Podcast: A Reaction to the Process.

The process of scripting, recording and editing my podcast was a typical experience as far as working with the digital medium. Figuring out the recorder was the most challenging aspect of the process. But the challenge of even that was not much than what I was mentally prepared to deal with. All worked out well and after last minute revisions to my script due to a change in my actual guest I got down to the business of interviewing Lowell. We had fun doing it, it ran real smooth as far as getting my subject to feel comfy and let the ideas flow. I experimented with some mic placements and have achieved a sort of stereo proximity effect with the aural location of my voice sources. they seem to originate in differed stereo hemispheres as I moved the facing of the mic in different directions So I thought that was pretty cool. So then it was back to the studio for some post-production sessions with my raw footage. I got to business with a quickness. I was truly amazed at how many as, umms, and throat clearings there were. So I set out to get rid of the extra sound effect. It took me a long while to properly split and crop my wav files so they were cut precisely and without infringement or excess vocal media attached to my play cuts. It was monotonous to say the least, there were just so many speech errs. You would never notice how many in a everyday conversation. So I cleaned up the rough ends and took a break for the night. The following night (I think as soon as the sun drops my sound hat comes on, cause I rarely do audio in the day), I got back into the swing of the cast. I listened to my rough edit again and was pleased with the results of my labor the night before. Had a few minor details to deal with and off I went to work on the musical section of my piece the circuit bend outtro. For this I could get creative and the synthesis of the circuit-bend was the sweetest part of the pie. I tossed up a little amen break with a little bend sonics and samples from pertinent sections of my interview. I scooped and looped. I even threw in some samples and effects over the top to give message to my meaning. It was fun and I would definitely do this again. Definitely.........

Circuit Bending Podcast

Short interview and sample audio track.

Vlog Lecture 4/24/07

Seven O'clock rolled around and a group of us gathered in the Walter Lobby waiting for the doors of the auditorium to open up for us to spill in. Texting my bud Nicole she jokingly responded to my message, something about Lonely Girl 15. Well, we sit down and a somewhat tall, blonde woman is introduced as Virginia Hefernen, the editor of Harpers, Slate etc. and sure enough The first thing that came out of her lecture was about, you guessed it "Lonely Girl 15". Overall the lecture wasn't anything new, but I did get turned on to some pretty sweet web sites such as liveleak.com and black20.com. It was informative in the field of web history, I learned some facts about youtube. We watched allot of stuff we had already in class such as the "Shining" trailer.

Virginia: One students reaction to Wired magazines Article.

The case in Virginia is to say the least, sickening. My first reaction to hearing about the events was “What the fuck, man!”. Those poor kids and professors did nothing to deserve that kind of end. I my moral opinion I personally would stay a thousand feet away of any professional endeavor that had anything to do with the profiting from anything dealing with that entire situation, whether it would get me fame or even a billion dollars cash money. It seems this “Dave” person has a different ethical arrangement by his action before the Wired interview. however, it seems that he has some kind of moral conscience due to the fact that he with drew his innuendo by spilling his guts about the nature of his blog (though he did add the cya b.s. about donating money to charity, “yeah what charity? The new car for Dave fund”). I guess in the weakest structures of humanity one can only hope for the morality of self preservation, even this gunman didn’t have that one down. In every situation of desperate time some entrepreneur tries to make a buck off of the misfortunes of others. I can remember being a kid after the wrecking havoc of hurricane Andrew, living in south Florida at the time and some guy was going around Miami selling five pound bags of ice for fifteen dollars a pop. Well, as it turns out we were fortunate to live in Palm Beach at the time and by the grace of God we were spared the major devastation that Miami received. But, the guy who was gauging the price of ice at his definite advantage, was identified on the news by my mother who was furious because he was also the delivery guy who came every week and delivered around three hundred dollars worth of lobster and steak. So when this person from the “Five Star” meat delivery came the following week my mother gave him a piece of her mind and we never saw that guy again. Well, to make a long story short, I learned a valuable lesson that day when I heard for the first time more french come out of my mother’s mouth than a drunken sailor in a bar fight, don’t ever,ever,ever think for one moment that someone isn’t watching and will know your a cheap opportunist. It is definitely all about the ethics of proper capitalism and a free market. This “Dave” guy was out to make a buck and there is a million of those bastards out there. It is the fault of a sensationalist, and ignorant media who doesn’t see through this before they randomly do google searches in a desperate attempt to get the scoop and out bid the next guy for the Associated press story franchise. in regards to Myspace or face book it has an effect but for me it has to do with these porn sites that waste me time getting me to read messages from fake users in order to get me to click a link thinking it is some person out there who really is interested in having some beneficial contact. All in all it does not bother me and in the long run I will get better at filtering out the real peeps from the sideshow.

