Do you know most of the sounds in movies are artificially made? All sounds, like simmering soup, metallic sounds, and the crack of a rifle shot are manufactured in entirely different ways from the way of the original sounds. There are few people in Korea who make these sounds for movies. We call them “Foley artists” and there are only three Foley artists in Korea. Though it doesn’t seem important because we don’t focus on sounds when we watch movies, sound plays a major role. Sound allows audiences to concentrate on the content and sometimes sound foreshadows something that might happen. Also, sound can imply a character’s state of mind. Similar to movie directors, ‘Foley artists’ also try to express the meaning of movies through sounds they make. Therefore, only Foley artists are considered artist among people who work with sound effects. The Chungdae Post met one Korean Foley artist, Moon Jea-hong, and had a discussion aboutartistic values.
Q. Most people are unfamiliar with the term ‘Foley artist.’ Please explain what you do.
To put it simply, Foley artists make sounds which are added in post-production to enhance the quality of audio for films. Those sounds can be anything from the crunch of feet on snow, footsteps, to the breaking of glass, and the clash of swords. The term 'Foley' was only used in film production; though it is related to anything that requires sound effects now. Foley art was named after Jack Donovan Foley who began what is now known as Foley art in 1927. During the silent movie era, with the development of recording technology, many people started to ponder on what sounds could be added to movies. Jack Foley, who had been working with Universal Studios, started to record a single track of audio that could capture live sound effects in real time. From then on, he created a lot of sounds for films until his death.
Q. As it is not a common job, I wanted to ask you, what inspired you to make it your career?
At first, I was interested in movies, so I enrolled in the Department of Theater and Film when I was in high school. There, I began to understand many aspects of movie-making and found that the sounds were the most interesting parts to me. About that time, I heard news that the Korean Film Commission was trying to recruit Foley artists. I tried and was successful. "It will be a really hard work. Is it alright," the interviewer asked. I accepted and I have never regretted my decision because I have known that I can do this better than anything else.
Q. What does sound mean to you?
It was my dream, and is my life now, and will be my joy in the future.Q. Do you have any sounds you really want to make?
There are tons of sounds I want to make. One of my deepest cravings is 'robot sounds.' There is no robot movie like the Transformer series in Korea right now. If robot movies are produced, and I am asked to do a sound work, there's no doubt that I would take the job. I will go to a factory and capture many sounds. Without various sounds, robot movies feel unnatural, monotonous, and uncomfortable. Outside of that, I hope various genres of movie come out in Korea. It means more sounds will be needed and the opportunities to make and experience new sounds will also increase.
Q. What do you think is the best sounds?
I always try to make sounds that help movies. I think the best Foley art is so well integrated into a film that it mirrors the director's intention. It would be perfect if the audience feels what I want them to feel.
Q. Tell me the most memorable moments of your life during your Foley artist career.
Hard work is always a memorable thing. When I was working on "Guckgadaepyo" (Take Off), I had to record a squeaking rail. Working on a ski jump tower, I was often hurt badly. Though it was a really hard work, I was proud when people told me the sounds were great.
Q. What was the most memorable sound among all your works?
A few years ago, I worked on a movie titled 'M.' There is a scene where the main character 'Minwoo' is looking up at a neon sign flashing on and off. I thought the crackling sounds of a neon-sign were an important point in creating the correct atmosphere. I started to ponder on what sounds would make the scene perfect. One day, when I was working in a workroom, a small cicada flew to a window and started chirping there. It was then that I hit upon an excellent idea. 'The shrill chirrup of a cicada would be able to take place the sound of flashing neon-sign!' I recorded the chirping sound of cicada until it died. Nobody knew that sound was a cicada's.
Q. Please tell me the present condition and job prospects for Foley artists.
The outlook for this business doesn't look very promising in the short term. There are only three people working in this field, and every year, over 100 movies are released. However, we can handle this workload. In short, few opportunities are open to new people now. But in the long term, the movie industries are expected to grow and the demands of the staff will also increase.
Q. What is the primary lure of being a Foley artist?
I think its biggest appeal is watching movies before they are released. Also, because we repeat the movie until we find the finest sounds, I usually get to know the hidden agenda or true genius of movies. Most importantly, a person who hates to find himself under conventional rules and regulations would love to be a Foley artist. We have to make almost every sound in amovie, and it should be a new sound all the time. Therefore, we aren’t under many restrictions.
Q. Would you please advise students who want to be a Foley artist on what they should do to prepare?
Make it happen! This is for all students not just the ones who want to be Foley artist. Everybody dreams, but not everybody makes it come true. I believe people should be less concerned with how others perceive them. Though it seems to be hard, you need to make your own way.
Don’t just follow along with what everybody else does.
By Kim Su-ji l CP Reporter
ex112358@cnu.ac.kr