WHAT DOES A FOLEY ARTIST DO? (In the Entertainment industry. What Does A Foley Artist Do?)

Foley Artist in Action / Photo Credit: yle.fi/uutiset/ - Regard Post

WHAT DOES A FOLEY ARTIST DO? (In the Entertainment industry. What Does A Foley Artist Do?)

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What Does A Foley Artist Do?

Jack Donovan Foley is the father of motion picture sound effects. Though he never received a screen credit for his work, Foley invented many of the techniques for creating (or re-creating) sound effects for film, television, and radio. During the filming of Spartacus (1960), Stanley Kubrick wanted to reshoot a scene of the massive Roman army to get the sound of their metal shields and swords clashing just right; Foley jingled a set of keys in front of a microphone and called it a day. The pioneer has since been vindicated, as every Foley artist working in film, TV, and video games bears his name.

The Foley Editor adds subtle sounds that production microphones often miss. These often relate to movement, such as footsteps, fights, fist banging on a door, or pouring wine, shards of glass falling from a broken window. The process gives scenes added realism. It is named after the American film sound pioneer Jack Foley.

Depending on the scale of the film, Foley Editors usually start work at the end of picture editing. If the film includes a lot of action, they start work earlier. The Foley Editor, the Supervising Sound Editor and usually the Director and/or the Picture Editor attend a Spotting Session. This is a creative meeting where the film is viewed, stopping whenever necessary to discuss what the Director wishes to achieve in different scenes.

Every Foley effect required is noted and organized into tracks. This can amount to thousands of effects. Foley Editors will often have to track down specific objects for some effects. This preparation can take several days or weeks.

Foley Editors make and record all these sounds in specialist sound studios. It can take from five days to five weeks, depending on the budget and scale of the film. In the studio, the Foley Editor works with the Foley Artist and the Foley Mixer.

Foley Artists create the sounds in front of a projected picture and may try several different ways get the right effect. Foley Mixers record each performance and are responsible for the positioning of the microphones and the perspective of the recorded Foley. Foley Editors must keep track of the many thousands of Foley elements recorded, and monitor the overall feel of the combined sound as the session progresses.

After the Studio recording, Foley Editors fit all the Foleys to the images in perfect sync. They work in cutting rooms using computer software. As with all other sound, the Foley tracks are smoothed-out (cross faded) before the Re-Recording Mixer undertakes the Final Mix.

Foley Editors are either employed by Audio Post Production Houses, or work as freelancers who are employed directly by film production companies and use dry-hire rooms close to the other Sound Editors. They work on film and television productions, and the hours are long.

Reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best Foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience. It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene. Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and uncomfortable.

Foley artists recreate the realistic ambient sounds that the film portrays. The props and sets of a film often do not react the same way acoustically as their real life counterparts. Foley sounds are used to enhance the auditory experience of the movie. Foley can also be used to cover up unwanted sounds captured on the set of a movie during filming, such as overflying airplanes or passing traffic.

The term "Foley" also means a place, such as Foley-stage or Foley-studio, where the Foley process takes place.

Duties

In real life, everything makes a sound. We associate all actions with a certain noise, and without that familiar auditory indicator, the images we see on screen feel artificial and flat. Live sound is recorded during principal photography, but after reshooting and editing, that audio track does not always match. It is the job of the Foley artist to fill in the footsteps, crash-bangs, and other movement-associated sounds. To do this, the artist has at his or her disposal an arsenal of props: sandbags; an endless collection of shoes, hammers, car doors, and weapons; and a refrigerator stocked with noisy food like celery, pudding, and ice cubes. Pulling from their bag of tricks, these artists turn pine cones into cracking knuckles or a feather duster into flapping wings.

During post-production, the artist performs on a Foley stage while watching the film or video in real time. For every sound effect that must be recorded, movement is physically re-created to produce the appropriate effect. If the scene calls for a woman to run down a fire escape in her Manolo Blahniks, the Foley artist will put on a pair of heels and stomp along a metal stair, matching the actress step-for-step. The artist duplicates every car-door slam, sucker punch, and window smash—or something acoustically approximate—live. Foley artists also devise brand-new sounds for computer-generated characters and objects, creatively imagining the gnashing of Gollum’s teeth or the charging gait of the Jabberwocky.

Skills & Education

There are no specific educational requirements for this job. Most Foley artists pick up the craft while training under a veteran mentor. An education in audio production and recording arts can give you the necessary technical expertise, and coursework in film and TV production can teach you about the post-production process. To learn how best to approximate the sound of ribs cracking or laundry blowing in the wind, you’ll just have to experiment for yourself. This job requires a creative thinker, someone who is observant and has a keen ear for subtle sonic differences.

What to Expect

Skilled Foley artists are needed for film, television shows, and video games. This is a freelance role, and the trade can take years to master. To move toward a career in Foley, look for positions in the production sound department, at a post-production studio, or as an assistant on the sound editing crew. Most importantly, you must network. Be proactive in seeking out other artists. Most Foley artists who realize their dream of working on major motion pictures, TV shows, and games will spend a lifetime dedicated to honing their skills and innovating new techniques. These artists rarely make a lateral leap from this role, but work their way up from unknown noisemaker to sought-after master craftsman.

Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, Daily Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Ella Laryen,

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Foley Artist in Action / Photo Credit: yle.fi/uutiset/ - Regard Post