Jack Foley was a pioneer in film sound effects who developed the unique technique of performing sound effects live during a film's post-production to match the on-screen action. Working in Hollywood from the 1920s-1960s, Foley helped enhance films through realistic sounds that audiences often did not realize were added later. His method of creating footsteps, clothing movements, and other sounds through props and expertise is still used today to immerse viewers in a film's narrative world.

1. Jack Foley
Maddie Tod and Misha Conrad

3. Jack Foley
● Born in 1891 and died in 1967.
● Creator and developer of many sound effect techniques used in filmmaking. He is
credited with developing a unique method for performing sound effects live and in
sync with the picture during a film's post-production.
● Working in Hollywood on films such as Melody of Love (1928), Show Boat (1929),
Spartacus, and Operation Petticoat.
● Foley = The most efficient and effective way to enhance the audio in films.

4. ● Foley started off simply to create
the sound of the movement in clothes
and footsteps.
● Although Jack Foley created the
concept of foley sound and brought it
to film, without people even
realising it it existed before, in
the time of radios. As they would
create radio dramas in a room
creating different noises.

5. ● Although Jack Foley worked in cinema for 40 years, he
was never properly acknowledged in the end credits.
His work was meant to be unrecognised by the audience
so they would think that all the sounds they were
hearing were real.
● Foley sounds should be unrecognisable when done
properly to sound more realistic.
● Even when we know the sounds aren’t authentic we play
along with the illusion when watching a film which
allows us to follow the narrative.

6. Why is foley important?
● Technology has given foley editors
great flexibility to manipulate sound
effects, but foley is still done “in
the same way it has been performed
since the 1930s when Jack Foley first
did it: we stand in front of the
microphone and watch the screen and do
it when the actor does it.”
● It’s still relevant today.

7. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the king
Simon Hewitt - Foley artist
Phil Heywood - Foley artist
Adrian Medhurst - Foley artist
Peter Mills - Foley editor
Katy Wood - Foley editor
Clip starts at 0:47

8. Foley sound in Lord Of the Rings clip
Horses
Sweeping
Mugs clinking
Placing mugs on table and moving mugs
Clapping
Catching flower bouquet

9. Mr & Mrs Smith
Dawn Fintor - Foley artist
Alicia Stevenson - Foley artist
Jeremy Pitts - Foley editor
David Betancourt - Foley mixer
Start clip at 0:17

10. Foley sound in Mr & Mrs Smith
Footsteps
Cart rolling
Knife throw
Man falling over
Hit on the head
Knife in leg, tearing clothes
Throwing knife on floor

12. examples of foley sounds
Dog paws - gloves with paper clips
Bird wings - feather duster
Thunderstorm - shaking a branch of leaves
Cracking ice - pine cones
Wind - Shaking a piece of cloth

13. References
● https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Foley_(sound_effects_artist)
● http://irishamerica.com/2012/01/jack-foley-and-the-art-of-sound/
● https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foley_Room_at_the_Sound_Design_Campus_(cropped).jpg
● http://filmsound.org/foley/jackfoley.htm
● http://irishamerica.com/2012/01/jack-foley-and-the-art-of-sound/
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO3N_PRIgX0 The Magic of Making Sound | That's Amazing