Sound effects are one of the unsung parts of any movie or TV show – they’re best when you don’t even notice them making what you see on screen even more real, and when they’re off you notice immediately. Learn how hard this amazing craft is in this episode.
AI Summary
# Sound Effects: The Unsung Art of Movies
Ever wondered where all those realistic sounds in movies actually come from? This episode dives deep into the fascinating world of sound design and Foley artistry, exploring how nearly everything you hear that isn't dialogue or music gets created from scratch in post-production. From the legendary Jack Foley who literally invented the craft to modern-day sound artists who can make a piece of celery sound like a breaking bone, discover why computers still can't replace the nuanced creativity of Foley professionals, and learn about the surprisingly specific skills needed to make footsteps, creaking chairs, and even that iconic Wilhelm scream sound absolutely perfect on screen.
Movies Discussed
Berberian Sound Studio
"There was this movie called Berberian Sound Studio back in 2012. Did you see it? I've never heard of it. — Josh mentions Berberian Sound Studio as an art house film about a Foley artist set entirely in a sound studio."
— Josh
Billy Madison
"You're like Billy Madison playing dodge ball in Billy Madison. — Josh compares Chuck's laser tag strategy to the dodgeball scene in Billy Madison."
— Josh
Blow Out
"There was a whole movie about that blow-up, or I'm sorry, blowout with John Travolta where he played a guy that captures the sound of a car crash. — Josh references Blow Out as an example of a movie centered around sound recording and a car crash."
— Josh
Dazed and Confused
"If it's like dazed and confused or something like that, this really music reliant, you know you're going to have to spend a lot of money on that. — Josh uses Dazed and Confused as an example of a music-heavy film that requires significant budget allocation for soundtrack rights."
— Josh
Distant Drums
"He's the guy who sang that. And it was in a movie called Distant Drums. — Josh explains that Sheb Woolley recorded the Wilhelm scream for Distant Drums."
— Josh
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
"The E.T. sound, they needed E.T. to sound a certain way when E.T. walked around, because they needed them to sound like an ET. — Josh describes how Foley artists created E.T.'s walking sounds using jello, damp t-shirts, and raw liver."
— Josh
Fight Club
"Apparently in Fight Club, chicken carcasses were pounded with baseball bats, along with the sounds of cracking walnuts. — Chuck discusses the Foley techniques used to create realistic punch sounds in Fight Club."
— Chuck
Jurassic Park
"A hand inside of melon apparently was when that first dinosaur egg hatches. Sorry. Spoiler alert. In Jurassic Park, it was a hand inside of the melon combined with the cracking of an ice cream cone. — Josh describes the Foley technique combining a hand in a melon and ice cream cone crack for the dinosaur egg hatching scene."
— Josh
Raiders of the Lost Ark
"Raiders of the Lost Ark, that famous boulder rolling at Indy in the beginning of the movie, first movie. Yeah. It was a car with no motor being rolled down a hill. — Josh explains that the boulder sound in Raiders of the Lost Ark was created using a motorless car rolled down a hill."
— Josh
Spartacus
"And his last movie was Spartacus in 1960. He did scores, probably hundreds and hundreds of movies. — Josh notes that Spartacus was Jack Foley's final film credit as a Foley artist."
— Josh
Star Wars
"Ben Burt came along for Star Wars. And he'd seen just tons of Westerns as a kid. — Josh discusses how Ben Burtt used the Wilhelm scream in Star Wars and revolutionized sound design for the franchise."
— Josh
The Charge at Feather River
"There was a movie called The Charge at Feather River, and a character named Private Wilhelm gets shot in the leg by an arrow, and he screams the Wilhelm scream. — Josh explains that The Charge at Feather River featured the Wilhelm scream and inspired its name."
— Josh
The Color of Money
"Universal had already gotten the movie Showboat in the can as a silent film. Right. And they said, we want to change this into a talkie. — Josh discusses how Universal converted Showboat from silent to talkie format, where Jack Foley did early sound effects work."
— Josh
The Jazz Singer
"The jazz singer, as we've mentioned in other episodes, was the first sort of widely released, successful talkie. — Josh identifies The Jazz Singer as the first widely successful talking picture, marking the transition from silent to sound films."
— Josh
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
"Has Ruby taking you to the new naked gun? I took myself, Scotty and I went. — Chuck mentions watching the new Naked Gun movie with Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson."
— Chuck
Titanic
"At the end of Titanic, Kate Winslet is floating on a door or a piece of wood or something. And she's freezing cold, and they used, apparently, frozen lettuce to recreate the sound of her hair moving. — Chuck explains how frozen lettuce was used as a Foley effect for Kate Winslet's hair in the famous freezing scene."
— Chuck
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