While people are quick to praise a film’s cinematography, music, special effects and editing, the art of sound effects creation, or Foley, usually goes unnoticed.
However, unlike those other aspects of filmmaking, Foley artists don’t want their work to stand out – their work exists to convince you that a film’s sound effects were captured on location. You’re not supposed to realise that what you’re hearing is often something completely different to what you’re seeing – you’re simply supposed to believe it.
Think you’re hearing someone getting punched? It’s likely just the sound of some lettuce being head-butted. What about the sound of a horse’s galloping? Nope – a Foley artist, sitting on his or her knees, created that effect by rhythmically smacking a pair of empty coconut shells on a shallow pile of dirt.
Whether it’s the sound of a sword being unsheathed or swiped through the air, or someone walking through snow, or even a nose being broken, a team of Foley artists created those noises from the confines of a small studio, long after the film’s principal photography has been completed.
The short film The Secret World of Foley stars foley artists Pete Burgis and Sue Harding and paints a lovely portrait of them at work. Which means using play doh to mimic fish, rowing in a barrel filled with water to recreate rowing a boat on a lake, using a hose as a waterfall, and so much more. The craft of making noises knows no bounds.