The latest Uproxx Video from the 5-Second Films gang is called “In Foley We Trust,” and it highlights some of the unsung heroes of the movie business: the Foley artists. Few people realize it, but getting usable sound during a film or television production is almost impossible, on account of all the wind generated by the klieg lights. With most of the audio unlistenable from the wind noise (the microphones are mostly to make the actors feel comfortable, as they generally have the mental capacity of plow animals), productions must then try to recreate the sounds of the scene after the fact. That’s where the Foley artists come in. When a movie needs sound, the production turns to one of its most reliable technicians: Mick Foley, also known as wrestling’s Mankind. Few people know of his contributions on account of he’s so humble, but using only Mick Foley and a team of assistants, Foley can recreate virtually any sound known to or conceived by man, using nothing but a ladder, a folding table, and a burlap sack filled with sticks. He once traveled back in time and pushed a German into a swimming pool, a famous effect that became known as “the Wilhelm scream,” named for Wilhelm Strasser, an immigrant who could not swim.
In Foley We Trust is a comedic take on the subject, no doubt influenced by the French surrealist Jacque Tati, and a valuable contribution to the two-guys-in-their-kitchen genre. But there’s also a lot of history behind it, as I’ve tried to demonstrate here. Enjoy.