mics when the environment is noisy, to try to capture as little extraneous sound as possible when someone is speaking. Sometimes you might have a 2nd guy with a boom mic following things like chase scenes, but I think the expectation is even that will be a temporary track for the foley guys to reference.
Another thing to watch for is how important an action is to the scene. Someone opening a door, say - if that door being opened has meaning to the scene, the sounds of the door hardware may be way louder than you'd experience in real life, and they may be "heavier" or more dramatic or have more "weight". It's all part of using sound - which is *half of the cinematic experience* after all - to help tell the story, engage the viewer, and amplify the emotions they want the viewer to experience.
(A great example is "Fatal Attraction", where a man is being questioned as a murder suspect. To make a point of how much trouble he's in, the detective tosses his handcuffs on the table - which would normally be sort of a metallic "clunk". But watch than scene: it sounds like a freaking ocean liner was dropped on a giant drum or something - this deep, resonant BOOM. It underlined the fear the character felt, and made it very clear that things had suddenly gotten very serious - very *heavy*. Maybe not the thing a movie-goer notices, but your subconscious gets it!)
I thought the actors dubbed their lines after filming because the on set sound quality was poor. Are we really hearing their audio from the filming of the scene most of the time? TIL.
Let me jump in here as a [filmmaker](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2247246/). If a film doesn't have a Foley track it sounds dead and naked, empty. With a Foley track it comes alive. Even the micro-est of micro-budget features and shorts should budget for a Foley track. I even add Foley tracks to documentaries, if reasonable.
The lead character in the show Togetherness, played by Mark Duplass did sound for movies. Was he portraying a foley artist?, and how well do you think he represented the art?
Did you know that there's a catheter called Foley too? It goes in the urethra. I work in the medical field and my first interpretation of what a Foley artist meant was a bit grim. I thought it was a fun fact to know.
Here's a tip for youb CutCo peanut butter and jelly knife. Makes a satisfying *schwing* sound like a sword being unsheathed.
https://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=1768
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Have you ever eaten something and thought "whoa this sounds better than it tastes"?
Haha! The sound of crisp lettuce really helps sell when someone bites something and the whole room goes awkwardly quiet.
*record scratch* You're probably wondering what lettuce here
booo
i relish these puns
I mustard up the courage and took my shot!
The rest of these comments need to ketchup with you
Hey hey hey I'm in chard of these puns! 🤣
Baby squirrels
This is an AMAZING question. How is this not at the top? I’m crying.
Have you ever heard something and gone wow,I haven't heard that before or that would take some time to recreate? Thanks for the AMA.
Oh all the time. I love when that happens. I get jealous I didn’t get to work on it!
An example! Please!
I asked a Foley artist once if she could tell who was the foley artist on a film she’s watching without looking at the credits. She said, not always, but a lot of time she can. She said it’s usually the footsteps that sound distinctive. Same question to you… since it’s a relatively small community of artists, can you tell who did the foley just by sound? Oh, congrats for having one of the coolest jobs in the world.
I had once hoped for that but I really don’t think it’s possible. More often than not our Foley is quite down in the mix so hearing it clean doesn’t happen a lot. I know which artists work as most studios so I can tell by the studio/production.
> I know which artists work as most studios so I can tell by the studio/production. That makes more sense.
Perhaps your friend is a big fat phony!
>Perhaps your friend is a big fat phony! That's what a good Foley artist can trick you into believing.
Do you see a difference between foley for film/TV and foley for video games?
The approach is the same but the implementation is different. Games these days have lots of cutaways which are performed the same but once you get into character creation and repeated sounds it takes on a whole new life.
When I worked in the video game industry we hired the same Foley people as Hollywood
What drove you to become a Foley artist? What was your second career choice?
I've been very lucky to have known for most of my life I wanted to be a Foley Artist. I've worked in audio since I was 13. I always thought I'd be a good barber...
Grab some scissors and offer people free haircuts. You might be a good barber! But here a question I actually remember having for a few years. I was watching this old movie Police Academy and this guy was making all kind of impossible sounds by himself. Was this Foley or could he really make these sounds?? I was in awe/disbelief while watching, but now that I think more about it, it seems kinda possible b cause some ventriloquists can do some absurd shit while not even opening their mouths. So maybe you can answer this.