Web Article Reaction Piece: Internet Liability in the Face of Corporate Dishonor

In other forms of media the distribution companies are savvy enough to include legal disclaimers before the exhibition of any material whether objectionable, or benign in content as a smart form of C.Y.A. (cover your ass). It is the same type of issue. In Dvd’s, lets say Paramount home video distributes, there are commentary features and content derived material that if one chose to associate Paramount with questionable opinions or attitudes could reflect poorly on the overall image of the company. Mass Media is Mass Media, blogs should be no different. They are both disseminations of information. Service providers are not under a HIPPO act to protect the privacy of their subscribers so essentially they can be forced by a judge in a court of law to hand over their records. Information on Blogs is freedom of speech, and should be protected under our first amendment rights. All information can be relevant there is no one way of expressing or looking at something. It is up to the reader as a decoder of truth to be a credible witness to the reality of a Blog’s statement. Absolutely nothing on the internet except for morally sick abominations of humanities worst projections, like child porn and the like should ever be censored or compromised, for context whether objectionable or explicit. There is a freedom that exists within the matrix, it is the peoples last truly public broadcast forum.

The Father of Foley: Jack Foley

The Story of Jack Foley

Like many other workers in post production, I heard the terms foley studio, foley sheets, foley footsteps, foley reels, foley walker, foley editor, without fully realizing, for some years, that the term foley was the name of a man. Perhaps that's because I never worked at Universal Studio. Yes, Jack Foley was quite a man and his many contributions to the art of sound effects is a story in itself.

Jack Foley started in the motion picture business in the silent picture era and lived through the exciting times when overnight the industry converted to sound moving pictures. I became intrigued with the man and, through the help of his former co-workers, friends, and his daughter, I've pieced together the career of a most remarkable man. Jack was truly adaptable in a period of change, a jack-of-all-trades and master of them all.

Jack was born in Yorkville, N.Y. in 1891, and was raised in the Seagate section of Coney Island. He went to Public School No. 158. His classmates were James Cagney, Arthur Murray, and Bert Lahr. His first job was as a general order clerk on the New York docks. During this period, Jack met Cary Grant, who was a stilt walker at Coney Island. Jack also played a lot of semi-pro baseball in the New York area, which sparked his lifelong interest in sports.

Dissatisfied with the weather, Jack moved to California. His first job was as a double and stunt man. One of his studio acquaintances introduced Jack to the rugged beauty of the California's Sierra Mountains and surrounding Owens Valley. It was to become a lifetime love affair.

Jack moved to Bishop during World War I, and served his country as part of The American Defense Society, a group guarding the water supply of Los Angeles to prevent sabotage-poison being put into the water. Jack raised his family in Bishop and went to work in a local hardware store. Here Jack became interested in little theater and wrote articles for the local newspaper. A rival newspaper in Lone Pine reported one of Jack's theatrical endeavors, "'Stop Thief', a play, is being put on by Jack Foley, the only non-henpecked Irish husband in America, is a member of the cast. That fact, within itself, is worth the price of admission."

When the farmers of the Owens Valley sold their farms to the City of Los Angeles for water rights, the people of Bishop faced a bleak future.

Jack soon convinced the town's storekeepers that Bishop had much to gain by luring filmmakers to that area, and he mounted a publicity campaign to attract the studios northward. He was very successful, and became a location scout for numerous productions. The area, bound by snow capped mountains, beautiful valleys, and a scarcity of people, made it ideal for westerns.

