Foley artist

The foley artist on a film crew is the person who creates and records many of the sound effects. Foley artists, editors, and supervisors are highly specialized and are essential for producing a professional-sounding soundtrack suitable for distribution and exhibition.

Related Topics:
Film crew - Sound effect - Soundtrack

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Sound effects are rarely recorded at the same time as dialogue and action, since the sound mix is so difficult to balance; the foley artist listens to the dialogue track for the (usually quite faint) sounds of, for instance, footsteps, a door slam, etc. and records them onto a new track in synch with the action onscreen. Other sound effects are drawn from recorded libraries, but many directors prefer the direct involvement of the foley artist.

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The foley artist also adds sounds that may not exist at all on the original track: for instance, thumping watermelons or cracking bamboo to create the sounds of a fight. Many foley artists take pride in constructing their own sound effects apparatus, frequently using simple, common materials. Some of the "making-of" features show foley artists at work. The contrast between the action on the screen and the down-home effects is striking.

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The name comes from one of the original and well-known Hollywood practitioners of this art, Jack Foley, who got his start in the film business as a stand-in and screenwriter during the silent era and later helped Universal make the transition to sound..

Related Topics:
Jack Foley - Stand-in - Screenwriter - Silent era - Universal

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