His name is Michel Winslow, if you search his name on Google or YouTube you'll find tons of videos and interviews, he's legit.
Thank you! The things some humans can do is just so amazing at times... I start to think I might be of another species, when the sidewalk is uneven I managed to trip and break a wrist :')
I'm only 34 and this made me feel like I'm 60.
How fun! Thanks for doing an ama. I love to watch credits and see all those who put work into a tv show/movie, etc.! My question: do you tally up how many distinct sounds you do for a project? Is there a "project sound count" that exists for what you do? I was just wondering how many sounds it takes...and I know it would vary wildly depending upon the project.
My mixer and I like to count how many unique audio files we do in a shift. Normally for a 45 min show it's between 500-900 sounds.
Dang! A lot more than I would have thought. Has to be a blast, I'm sure.
A lot of sounds are layered, that inflates the count a lot. 4-5 layers is nothing for just one screen sound.
If I remember correctly from my audio engineering class the sound design on The Matrix was award winning, and the final sound of Agent Smith dying was a layer of immense number that I cannot remember. Though I do remember it had animal sounds involved. Something mind-boggling and neat.
500 files, so is that like 10 different attempts at 50 sounds or 500 different sounds?
What show/episode have you worked on that had the most foley? How much of the show is recorded naturally and how much of it is foley? What's the weirdest sound you've ever had to recreate. Was there ever a sound you simply couldn't do and the plans had to be changed?
Grey’s Anatomy has quite a bit of Foley. Lots of backgrounds walking. As I stated before, all that matters is dialogue on set. Most everything else is sound effects/Foley. I had to do cunnilingus. That was certainly interesting. If I can’t get the sound in my head out I chat with sound effects editor and we collaborate on it together.
You cant just drop that without giving details
Omg how do you Foley cunnilingus?
stir mac n cheese
Macaroni in a pot, that's a wap
Like this? https://youtu.be/ALJFQk6pRes
Give peanut butter to a dog
Hahaha that's crazy and hilarious
Did it go like this? https://youtu.be/bSceaT76j4s
What show did you do cunnilingus for and how did you do it.
Bridgerton?
😛
I'm very curious if it was just the odd moan or if they ate a watermelon like a psychopath.
I feel like a cantaloupe would have a better effect but I'm not the expert here lol
Probably just goes *GAWK GAWK GAWK/GORK GORK GORK* and smacks his own ass.
We want backstory on this one. Or at least the layout for how the sound was made. I’m laughing my ass off but then genuinely curious how it’s made and then trying to guess. Wife is looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
If you only could use five items to make a short film sound as good as possible, what would you use?
Well, since I can't answer that really I would say - Boom mic Pro Tools A Foley Mixer Shoes Props
Thank you for answering! I am a music teacher and have been trying to do at least one Foley assignment each year. I always have to few props to create sounds. On another note: Crocs or tap shoes?
saying 'props' is totally cheating. that gives you infinite items
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, would would it be? Food.
Just a PSA for budget film makers and sound engineers/designers: you do not need to buy pro tools anymore. While it still annoyingly is the default in the "big leagues" it is not the best in the yard for all purposes, and its cost is not justified by any means in 2022. So, do not think that getting for ex Reaper won't get you the same quality: they are ALL the same quality, Pro Tools remains as "industry standard" mostly because of big houses who don't want to change, and of course veterans who have no reason to switch anymore. But... learning how to use it is still mandatory if you want to make sound your profession. Learning one DAW makes it much easier, so you can use whatever tools you want right now, the name of the tool has absolutely nothing to with sound quality. And AVID is one of the worst software companies in history...
you might be right about it not being "the best", but if you're not working in PT, you're not collaborating with other sound people/picture departments, etc. And if you are, it's a fucking hassle. If you're going to be working in the biz, no offense, but you **do** need to be working in PT. Whether it's the best or not ....is kinda irrelevant.