Making the most of his studio contacts, Jack became Benny's director. Now Jack revealed another talent. He sold a number of scripts to Universal which were produced. When not busy directing silent films, Jack kept himself busy directing inserts for the studio. Inserts are the close-ups of movements, such as a hand picking up a gun, which are not bothered with during normal shooting. Jack prepared the sets, graphics, props, models, whatever was necessary, either doing it himself or arranging for it to be done.

Almost overnight, sound was introduced. In the forefront was Warner Brothers with its Vitaphone recording system. In the wings, Western Electric was readying it's photographic system. Jack, writing in 1952 in the Universal International Studio Club News, had this to say in retrospect about these exciting times: "The Warner kids on the neighboring ranch had just come up with a sound picture 'The Jazz Singer' while the hard riding, cliff-hanging shoot-from-the-hip boys on the U ranch were complacently rounding up the last few scenes of the great American musical, 'Showboat', a SILENT picture. Faces around here were so red someone yelled 'The Indians are going!' Someone asked, 'are we still in business?'"

Jack continued, "Most of the studios were in the same fix. Western Electric could only promise equipment in the future, but there was one Fox-Case portable unit that was being loaned here and there for a week's study and tests so that the studios could start breaking in men for sound procedure." Jack described the studio's hunt through all departments for personnel even remotely knowledgeable about radio and applied arts. Then, "...the volunteers cautiously advanced and surrounded the Fox-Case. After three days of watchful waiting, the strain started to tell on a group that was used to shooting sixty or more scenes a day, and someone said 'Let's shoot craps or shoot a picture.' And so they spent the next three days and nights making "Melody Of Love..."

"The industry was not so happy about the U camp jumping the gun, and all we could say was 'Hell, we didn't know it was loaded!' or words to that effect."

Jack's article was not so clear as to actual sequence of events, but evidently a composite music and effects track was then added to the hitherto silent "Showboat". The music and effects were added simultaneously and the first "Foley" session was born. Jack describes it: "Then Stage 10 swayed to the rhythm of a 40-piece orchestra under the direction of Joe Cherniavsky as he scored "Showboat" and the rest of us watched the screen with him putting in the sound effects of the 'Showboat', 'Dat Ole' Ribber' and the laughter and cheers as it jus' kept rolling along. And with 'Showboat' on it's way, other pictures on the silent stages came in for sound shots." Jack illustrated his article with the accompanying drawing, which also shows his talent as an artist. Jack had a regular (usually illustrated) column in the Universal International Studio Club News.

He was a humorist and wrote under the synonym of Joe Hyde. To understand the significance, you must know that Joe Hyde was a studio cleanup man, who spent his working time pushing his cart around the studio lot sweeping up cigarettes and other debris. Joe enjoyed the notoriety, and Jack Foley continued the charade until Joe's death. At that pint, Jack revealed himself and henceforth called his column "And That's The Way I Heard It." He continued his pointed humor lampooning studio people, technicians, actors, stunt men, and executives alike.

As sound was added to picture after picture, Jack was called upon to add the sound effects. "Jack's technique was to record all the effects for a reel at one time," explained George Pal, who used Jack's talent on some of his pictures. "Jack added the footsteps, the movement, the sound of various props-all in one track. He used a cane as an adjunct to his own footsteps. With that cane, he could make the footsteps of two to three people. He kept a large cloth in his pocket which could be used to simulate movement."

Fellow workers say that the results of a Jack Foley session were as good as what young editors get today cutting twenty tracks. Joe Sikorsky, who worked with Jack, recalls, "Jack emphasized you have to act the scene... you have to be the actors and get into the spirit of the story the same as the actors did, on the set. It makes a big difference."

When there were too many effects to handle, Jack enlisted the aid of the prop men who brought him props. They evidently stayed around all day, and he put them to work. He occasionally pressed his friend Walter Brennan into helping him. Jack told Brennan to put a rock in his shoe. He did, and the limp that resulted became Brennan's trademark.

The anecdotes surrounding Jack's strange profession grew as Hollywood columnists discovered his behind-the-scenes activities. The movie "Spartacus" showed scenes of slaves walking in leg chains. The director was all set to return to Italy and restage the scene to capture the sound effects. Jack stepped in and did the whole sequence with footsteps and key chains.

