Dennis Vilorio

Dennis Vilorio is 

an economist in 

the Office of 

Occupational 

Statistics and 

Employment Projections, BLS. He 

can be reached at 

(202) 691–5711 

or at vilorio.

dennis@bls.gov.

You’re a what?

Foley artist

For almost 30 years, Alyson Moore 

has happily kept her work imperceptible. She creates sounds that meld so 

seamlessly with onscreen images that they go 

unnoticed, as though they were there from the 

start.

Alyson is part of a small occupation of 

sound reproduction specialists known as foley 

artists. Foley artists work behind the scenes 

in filmmaking and television, using props to 

recreate all the physical sounds that are integrated into a movie or TV show. These sounds 

need to be recreated because the microphones 

used on a set or on location are designed to 

capture dialogue. As a result, sounds other 

than dialogue seem quiet or are lost.

Foley artists create almost all sounds 

in a studio, far removed from the crews and 

crowds associated with a filming set. “We 

are the ghosts of the post-production world,” 

Alyson says.

Alyson teams with a partner to share the 

workload on every project. They divide up the 

film’s or TV show’s characters and assume 

responsibility for their assigned characters’ 

sounds. Each character has his or her own 

track, which foley artists produce in a series 

of 15-minute reels. Foley artists also delegate 

responsibility for the different sounds in a 

scene. For example, to recreate the sound of 

rainfall on an umbrella, one foley artist might 

flap a plastic sheet while the other pours 

water.

A typical workday begins with Alyson 

reviewing cue sheets: documents that specify 

the timing of movements in a particular 

scene. For example, in a scene that depicts 

someone getting into a car, the cue sheet 

might direct Alyson to record and properly 

time five sounds: the footsteps toward the car 

door, a hand lifting the door handle, the rustle 

of clothes as the person gets in the car, the 

jingling of keys, and the sound the key makes 

entering the car’s ignition switch.

Every sound the foley artist creates is 

custom made to match the scene. Furthermore, Alyson says, “it’s important to get into 

character and properly capture the character’s 

mood.” For example, the footsteps of a calm 

person are light and steady, whereas an angry 

person stomps. To accurately recreate footsteps in a scene, foley artists must walk in 

their character’s shoes—literally. That might 

mean wearing ballet shoes for a ballerina’s 

graceful movements or combat boots for a 

soldier’s disciplined steps.

To create most sounds, foley artists use 

props they have accumulated over the course 

of their careers. They don’t have a cache of 

stock sounds, but the techniques for making some sounds—such as using gloves to 

simulate the sound of wings flapping—have 

become standard in the trade. Alyson chooses 

the best props and methods for creating 

sounds by asking herself: “What would that 

sound like?”

To help them think creatively, Alyson 

and her partner usually put all their props on 

display as they work. “The studio looks like 

the messiest garage you’ve ever seen,” she 

says, “but we know where everything is.” Displaying props forces them to consider many 

options and to play around, says Alyson. 

But creating custom sounds sometimes 

requires that the foley artist invent ones that 

aren’t obvious. To recreate the stitching of 

a wound in one scene, for example, Alyson 

slowly unraveled an old pair of jeans.

After deciding how to create the sounds 

in the cue sheet, the foley artist team practices 

matching the sounds to the action onscreen. 

Recording begins when the team feels ready. 

Sound designers tweak the completed reel, 

and sound mixers add these edited tracks to 

the voice and sound effects tracks.

In the end, the director approves the 

work or asks for another take of particular 

sounds. Although a director’s involvement in 

34 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Spring 2011
foley work is usually limited, he or she may 

have distinct preferences that differ from the 

foley artist’s interpretation. “What matters is 

not what I think something sounds like, but 

what the director thinks it sounds like,” says 

Alyson.

There is no school or apprenticeship program for foley artists, and education requirements are minimal. As is the case throughout 

the film industry, connections are important. 

The best way to break into foley work is to 

find an established foley artist who is willing 

to mentor.

Working with a mentor is how Alyson 

got her start. Her father, an actor, introduced 

her to his friend, who was a sound editor. “I 

became his personal assistant and eventually 

started filling in as a backup foley artist,” she 

says. “There weren’t many of us back then.”

Today, most foley artists still stumble 

into the occupation; many trained as dancers 

or actors. A film or sound production background is especially helpful to those who get 

into foley work.

Foley artists must have a good feel for 

rhythm, coordination, and timing to do their 

job. To master these skills, they often practice 

in front of a TV at home by mimicking movements, timing footsteps, and playing with 

sounds.

Entry-level foley artists work primarily in 

TV and independent films. Additionally, foley 

artists must live in the areas in which films 

and TV shows are produced. Most work in the 

Los Angeles area, but some work in smaller 

film-producing cities, such as New York, San 

Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does 

not collect employment or wage data for foley 

artists. But according to the Motion Picture 

Editors Guild, the guaranteed wage for guild 

member foley artists is $2,000 per week, $340 

per day, or $42 per hour. Additional anecdotal 

information suggests that the typical wage for 

an experienced foley artist is between $400 

and $450 a day; non-union foley artists who 

have less experience can make $200 a day for 

uncredited work.

Foley artists, especially those who are 

just starting out, must often supplement their 

wages with a part-time job because work is 

usually sporadic; steady income is not the 

norm. A typical film schedule is 10 to 15 days. 

Complex, sound-heavy films might take 30 

days to complete. For TV, however, foley artists usually spend 1 day per 1 hour of show.

Shorter production schedules allow for 

limited practice time, which contributes to 

stress. In addition, foley work is physically 

demanding. Foley artists stand or kneel to 

produce most sounds, maneuvering props near 

recording equipment for optimal effect. “It 

can cause lots of wear and tear on your feet 

and knees,” Alyson says.

But foley work also challenges the artist to 

be creative. For this reason, Alyson considers 

the job rewarding and “a dream come true.” 

Her work has reverberated in award-winning 

films and sleepers alike, yet she remains 

largely anonymous. “If we do our job right,” 

says Alyson, “no one knows we were there.” 

And that sounds just right to her.

Photo of Alyson Moore by Bob Beresh

Matching her movements 

to the action onscreen, 

foley artist Alyson Moore 

uses props to recreate the 

sound of footsteps on 

grass.

Spring 2011 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 35