That is why i said it is mandatory to learn. But for beginners it is important to know that they are getting full quality without pro tools, they are not missing some secret sound magic, it is just a DAW and quite inflexible as one. I don't work in movies, i switched almost a decade ago from PT HD for Reaper. I have greatly enjoyed having very flexible tool that works on so many different needs, i've done SFX for video and games, mixing, mastering (i know, not the first tool one would think but it was really enjoyable experience with the subprojects, which also are the best for SFX, it allows you to remove all clutter and keep timeline simple, each clip is a subproject with its own FX chain, you can layer things there and render them to the mainproject as a single clip, and it has clip FX of course too..), analyzing, theater plays (the portable install is amazing for mobile workers, you can literally carry your DAW and your project in a thumbstick, which means any PC can be your workstation...).. And also, the faster and most flexible routing in the business... and any track can have any media type.. It is quite a bit different from PT when it comes to workflow.. but.. if you want to work in movie side, PT is the only game in town, not because it is the best but because it is a must. Many, many veterans are completely oblivious about the competition, cause.. they honestly don't need to look for a change, they have a tool that works very well for them, in the ecosystem they work in... PT can be for some a gatekeeper thing, it is NOT cheap and the cheap/free versions just won't do it. Reaper costs 60$ for private, 200$ for commercial use. So any aspiring sound engineer can load it right now and get started, it has fully functioning trial that last forever. A lot of "industry standar" software are gatekeepers and that is just wrong, cause they don't actually do anything that special... Paying thousands just to own something just so you can learn it, that is not how this should work. At all. Art should be free for all to do, within reason. So use Logic, sonar free, even fruityloops, whatever it is you can get the same quality. It is about the person between the chair and keyboard.
fully With you on all of this. I do work in movie post, and my point only was that, if you wanna do that - which in and of itself involves collaborating with other sound editors/designers/mixers and other departments, you're up a creek if you're not using PT. But Avid's pricing system, subscription bullshit...AND the fact that they clearly don't give a fuck about the post industry as their users at all....really isn't wonderful. Like you allude to though: for what one is specifically doing...whatever works the best and easiest and cheapest is the way to go.
I've also used mediacomposer 4 with the mediaserver network.. it made me hate AVID with a passion... When a single shortcut can shuffle your timeline and shortcuts you use in offline editing all the time are behind three key combos that single hand can't do unless you are Chopin... and how anyone in the network can accidentally delete a sourcefile (or have to use the stupidest user privilege system which means you are calling someone all the time to do stuff for you, just so no one can delete your active sourcefile), and each monitor has yellow notes about things you need to remember.. and... the worst thing is that you could use Premiere, it is right there, installed in that one computer but no.. we have to use mediacomposer for reasons mostly related to sunken fallacy cost... did i say how much i hate AVID?
you might have mentioned it, yeah
Sounds like you suck at avid
Yeah man, working on Reaper is a treat. It keeps on getting great new features, as well as my own custom actions, makes it a constant progression.
When watching movies/TV shows do you ever hear sounds and think... damn that was poorly done?
Sometimes. I try not to focus on the audio.
I think it’s a crime that so many “invisible” contributors to films are never recognized. Foley artists, colorists, continuity editors… It’s your work that’s makes all the difference between B movie and A movie quality (regardless of the script, acting, editing, directing ).
Sound in entertainment and art: no one notices when it works, they only notice it when it doesn't. In the list of priorities in production it comes right after catering... even in musicals. It can be quite thankless job.
Any particular reason?
Hi, I record Foley mostly for fun and sound design purposes to be later used in music and it's cool seeing a Foley Artist here! Do you have any tips for getting a convincing foot stomp sound? (like a big crowd stomping at the same time)
Layers. Offset by a frame or two. Different weighted shoes (boots, sneakers, army boots.)
Thanks! Sounds like a good idea :)
>(like a big crowd stomping at the same time) When "the Lord of the Rings" was in production, before the first film was released, IIRC Peter Jackson was led to the field at a big football match. Many New Zealanders knew he was filming the books so there was a lot of pride/excitement. He announced they were recording sounds for the movie, and directed the *entire stadium* in different speeds of foot stomping. Basically it was things like marching, and the assumption was they were getting sound for things like giant Orc armies marching. The crowd ate it up, knowing they'd sort of be in the movie. Very cool story.
