What is a Foley Artist?
The last job listed, Foley artist, is one that students are probably least familiar with.
Ask students:
Why might you need to add sounds in post-production instead of just recording sounds live?
Prompts:
- Could live sounds sometimes interfere with other things you need to hear?
- Are there things that might not make a “live” sound?
- Are there things where the real sound wouldn’t be loud enough or wouldn’t sound “right”?
Sample Think-Aloud:
Some sounds might make it hard to hear the actors talking, or two sounds at the same time might make it hard to tell what you’re hearing.
Cracking an egg doesn’t really make much noise, but you’d want a loud and clear “crack” if you’re showing it in a movie.
Now have students look around the classroom and identify things that can make noise. (Example: Chalk, a clock, windows opening or closing, door hinges, pencil sharpener, etc.)
Ask:
- Which of these could you use to make a different sound? (For example, swinging a metre stick makes a “whoosh” sound that could be a bird’s wings)
- What are some ways you could make these sounds if you didn’t have access to the real thing? (For example, you might click a retractable pen to make the ticking sound of a clock.)
Have the students work together to make a brief (5-10 seconds) “soundscape” that would tell viewers or listeners that a scene is set in a classroom.
- Which of the sounds they identified would most clearly say “classroom” to a listener?
- Which sounds can they perform with the real thing?
- Which sounds will they have to make in some other way? (For example, students might identify a bell as essential, but you can’t make the bell ring on command. How else could you make that sound?)