Sound Effects help tell the story in audio. They tell you where or when the story takes place. They tell you about the action, how events are unfolding. The Old Time Radio guys called themselves Sound Effects Artists. They would not like to be called "Foley" performers. Jack Foley is known for organizing and standardizing sound effects for films, but the name of Foley effects has blurred over into audio as well.
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FOLEY ARTISTS
Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects which are added in post-production to enhance the quality of audio for films, television, video, video games and radio.[1] These 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.[2] It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene. Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and uncomfortable.
Jack Donovan Foley (1891-1967) began what is now known as Foley art in 1927.[3] He had started working with Universal Studios in 1914 during the silent movie era. When Warner studios released its first film to include sound, The Jazz Singer, Universal knew it needed to get on the bandwagon and called for any employees who had radio experience to come forward.[3] Foley became part of the sound crew that would turn Universal’s then upcoming “silent” musical Show Boat into the musical that it is known as today. Because the microphones used for filming could not pick up more than dialogue, other sounds had to be added in after the film was shot.[3] Foley and his small crew would project the film on a screen while recording a single track of audio that would capture their live sound effects in real time.[3] Their timing had to be perfect so that footsteps and closing doors would sync with the actors' motions in the film. Jack Foley created sounds for films until his death in 1967.[3] His methods are still employed today.
Modern Foley art has progressed as recording technology has progressed. Today, sounds do not have to be recorded live on a single track of audio. They can be captured separately on individual tracks and carefully synced with their visual counterpart.[4] Foley studios employ hundreds of props and digital effects to recreate the ambient sounds of their films.
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Read about how some Foley Artists create sound effects by clicking here. You may be really surprised how some sounds originated.
To learn how to create your own sound effects like a Radio Theater Foley Operator, click here.
Wanna know how to talk like a big time sound designer? Here's where you can learn the lingo to talk like the pros.
RESPONSE PROMPTS:
1) Imagine you were the foley operator for "Sorry, Wrong Number." What sounds would you change? Why?
2) Look at the script you have selected for your performance. Create a list/chart of all the places you think that sound or music would enhance the scene, describe the sounds/song you would add, explain your choices.
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