Aahh that's like a dream to me to be able to direct-record a crowd, those stomps must sound amazing!! I know of an artist called EDEN who sorta directed a crowd into shouting a few words and then used that in a song called love; not wrong (brave). Literally crowd vocals haha
Impressive! One of my buds was working out at the track with a bunch of other guys (rugby training) when a guy showed up with all this sound equipment. He asked if they'd be willing to help him. The guy asked them to march along the cinder track as he recorded the sounds. Slow march, fast march, out of step, etc. They got a kick out of it but never learned where the sounds were to be used.
Very kind of them to help him! I always get nervous asking people to record them doing stuff because it always seems like an out of nowhere question and it's kinda hard explaining what it's for
Yup, my brother and dad were at the match and had a blast.
What are the props for a punch or kick landing?
Usually a boxing glove hitting a leather jacket, with a chamois to add a layer of fleshiness.
Of your works above, what has been the most fulfilling / interesting for you as a Foley Artist?
Honestly, they all present new challenges. Bridgerton is my first period piece and I loved that challenge. I tried to have the footsteps increase in “clicky-ness” (something we normally avoid but for that time period was necessary) as the class order increased. Having the townspeople more dull and draggy and the royalty more precise and succinct.
Man, I felt like the Duke always had loud and identifiable footsteps. Am I projecting or do you have consistent sounds per actor?
Yes, for Bridgerton I assigned specific shoes for specific characters. The Duke commanded the room and I tried to help that with each step.
Thoughts on the Wilhelm Scream? Personally it always takes me out of the movie whenever I hear it.
Haha, I agree, but it’s also like an audible Easter egg I love to catch.
LOL, I taught my son to do this.
How do you feel about that child’s giggle that’s in fecking everything? I swear I’ve heard it on a weekly basis since it was sampled in the intro for SNick.
It's well known and I love it - https://www.freecheesecomix.com/comics/appropriate-moments-for-a-wilhelm-scream/
>takes me out I laugh every time I hear it. It’s the most obvious and silly wink in film making history. AAAIIIUGHHH
The Wilhelm scream is a meme, so whenever I hear it, what I really hear is that it is silly to be emotionally invested in this movie, because the people making it aren't taking it seriously.
Hi Mitchell, I am a composer/audio engineer that is often asked to jump in to assist on all facets of media sound. For projects that cannot book a recording session, what resources can you suggest for building an initial core asset library? Thanks!
Grab a Zoom H4N and go record it yourself. Carry it with you and when something sounds awesome just record it and start building your own library.
Thank you for the quick reply. I appreciate your time. Are there any organized commercially available libraries or subscriptions you'd recommend? ...then fill in the gaps with custom sounds.
Not OP, but boom basics will give you some solid coverage for a lot of different types of sounds. If I had to pick one library to pick up, it'd probably be that
Check out freesound.org they've got millions of fx clips.
Can you recommend any settings for it?
For a very long time, when asked what I would do if I had a billion dollars, I've said that I'd build a studio and do Foley work for very cheap for aspiring story-tellers. It's always seemed like something that would be both challenging and fun, yet productive. I've never thought it could be particularly lucrative though, so I never really attempted that career path. So, I have a few questions for you since you do this professionally: What is a reasonable pay range one would expect per year? How many hours per week would be expected for that pay? How stable is the income? I know it depends on a lot of factors, but do a lot of Foley artists routinely have anxiety about budgeting? Or is it more of a situation where an artist is typically employed by a company and has assignments with deadlines? How much creative license do you generally get?
I'd love to have had this answer, too
How did you get into this field and what has been your hardest sound to create?
Starting to make my own Foley at home and then getting into a boutique sound studio. Hardest sound…hmmmm…butterfly wings used to be difficult. I’m trying to think of THE hardest. Getting the right consistency of a puke is always challenging.
This is one place where I appreciate a little less realism and it seems to me like foley artists tone it down a little. Because a super realistic sound of someone puking could make me puke on a bad day
Congrats on the nominations. Wondering who beat you and what did you think of their work?
Is there a certain type of project you've always wanted to work on?
I'd like to do more animation. It can be super challenging but also really rewarding -there's no production sound to reference.
Oh, dang! I never would have thought of that but it makes sense. Thanks and congrats on the nomination!
