Foley is the creation of everyday sounds which are added to film or television
to enhance the audio. Foley is named after Jack Foley, a stuntman for silent
films who added sound effects when the studio was recording the music score.

The foley artist mimics the actions of the actors on screen, recording their
sounds such as footsteps, fighting, knocking on doors, rustling papers etc. In
this production of [_The Magic Flute_](https://www.eno.org/whats-on/the-magic-
flute/) and unusually for opera and theatre, the sound effects are performed
live by a foley artist on stage. A special booth is constructed stage left
(stage directions are always given from the perspective of the performer
standing on the stage looking out into the auditorium) so that the foley
artist is visible to the audience throughout the production.

The foley sounds have to work in conjunction with the orchestra, singers and
dialogue to enhance the performance, drawing the audience further into the
story. Each sound is cued live from the actions of a performer, the timing of
the spoken dialogue or a cue in the music.

**Artist Profile: Ruth Sullivan, Foley Artist
**
Ruth works as a freelance foley artist in TV, film and theatre. She creates
her own props and is skilled in knowing how to use different materials and
props to create the required sound effects.

One of her recent jobs was working on Downton Abbey where the kitchen scenes
are shot on a set that looks like a flagstone floor but is actually made of
wood. Ruth added the sound of all the footsteps on the stone floor so that the
finished broadcast appears more realistic. We interviewed her about her work
below.

_How do you work in the rehearsal room?_
I will be in the rehearsal room throughout the rehearsal process, studying and
learning the rhythms and gaits of individual performers and trying out sound
effects to enhance their actions. I work with the director to discuss
particular ideas or atmospheres they are imagining and then create the
required sounds.

_What is the most difficult sound to create in The Magic Flute?_
The most challenging sound to get right is when Papageno is tuning his bottles
to be able to play a scale on them. The singer has plastic bottles and mimes
the action, creating no sound. I have to make the sounds at exactly the right
moment that he hits the bottles, so have to look at the performer rather than
at the bottles I am striking. There are no second chances to get it right if
it is slightly mistimed!

_What props will you be using for The Magic Flute?_
I will have a watering can, 10 bottles, a trouser leg full of stones (to make
the sound of a serpent), wooden spoon, bird caller, plastic bucket full of
water, a slinky, tuning forks, shoe box of stones (for the fire),a slab of
concrete and a thunder sheet (to create atmospheric sound). Everything has to
have its place in the sound booth so I know where each prop is. At some points
during the performance I am in the dark and have to rearrange props without
making a sound.

_What is your favourite prop?
_I have a lantern with a squeaky handle that I use to create the sounds of an
old gate or swinging pub sign. I never leave home without a pair of shoes, a
cloth, a piece of leather and a game boy!

_Give an example of a foley artist’s trick of the trade:_
The sound of an explosion can be created by putting a plastic bag around a
microphone, reducing the treble on the recording desk and then carefully
manipulating the bag. The movement of air in the bag resembles thesound of an
explosion or the rumble of fire

Related Content: ENO The Magic Flute: The MusicLearn about the Mozart’s composition processENO The Magic Flute: The ProductionExplore director Simon McBurney’s productionENO The Magic Flute: The DesignUncover the influences behind Michael Levine’s set designENO: The Magic Flute: The ContextRead about the times in which Mozart wrote The Magic Flute