Question 1

What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

Eric Crepeau · Accepted Answer

“The best thing an aspiring Foley Engineer can do is to begin working on creative projects. They don’t need anyone’s permission to start. Even if it’s in a different position in the sound field it’s good to get as much experience as possible.
“Building up a resume with other credentials from the post sound world will make it more likely to land a job in the Foley Department when it opens up.
“It isn’t easy to get a job working as a Foley artist so when the opportunity arises, interested people need to be prepared for it. Once someone gets the job it’ll be a fast learning curve so the more experience with microphones a person has the better.”

Question 2

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Eric Crepeau · Accepted Answer

“Expectations are the biggest problem in the post sound world. It’s on both sides. There is a culture of people who don’t want to pay for sounds or post sound work. They don’t understand the time it takes to do the job well or how much work goes into becoming an expert at the software.
“Often it isn’t coming from a bad place either; Directors and Producers are donating hours of their life to a passion project so they expect everyone else should do the same. However, while post sound is creative it doesn’t have the same glamour that shooting, editing or directing have.
“This belief bleeds over into the post sound world a bit. Rates aren’t very high in a lot of the post sound houses. A lot of people move out to Los Angeles, get a job at a post sound house and are clobbered with work but don’t make a ton of money.
“It’s difficult to live and aspiring Foley Engineers need to be prepared for that reality. It takes a long time to get into the union and make decent money with somewhat regulated hours.”

Question 3

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

Eric Crepeau · Accepted Answer

“Is it a glamorous job?
“A lot of aspiring Foley Engineers have a slanted view of what the job is going to be. Many of the videos online are of professionals like Ed Burke creating a unique machine to create the Wall-E sounds for Disney. They don’t show the grunt work of recording footsteps for the thousandth time or sitting alone in a dark room at a computer for hours on end. That doesn’t make a good promotional video!
“A lot of times it really is just going through an entire scene then re-watching it to make sure that everything is covered, like an Actor’s elbow bumping a door as they walk by.
“If that life sounds awesome to a person then they are on the right track but if it sounds even the least bit boring it may be good to check out a different department in the post sound world. It’s good to know going in that this job is a lot of sitting alone in a dark room.”

Question 4

What is one thing I should have asked which I didn’t?

Eric Crepeau · Accepted Answer

“The Foley Engineer is always mixing their work so that it sounds correct. Even while they are running the session they are using plug-ins on the Foley Artist’s work so it sits right. They’re constantly altering the levels where needed, running the board to make sure that nothing is coming in too quiet.
“Then they work with the levels to make sure that a hand touching a rail has the proper volume dynamic as the sound of footsteps. One shouldn’t be crazy louder than the other.
“It’s also important to adjust the sounds so they are the correct distance from the camera in a shot. For example, it would be weird to hear loud footsteps in a wide shot but would sound normal in a closeup of shoes walking. Shaping the sounds requires a lot of creative technical knowledge.
“Beyond even just the correct technological aspects, a Foley Artist needs to know their room. They should be aware of how the signal comes in, if there are different resonant qualities in different parts of the room, or if there are dead spots. All those factors play into mixing because if there is a problem, it’s the Engineer’s job to fix it.”

Question 5

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Eric Crepeau · Accepted Answer

“Uncompromising. Anytime I’m working on a project I’m going to do my best work even if it’s a terrible movie.”

Question 6

What does a Foley Engineer do?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

A Foley Engineer is part of the post-production sound team. Together with Foley Artists and Foley Editors, they create and record the ambient sounds that are part of a film.

Question 7

How much does a Foley Engineer make?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

The salary of a Foley Engineer depends on multiple factors, including their experience, union status, number of gigs booked in a given year, and the budgets of those gigs. Some veteran Foley Engineers can earn up to $500 per day on a project. Individuals who are still early in their careers or working toward union membership may earn less than half that amount for a single day’s work.

Question 8

How do you become a Foley Engineer?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

The position of Foley Engineer is one of multiple skillsets that require time and practice to earn. For this reason, those looking to enter this career will likely start with an entry-level job within a post-production facility.
Working in any capacity with post sound will allow aspiring Foley Engineers to learn the different processes of integrating sound with picture on a film. As they gain experience and industry connections, they can rise through the ranks of post sound to eventually become a Foley Engineer.

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