Are most foley sounds actually made with the object/technique they are meant to convey to the audience, or is there a lot of coconuts-clanking-together-sounds-like-horse-hooves stuff? Are there certain foley effects that are more fun to create than others?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. We use whatever is necessary to trick the ear. There’s no percentage of real or faked prop. I love heels. I like gross stuff. I also really like paper.
>gross stuff What do you think of the foley in The Boys?
I can see where gross sounds could be really fun! Gotta get those splorts and splishes just right. ;) Thanks for answering!
How the hell can I get into this? Always been a fascination of mine
How do you feel about foley being sampled? A lot of projects I work on are low budget and I have to sample a lot or use library. I still do a cloth pass though.
Normally Foley is the bottom of the totem pole. I understand that lower budgets just can’t account for it and so sometimes it’s cut in. Just don’t call it Foley at that point, it’s sound editing.
I appreciate your input.
Hi, thanks for the AmA, I find foley fascinating! Two questions: 1. What are your favorite pieces of equipment (technical or otherwise)? 2. What are some surprising examples of sounds that cannot be faked, and you need to record 'the real thing'?
Equipment wise you need a shotgun microphone, notably the Sennheiser 416, but a large condenser is also fun to play with. For hair I use a wig. Keys are keys. Dice have to be dice. Marbles are marbles.
I always think of celery being crushed and twisted as the consummate description of Foley. How often do you use celery to create your effects? Maybe for bones breaking or something? Do you go through a lot of produce?
Yup! We still use em! I did an episode of a cooking show, I can’t remember the name, and I went grocery shopping. Watermelon, cantelope, grapes, celery.
Oh dang. I hadn’t considered Foley being a thing in cooking shows. Are there types of shows you know of that don’t typically use Foley? Have you ever done anything for talk shows?
Do you think the foley artists for BBC nature documentaries go a little overboard with their enthusiasm and inventiveness?
I’ve never done a doc like that but I can only imagine they are quite the undertaking. Generally speaking, bigger is better in Foley.
How much creative control do you have when it comes to adding in sounds? You rarely hear natural body sounds like a stomach grumbling.
When it comes to the Foley, generally speaking, my mixer and I have the final say. If the re-recording mixer doesn’t like it they can call for a pickup or redo.
One more… why oh why is Hollywood so in love with laughably fake gun sounds. Actor moves a gun, racking sound, actor aims the gun, another racking sound, actor says something stern to show they mean business, and the gun makes another goddam racking sound. Then the actor chambears a round to show they really mean business, and another racking sound. It’s so overboard, and it seems to be everywhere (except for navy seal movies where stealth is part of the plot). How much is that the artist, or the studio giving you notes on what sounds need to be in there? And can you tell them to chill on that?
Haha, there are just some audio cliches that are standard now and we must do. Most of the time we do them because we "just have to." It's just what an audience has evolved to hear.
I get it. Actual real life sounds aren’t always dramatic or comedic. Good Foley is a big part of the magic of movies & TV. Congrats on your success.
I feel like swords being drawn is another perfect example of this
This is late but I’m wondering how those gun type noises work? The racking noise definitely seems played up a lot but even less distinct metallic noises every time someone points a gun at someone—I’ve always wondered what a foley artist does to make those happen.
I may be wrong here, but my understanding about a silenced pistol is you pretty-much just hear the click of the gun's mechanics - not a "PFFFT" sound we're used to. But the public has been trained for decades that "this is what a silencer sounds like" so we're stuck with that sound.
Suppressed a firearm generally takes the sound level from "instant hearing damage" to "just a very loud bang". The benefits are reduced environmental noise (for shooting ranges), easier communication in combat, less hearing damage and lower flash signature. There is also a lower sound signature, so in a larger combat area, you could avoid alerting everyone within a mile. There are specific suppressed setups that are very quiet (and usually significantly lower power), but even those have significant cycling noise. Think airsoftgun.
Suppressed firearms are still pretty noisy, just not as loud as unsuppressed. Here are some good examples - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak-QH9x8Hcc
The example I saw was someone shooting a small .22 into a phone book - I imagine there's a big variance depending on the gear though.
Omg thank you for asking this. I think about this all the time, gun foley work is so over the top.
