Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1475048
C A S Q U A R T E R L Y I FA L L 2 0 2 2 31 The Foley mixer and the Foley artist need both chemistry and telepathy to make it through each session—not only on schedule, but also with creatively expressive tracks.Mitchell Kohen knew when he was 13 that he wanted to work in sound, and gained experience sound designing for plays in high school, college, and beyond. As he searched for sounds he needed, he discovered that he could create many original sounds on his own. This led to him making his way into Foley— and that creative spark still guides his work.Gary DeLeone is both a Foley mixer and a re-recording mixer and his experience on the mix stage has proven invaluable in quickly and efficiently crafting Foley that both blends in with production while also adding detail and a sonic story that carries past what we see. Gary's Foley mixing philosophy is that "the artist comes up with the sound, and the mixer captures a good quality recording of that sound." In an ideal partnership, "We [the Foley mixer and Foley walker] like to think of each other as sort of co-sound designers." Gary uses all the tools available to create a complete Foley session. He tackles similar elements in a single pass—with 300 hand pats sometimes knocked out in an hour! He applies equalization and compression to capture and contain a widely varied sound palette from the three or four surfaces available to walk.EQ helps to dull the strident part of a gravel pass so that texture can still play under dialogue. Compression catches the peak on heels so that you can get the drive of the character walking in while still maintaining the scuff and movement of walking essential to lively and realistic footsteps. Gary and Mitchell work closely together to fully use the stage for more sonic variety. If the floor in the show is solid, Mitchell walks closer to the framed edges of the pit. If the floor has creek and boom, he'll step toward the middle of the walking surface—letting it resonate and flex to match into the production steps. If even more room slap is required on the feet, Mitchell might even move the microphone into a cabinet to add an extra layer of interior short reverb in the recording. Both Gary and Mitchell emphasize how important the communication and craftsmanship between them is in making this work smoothly and efficiently. From Gary letting Mitchell know that there was a slight rattle resulting in Mitchell adjusting the mic, or Mitchell hearing that the surface is still too resonant, so he'll put a sandbag on the wood to further dampen The Foley stage at Westwind Foley artist Mitchell Kohen