'The Secret World of Foley' Is a Delightful Look at the Unsung Heroes of Film

Making a film takes many talented people working in varied areas, a fact I've recently come to fully appreciate as they film "Fast and Furious 8" here in Cleveland. The Foley artist is one of the unsung heroes, for if their work is done well, we don't notice it at all. This film is a lovely look inside the world of Foley.

I have to admit that I didn't fully appreciate the job a good Foley artist does until I saw this film. The level of precision that goes into creating convincing ambient sounds is amazing, and it's clear these artists have a remarkable instinct and love for their craft. I've scored for films before, and it was hard enough writing music that was loosely in sync with the larger structural points of the film; designing sounds that mimics real life, then creating and recording them so that they're perfectly timed, have the right dynamics, sense of position, etc. is just mind-boggling to me, particularly when I see the process. I know that the next time I go to a movie, I'll have a new appreciation for every little sound that I hear and what went into making it seem as if it had always been there. 

[via Gizmodo]

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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2 Comments

True dedication to their craft

Great video.