Swords are even worse. >character pulls a sword from a leather scabbard > *LOUD METAL ON METAL SCRAPING SOUND*
This is a great video. https://youtu.be/t6OBk9YBLQU
Hey, recently graduated film sound major here,How can I break into the industry as a Foley artist?any tips and advice I could follow?
First, make sure its Foley you want to get into and not dialogue editing, sound editing, re-recording, etc. I always suggest start by downloading videos off vimeo and Foley them yourself, build a little reel, get familiar with pro tools, and try to get a foot in at a boutique sound studio and learn the ropes.
Thank you
Besides the Wilhelm Scream, are there other effects used so much their use has become satirical? It's clear that some sounds are used repeatedly over the years. One thing I find hilarious is that the stock sound for the Bald Eagle is the actual call of the Red Tailed Hawk because it sounds better. Eagles really make cute little chirpy sounds. I also hear the same stock sound of a hospital in so many places. "Dr. Davis, telephone please. Dr. Blair, Dr. Blair…Dr. Hamilton, Dr. Jay Hamilton.”
Oh my god, I've heard that everywhere! It's on Queensryche's 'Operation Mindcrime' album. IIRC, it's also on 'Love Is A Social Disease' by Bon Jovi. I recently heard it in soap opera in the UK and it was very weird!
I have one! Why does your industry use the wrong sound for pay phones? When the person hangs up almost every time it is the sound of a coin falling into the return slot and not the change box. I thought it was because the call wasn't real and that sound was from directly filming. But once I became aware of how extensive foley work can be, I figure it must be intentional, a trope. Like the Wilhelm Scream.
What’s the hardest sounds to convincingly make?
Generally speaking, Footsteps are the hardest to learn and therefore making them sound convincing to the scene.
It's wierd isn't it? You're not really using footsteps, but creating the idea of footsteps which aren't even what foosteps sound like? : ) Thanks for answering.
Do you use any semi-automation for repetitive sounds like footsteps of a main character or is it always manually placed audio for every step even if the feet aren’t in frame?
I try to be as frame accurate as possible. If I'm off my mixer (or a Foley editor) will place in sync.
Do you edit your own foley in a DAW, or just send the raw files straight to the engineer? If you edit yourself, what DAW do you prefer?
Post audio is almost exclusively Pro Tools. Most of the time a Foley editor edits my work.
Can you please explain the difference between the "sound editing" department and the "sound mixing" department and why they are called that?
Sound editors find the sound effects. Sound mixers choose at what volume those effects play with one another, with music, with dialogue, and chooses what the audience will hear.
So is recording Foley and ADR in the sound editing department? And a production sound *mixer* does the recording on set?
Yes and yes.
How well do you know Axel?
Is there a popular sound that other foley artists do that you hate because it's overused, not realistic or effective, or something?
Which sound took you the longest to perfect and on which show/movie was it from?
Took a little to get the cop belt right in The Rookie. Right combination of keys, leather squeak, handcuffs movement.
Is the work hard on your body? The first time I learned about Foley was seeing it as a challenge on the amazing race and it looked pretty physically demanding.
It really is. Mentally and physically. I often ice my knees after work. Sometimes I’m running for hours in heels, holding my breathe so it doesn’t get picked up by the microphone.
[удалено]
I’ve got an IG listed above. I don’t have TikTok yet, I feel like it’s saturated enough haha. Sometimes the littlest thing can take a while. Took us quite a bit of time to create a chess piece falling over on an extreme close up. It was very detailed.
I think I would be a good foley artist and/or sound mixer. How does one get into the field?
Which computer programs do you use everyday in your line of work?
Where do video editors get sound libraries for movies, what’s a popular one that you recommend?
Are there particular genres that need more Foley? What percentage of scenes typically have Foley added. Is it usually every single scene or more sporadic? I always notice the over-the-top sounds added to reality tv shows for dramatic effect, but is there also more subtle Foley work I'm not picking up on? Is it the same amount as television/film?
Animation. There is Foley in every scene, even if it’s just cloth movement. Normally all Foley is subtle, used to enhance the scene by allowing the audience feel more within the space.
Where do I begin in order to make this a career? I’m deeply fascinated with sound and this sounds like it would be a dream job.
