I wanna be a foley artist!!

Australia
March 18, 2008 12:40am CST
I received an article on Foley Artists this morning and thought it sounded like a very interesting job. Basically it's the foley's job to recreate sound effects for a movie. Example- branches sratching on windows, the 'doof!' sound when someone gets punched and high heels walking on concrete. I have always loved the sound effects in movies, although they're not quite as realistic as real life sound effects. I looked at a website: http://www.marblehead.net/foley/specifics.html and got these tips for creating great realistic sound effects. I think it would be great fun to play around with different props and a recorder! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Corn Starch in a leather pouch makes the sound of snow crunch A pair of gloves sounds like bird wing flaps An arrow or thin stick makes a great whoosh! An old chair makes a controllable creaking sound A water soaked rusty hinge when placed against different surfaces makes a great creaking sound. Notice how various surfaces act as a sounding board to amplify and change the sound: this is an important principal of Foley and sound creation! A heavy staple gun and a other metal parts make can make a good gun sound A metal rake makes a great fence sound (and when scraped across metal makes a great metal screech - if you can stand it!) You will need a car door and a fender which you can pickup at a wrecking yard - they are good for car and other heavy metal sounds. If you can fit a whole car in the studio, even better! Burning black plastic Glad garbage bags (cut open a bag and strip it into thin pieces) will make a cool sound as the bag melts and drips to the ground THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS!!! 1/4" audio tape when balled up sounds like grass (we walk on it!) or flowers A wet balloon makes a weird sound when rubbed: this is funny more than practical! 'Flubber' (they sell it in toy stores) is great for wet swuishy sounds; so is gelatin and liquid hand soap. Frozen romaine lettuce (I used this in the 'War Of The Worlds' television series for alien head squishes!) makes a great bone or head squishy noise Coconuts shells cut in half and stuffed with padding makes great sounding horse feet (I swear I still use this trick): it takes some skill to make good sounding ones (not too hollow or thin) but it works! Cellophane can make the sound of crackling fire (the effects editor should do the fire but in a pinch it does work) You will need a wooden door - apart from door knocks and other movement sounds, they make great wooden boat noises when laid across a heavy wooden stool (the stool gives the door a resonance and helps with the creaking A heavy rolled and taped up telephone book makes a good 'body punching' surface
3 responses
@raychill (6525)
• United States
18 Mar 08
When I went to broadcasting school it was nice cause we learned about Foley artists. Except the Foley character who is credited for creating the art of sound effects was not actually the real creator. I learned that as well. But it's definitely an interesting and creative career fo' sho.
1 person likes this
• Australia
20 Mar 08
So was his name Jack Foley? So he's not even the guy who created it? Interesting. Do you know who it was and why they credit him with being the creator?
@mummymo (23706)
18 Mar 08
I had never heard that expression before but it sure does sound like a fun job! I will make sure that my kids don't see this discussion - they can make enough weird noises as it is! lol xxx
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 09
Late response, but we are learning about foley artists in my video class. It sounds like an interesting hobby but probably not a job. Cramped space (usually), and lots of stressful deadlines and you don't really get a salary, just commission. But I do remember going to Universal Studios, where they have some movie sets and stuff and they had a tour of a foley stage where they had people in the audience recreate the foley noises from a scene in a movie (I forget which) and it was pretty cool! They had a barrel full of broken glass and debris with a crank that sounded like a bomb went off in a kitchen.