Making Noise: The Endangered Craft of Foley Sound

When we’re engrossed in watching a movie, most of us don’t pay close attention to all of the sounds playing in the background. But what we hear subconsciously is often what makes films feel “real”—water rushing in a stream, the clink of ice in a glass, footsteps, the crackle of dry branches underfoot. Since the early days of cinema, Foley artists have been creating these kinds of acoustic layers by hand, using everyday objects, movement, and deep listening.

In today's story, “Making Noise: The Endangered Craft of Foley Sound,” we visit a Foley sound studio in San Francisco. We learn why this specific type of audio craft is critical to filmmaking—and which parts of it can’t be easily replaced by digital technology.

This story was written and narrated by Craftsmanship's contributing editor, Jeff Greenwald. Read the original story on Substack: https://craftsmanship.substack.com/p/making-noise-the-endangered-craft

Jeff Greenwald's website: https://jeffgreenwald.com/bio/

Special thanks to Outpost Studio SF! We used clips of their work from the films "Amina" and "A Thousand Pines," and from a commercial for LinkedIn, as well as the 
"Canyonlands" episode of the Mindsource series.

Craftsmanship is a multimedia publication about artisans and innovators who are creating a world built to last. More episodes—along with original feature stories, short videos, and more—can be found on www.craftsmanship.net.

Music in this series is from Blue Dot Sessions. Todd Oppenheimer is the founding editor and executive director of the magazine and its parent organization, The Craftsmanship Initiative. Laurie Weed is the magazine's managing editor.

Outpost Studio in San Francisco: https://outpoststudiosf.com/

Craftsmanship's podcast page: https://craftsmanship.net/podcasts/

Subscribe to Craftsmanship on Substack: https://craftsmanship.substack.com/