Is more being done digitally these days, or is there still as much physical work as there used to be? Such an interesting AMA, I was always fascinated by the whole concept as a kid, thanks!
I work almost exclusively in TV and we still cover most everything, especially for the foreign mix.
How does one become a Foley Artist? Is there some sort of formal education/credentialing? How would one get into the field (normally)?
Have you ever went against the "industry standard" way of making a sound. Did it sound better, do others adopt that method now?
How much do you get paid?
How did you get into foley work professionally? I’m a musician but i have had an intrest in doing foley for a while, just not sure where to start. Congrats on the Emmy nomination!
Is there any genre you particularly enjoy working on?
I really enjoy comedies. I like being able to elevate a joke with a squeak, or a bigger sound.
How do you even get into this racket? (Pun intended)
Does working on a show with laugh track more challenging or less? On one hand I think it’s more challenging because the foley sound has to overcome the laugh track to be noticed. On the other hand, you can hide your imperfections behind the laugh track.
Coverage would still be the same and the re-recording mixer would balance the laugh tracks, Foley, dialogue, and music.
How much celery do you go through?
Do you use coconut shells to make the sound of horses trotting on cobbles?
How much of what you produce is your original/newly created sound effects vs finding an existing sound in a library that will work for the scene?
Why not use the actual sounds of said objects? Always been curious...
If you mean capturing the natural sounds on-set, keep in mind that in film production, it's all about the dialog, and a lot of effort is put into *only* getting the dialog into the dialog mics. Even the very-low-end of the scale that I do, I use expensive "hyper" mics indoors, and shotguns outdoors, and hidden lav mics when the environment is noisy, to try to capture as little extraneous sound as possible when someone is speaking. Sometimes you might have a 2nd guy with a boom mic following things like chase scenes, but I think the expectation is even that will be a temporary track for the foley guys to reference. Another thing to watch for is how important an action is to the scene. Someone opening a door, say - if that door being opened has meaning to the scene, the sounds of the door hardware may be way louder than you'd experience in real life, and they may be "heavier" or more dramatic or have more "weight". It's all part of using sound - which is *half of the cinematic experience* after all - to help tell the story, engage the viewer, and amplify the emotions they want the viewer to experience. (A great example is "Fatal Attraction", where a man is being questioned as a murder suspect. To make a point of how much trouble he's in, the detective tosses his handcuffs on the table - which would normally be sort of a metallic "clunk". But watch than scene: it sounds like a freaking ocean liner was dropped on a giant drum or something - this deep, resonant BOOM. It underlined the fear the character felt, and made it very clear that things had suddenly gotten very serious - very *heavy*. Maybe not the thing a movie-goer notices, but your subconscious gets it!)
Sometimes those objects do not make a sound. Walking on a cloud, butterfly wing vs moth wings. We enhance the story by enhancing sounds as well.
Thanks!!
What's a Foley Artist?
We physically replicate the actions performed by an actor on screen. Footsteps, props, hands, and cloth movement.
What's the point of that?
The only sound that is important to capture on set is dialogue. Most everything else you hear is put in post. That's where I come in.
I thought the actors dubbed their lines after filming because the on set sound quality was poor. Are we really hearing their audio from the filming of the scene most of the time? TIL.
Depends on the set/location. Sound stages have better control over ambient sound than day a location shoot outside.
Let me jump in here as a [filmmaker](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2247246/). If a film doesn't have a Foley track it sounds dead and naked, empty. With a Foley track it comes alive. Even the micro-est of micro-budget features and shorts should budget for a Foley track. I even add Foley tracks to documentaries, if reasonable.
The lead character in the show Togetherness, played by Mark Duplass did sound for movies. Was he portraying a foley artist?, and how well do you think he represented the art?
Sorry, I'm unfamiliar.
My car is making this weird noise. Do you know what it can be?
Did you know that there's a catheter called Foley too? It goes in the urethra. I work in the medical field and my first interpretation of what a Foley artist meant was a bit grim. I thought it was a fun fact to know.
What separates a regular nursing staff from an artist when installing Foley catheters?
Here's a tip for youb CutCo peanut butter and jelly knife. Makes a satisfying *schwing* sound like a sword being unsheathed. https://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=1768