This week we learned about sound and how much weight it carries during some of our favorite TV shows and movies, for something that can almost go unnoticed there is a lot to be said about sound. Quickly I’m going to redefine what the three types of sound we learned about are so that we have them for reference:

Non-diegetic sound is kind of a mystery. It is not seen and it creates the mood of a scene, it helps set the tone for what is going on, on screen for the viewer.

Digetic is sound that is noticeable. This can include many things: the dialogue of the characters, the source of the sound (props moving around, people walking, etc.) However, it is not necessary that the viewer see where exactly the sound is coming from.

Mis en scène includes the big picture of the scene, the actors, the lighting, the music, the camera angles, the performance and delivery. This gives the viewer a very well rounded idea of what is going on in the scene.

In one of my other classes, J412: The US Film Industry our instructor, Dr. Hannah taught us that creating these kinds of sound actually belongs to specific people in Hollywood. Unfortunately, this job is considered “below-the-line” meaning that these people often don’t receive the credit they deserve and they are usually paid less than they ought to be. These people are called Foleys Artists, they add the sound during post-production of films and TV shows.

I read an article on a well-known Foley Artist, Gregg Barbanell, the article explained the job like this,

“These folks are responsible for recording nearly every footstep and prop sound in the movies — the things that you never really notice, yet bring a scene to life. It’s at once one of the most important elements in film, and the most overlooked. Unlike sound effects editors, Foley artists don’t rely on libraries of pre-recorded sounds: they perform them “live,” using creativity, intuition, and a small dose of physics.”

I have to agree with the statement that what they create are often the most important but most overlooked elements of what goes into the production of films and TV shows. Some of the sounds people like Barbanell are responsible for creating are, thunder, wind, rain, horse hooves and the sound of a homerun ball being hit. Thinking about all that goes into the recreation of these sounds is almost mind-blowing, when I hear thunder or rain I never think “oh I wonder how to recreate that sound?”, but lucky for movie viewers, the Foley artists think of these things.

The art of Foley itself could be an entire weeks lesson for the sake of this class, there is so much that goes into it and it is most definitely an art form and a science. According to Barbanell there are three components to break down his work: cloth, feet and props. “’If there’s a scene where the dialogue has been replaced, and the background noise has been stripped out, making subtle clothing noises makes it sound more real.’ To emulate the sounds of subtle actions like an actor crossing his legs, Barbanell rubs pieces of specifically-selected fabric together.” How specific is that!? Personally, when I watched the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer this week I was paying more attention to the music but now I want to go back and focus on more of the digetic sound that a Foley Artist would have created and see the difference that those added details make.

In this attached video, Emmy nominated Foley Artist Caoimhe Doyle is being interviewed and she says that, “80-90 percent of the sound is recreated,” and that, “on the day of the filming the priority is dialogue,” so the work of a Foley Artist comes in after the fact. She goes on to say that, “the sound will tell us how we’re feeling,” I notice in the class discussion that this was a common theme a lot of people brought up. There is so much creativity that goes into this work, Barbanell owns over 100 pairs of shoes just for his work and Doyle recreated the sound of a bone breaking during her interview by twisting stocks of celery.

After this week’s assignment and researching further into the art of sound techniques I have a much better understanding and appreciation for the people who create the viewing experience for the audience. Doyle said in her interview that, “There is a marriage between sound and what you see,” and that is where Foley Artists come into play. Here is the interview with Doyle where she demonstrates how some of these sounds are made.

Crockett, Z. (2015, March 31). The Man Who Makes Hollywood’s Smallest Sounds. Retrieved May 7, 2015, from http://priceonomics.com/the-man-who-makes-hollywoods-smallest-sounds/

 

News Talk (2013). Emmy Nominated Foley Artist Caoimhe Doyle Demonstrates Movie Sound Effects [Radio series episode]. In News Talk 106-108FM.