# Foley question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874 "2012-07-20T19:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/1 "2012-07-20T19:04:11Z")
So, the bunch of us finally got around to seeing _The Avengers_ and we hung around through the credits because we were pretty sure there would be a monk’s reward at the end (there was). While the minutiae were crawling by we were making jokes (I wanna see who the caterer is) when my sister-in-law said she’d always been fascinated by foley and liked to see who the foley artists are. Then she asked, “How does one become a foley artist, anyway?” There she had me. Are there classes in foley at [CalArts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Arts)’ film division. Do you kind of hang around the sound editor making a pest of yourself? Is there some kind of apprenticeship program? Just how would a bright-eyed, busy-tailed, heavy-footed youngster get started in the world of foley recording? ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/2 "2012-07-20T19:59:19Z")
How to break into a media career as a [Foley Artist](http://getinmedia.com/careers/foley-artist). In short, less formal training, more on-the-job and working with mentors. Low pay, freelance for the most part. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/3 "2012-07-20T20:39:24Z")
I think the Sound Effects dept. is taking over a lot of the work of Foley artists. The sounds are already recorded and easy to edit in, and new sounds can be created electronically also. Old time film makers may be keeping the art alive for nostalgic reasons. (Some new film makers have an old time attitude also) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/4 "2012-07-21T13:35:56Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I think the Sound Effects dept. is taking over a lot of the work of Foley artists. The sounds are already recorded and easy to edit in, and new sounds can be created electronically also. Old time film makers may be keeping the art alive for nostalgic reasons. (Some new film makers have an old time attitude also) Maybe, but the problem with using canned sources is that people start recognizing them after a while. How many jillion times have you heard that red-tailed hawks’ scree when there’s a bird on the screen that doesn’t even sound like that? Over on the visual side CGI’s da bomb but there’s still an awful lot of practical effects being done. I’d bet even a decade or two from now there’ll be a call for someone to use an old wallet to mimic squeaky leather shoes. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/5 "2012-07-21T14:16:28Z")
I’ve heard the same five note “dungeon water drip” since Quake everywhere. Always did like the sound of snapping celery for breaking bones. Chilling. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/6 "2012-07-21T17:56:40Z")
Seeing the thread title and being a medical-type person, I started to wonder what such a question was doing in Cafe Society… Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/7 "2012-07-21T21:07:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Seeing the thread title and being a medical-type person, I started to wonder what such a question was doing in Cafe Society… > > Nevermind. Yes it’s confusing. It could be about either a Dave Foley Catheter or a Mick Foley Catheter. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/8 "2012-07-21T21:27:36Z")
If I hear that same damn stock baby sound in one more movie/tvshow/commercial, I will snap! Is it that hard to go record a different baby now and then? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/9 "2012-07-23T15:50:54Z")
We have an audio department at our school, and the students have at least two classes dealing with Foley. They are strongly encouraged to create new sounds/sound effects, and are shown how to use and market them. I have seen some of their final projects that are way cool! They get about a 10 minute snippet of silent film and have to put in all the sound - from door opening, weather, footsteps, etc. to the background music (but no dialogue) - and it is quite amazing to see how each student can take that same bit of film and do so many different things. There are layers and layers of sound tracks involved, and each layer has to be timed perfectly, as well as all the varying sound levels. They spend a lot of time learning this, and even more time on those final projects. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/10 "2012-07-23T17:49:20Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > …\*\*a monk’s reward \*\*at the end Is this a commonly-understood term? Never heard it before. Ignorance fought, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/11 "2012-07-23T18:36:02Z")
There is a really great short on the Lord Of The Rings extended edition DVD (“the making of LOTR”) on the sound effects and the truly whacky lengths the team went to in order to get them. Worth looking up. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/12 "2012-07-24T20:00:25Z")
And the Manheim Scream really really really REALLY needs to be retired. For good. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/13 "2012-07-24T20:18:22Z")
You mean Wilhelm? ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2012, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/14 "2012-07-24T22:48:45Z")
> [@Scubaqueen](#): > > And the Manheim Scream really really really REALLY needs to be retired. For good. I dunno, that’s one I like to hear, wilhelm that is. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/15 "2012-07-25T00:24:31Z")
I’m thinking someone conflated the Wilhelm Scream with [Mannheim Steamroller](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannheim_Steamroller) - which _also_ needs to disappear. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/16 "2012-07-26T05:50:27Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I’m thinking someone conflated the Wilhelm Scream with [Mannheim Steamroller](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannheim_Steamroller) - which _also_ needs to disappear. I’m trying to work a gaffer joke into this and failing. 😛 I love the idea of whatever school doing that with the silent films; sounds like an amazing project to do at home with kids, get them creative juices flowing! ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/17 "2012-07-26T13:02:33Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Is this a commonly-understood term? Never heard it before. Ignorance fought, I suppose. That’s what I came in here to ask, too! Never heard that term before. And what the heck constitutes a Wilhelm Scream? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foley-question/628874/18 "2012-07-26T13:18:52Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > That’s what I came in here to ask, too! Never heard that term before. And what the heck constitutes a Wilhelm Scream? > **[Wilhelm scream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_scream)** > > The Wilhelm scream is an iconic stock sound effect that has been used in many films, TV series, and other media, first originating from the 1951 film Distant Drums. The scream is often used in scenarios when someone is shot, falls from a great height, or is thrown from an explosion. The scream is named after Private Wilhelm, a character in The Charge at Feather River, a 1953 Western in which the character gets shot in the thigh with an arrow. This was its first use following its inclusion in th...