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What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Arts, Audio-Video Technology and Communications cluster Audio and Video Technology and Film pathway.

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Education counts for little in the foley biz. In order to become a foley artist, you're going to have to hitch your star to one of the handful of artists already working in the business. Most are in the Los Angeles area. The rest live in New York and San Francisco.

Foley artist Gregg Barbanell started out as a sound editor and, almost by accident, discovered he had a knack for foley work.

Foley artist Lise Wedlock entered the field after spending some time working at a community cable station and studying theater. Theater threatened to offer a meager living, so when Wedlock discovered her teacher's husband was a foley artist, she jumped at the chance to assist him. "You have to put yourself in situations where you're going to meet people," she says.

There are a few things you can work on if you want to be a foley artist. Train your ear. Have a listen to your favorite movie. Listen closely for sounds and see if they work or not. Then try to figure out how you might make it better.

"If it doesn't sound right, you have to think, how do you get there from here?" says Barbanell.

Learn a bit about physics. When you strike two objects in the air, that will make a different sound than striking them together on the floor. You also need to know how to make sounds bigger, smaller, thinner, roomier or really close.

"That takes time to develop. The more experienced you are, the better the results can be and the faster you can get results," says Barbanell. And speed counts, because studio time can cost $3,000 a day.

In the United States, foley artists once belonged to the Motion Pictures Editors Guild, but that has since changed.

"It makes you feel very insecure," says Wedlock. "I'm still scraping to get money and begging producers for a job."

Schooling is another problem. Artists have to rely on contacts to get their foot in the door.

"You have to find somebody willing to let you come in and hang out on some sessions," says Barbanell. "It's a pretty closed deal. You've got to spend a great deal of time sitting and watching. There's no such thing as a formula with this."

Contact

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    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

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