The movie "Pink Submarine" needed a comical motor sound. Jack is reputed to have reversed a burp and looped it for the effect.

The director of a melodrama had a step rigged to make a squeak when the leading lady descended a flight of stairs. After many unsuccessful takes, Jack was called in. He explained how to do it, "I won't add the creak until the film has been cut together into a rough print. The I'll park myself in an old rocking chair in front of a microphone-and when the lady's foot hits the fourth step, I'll just rock, myself back slowly.

Jack, estimated that he walked 5000 miles in the studio doing footsteps. He characterized the footsteps of stars in this manner: "Rock Hudson is a solid stepper; Tony Curtis has a brisk foot; Audie Murphy is springy; James Cagney is clipped; Marlon Brando soft; John Saxon nervous."

"Women are the toughest to imitate," he confided, "my 250 pounds may have something to do with it, but the important thing is their steps are quicker and closer together. I get winded doing leading ladies. Jean Simmons is almost, not quite, the fastest on her screen feet in all of Hollywood. She's topped only by June Allyson. I can't keep up with her at all."

Jack received a number of awards, including the Golden Reel Award, voted by his fellow sound effect practitioners, members of the Motion Picture Sound Editors. Jack passed away in 1967. But his name lives on in practically every studio in the world. What better tribute to an amazing, versatile, and energetic pioneer of our business. We will remember you, Jack Foley.

Although the story of Jack Foley is by no far stretch of the imagination a historical piece and not even close to a current industry update. To begin my search in the profession that I wish to perfect and dedicate my life to, this article is the perfect place in terms of research that one could ponder. Knowing what a foley artist is and what one must bring to the table to one day be potentially nominated or even awarded an oscar is one aspect of the craft of foley. However, conceiving that dream within the full appreciation and respect for the roots of Hollywood and the rich beginnings of such a powerful and much overlooked art form is to ultimately accept a respect for my yearnings as an audio wizard. The story of Jack Foley is an inspiration for me. To come from such humble beginnings, in-spite of the fact that James Cagney went to school with the man, relocate to California for such a seemingly arbitrary reason such as weather, and end up a major player in the greatest business on the face of this Earth, is awesome to say in the least. I chuckled at the antics of Mr. Foley’s pen names and awed at the creative genius. He is truly an amazing artists. Because of his achievements to the field of motion picture, many prestigious careers have been lived out for the sake of the spine of today’s film experience. Jack Foley was the do all man in an early age of sound film. When a director had audio issues they called in Jack and he delivered with expert creativity. He was challenged with needing a sound and thought deeply to find one using the most abstract methods. When studio’s thought re-shoot, Jack interjected “I can do it with foot steps and key chains”. The fact that he had estimated walking 5000 miles in his studio to simply record foot steps is unbelievable. And this story is only the beginning of where the craft of foley has gone today!

Sound Design Course

I began my first official all encompassing sound production and design course this quarter at O.U. I have a great passion to develop the skills necessary to achieve success through mastery of cinematic sound production. Monday my professor took us on an adventure touring the multiple audio engineering studios and control rooms in the Radio and Television building and Kantner hall. Most were just typical production rooms designed for vocal recording via pro-tools and audio board mixing. One highlight of our little tour was finally getting the surprise of seeing a Mackie TT24 digital console! I had tried for years(literally Years) to get my hands on one, but even after a huge deposit that was made to secure my place in the back order line they kept telling me keep waiting. So eventually I pulled my money and forgot the idea. But I did get to actually see one and who knows maybe they'll even let me use it in some type of learning experiment or project. But some were much greater in character, such as the theatre departments basement theatre. That was a scary place, it even had it's own ecology living on the walls of the tightly bricked-in dungeon. Any way, my prof Lowell seems like a really well versed guy in this area. He had even mentioned specifically about some Foley mailing lists he was a member of. With all kinds of neat info sent between professionals in that sector of the biz. pertaining to the production of effect sound, such as the specific temperatures and cuts of meat to use for the battering sounds in fight scenes. We saw a sample of some student work laden with sound effect overlays decorating a piece of Godzilla film footage. I can hardly wait till next Monday.