UNIT 7 READING

Name:    _______________________________________________________________________      Date:    __________________________  

 
 
The secret heroes of sound
Do you ever pay attention to sound effects in a movie? The noise of a fire burning in the corner of a cozy
room? The sound of rain falling on a roof or window? While we’re watching a movie or TV show, we don’t
usually notice these sounds, but they’re extremely important. They help make the places and events on the
screen seem realistic – without these noises, the movie can seem empty or unnaturally quiet. The sounds
can also help the audience understand the size or atmosphere of a place in the movie. For example, they
can tell us that the main character is walking on carpet, or on a wooden floor, even if we can’t see his or
her feet. Sound effects are sometimes used to disguise noises that were accidentally recorded during
filming, too, like the sound of an airplane flying over the movie set!

You might think that these sounds are recorded during filming. However, that isn’t usually true. Instead,
sound effects artists, or Foley artists, recreate each sound in a recording studio. This can be a difficult job:
a scene often includes many different sounds, and recording all of these noises can be time-consuming.
However, adding these sounds after filming means a director has much more control over them. He or she
can change the volume or quality of a sound to create a certain effect, as well as making sure that we can
still hear the words of the script clearly.

The name “Foley artist” comes from one of the original sound effects artists, Jack Foley, who was born in
1891. At the start of the 20th century, sound effects artists were needed for the recording of live radio
dramas. They used a special board to produce common sounds like the noise of a door opening, or a
telephone ringing. When movie studios started to produce movies with sound, they recruited radio sound
effects artists to join their teams. Foley started working for Universal Studios in 1914, and was involved in
the production of movies such as Show Boat, Spartacus, and Operation Petticoat. Many of the ideas and
techniques that Foley developed are still used today.

Apart from a good microphone to record the sound, you don’t

need professional equipment to create sound effects. These are
often created using everyday objects from around the house,
such as a bag of flour. (That’s used to make the sound of
someone walking in snow. Similarly, to create the sound of a
person walking through tall grass, you can use a bag filled with
pieces of newspaper.) Foley artists often hit a large, heavy book
to make the sound of a punch, or fry a piece of meat to create the sound of rain. So next time you’re
watching a movie, listen carefully to the sounds you hear, and try to guess what they might really be!

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  Personal  Best  B1+  ©  Richmond  2018  
 UNIT 7 READING

1   Read  the  text  about  movie  sound  effects.  Choose  the  correct  options  to  complete  the  sentences.  

1 The  writer  says  we  usually  /  don’t  usually  notice  the  sounds  in  a  movie.  
2 These  sounds  are  normally  recorded  during  /  after  the  filming.  
3 Jack  Foley  was  one  of  the  first  /  only  sound  effects  artists.  
4 He  got  a  job  at  a  radio  /  movie  studio  in  1914.  
5 Creating  sound  effects  requires  /  doesn’t  require  a  lot  of  special  equipment.  

(5  points)    

2   Find  words  1–8  in  the  text  and  match  them  with  definitions  a–h.  Think  about  whether  the  words  are  
verbs,  nouns,  adjectives,  or  adverbs.  

1 unnaturally   _______  
2 disguise   _______  
3 recreate   _______  
4 time-­‐consuming   _______  
5 recruited   _______  
6 techniques   _______  
7 everyday   _______  
8 similarly   _______  
 
a   offered  jobs  to  
b   taking  a  long  time  
c   in  almost  the  same  way  
d   common  or  regular  
e   in  a  way  that  is  strange  or  not  normal  
f   to  hide  something  
g   to  make  something  happen  again  
h   ways  of  doing  something  

(8  points)    

   

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  Personal  Best  B1+  ©  Richmond  2018  
 UNIT 7 READING

3   Find  the  sentences  in  the  text.  Do  the  words  in  bold  refer  to  a  noun  (N)  or  a  whole  phrase  (P)?  

1 However,  that  isn’t  usually  true.   _______  

2 This  can  be  a  difficult  job.   _______  

3 That’s  used  to  make  the  sound  of  someone  walking  in  snow.   _______  

(3  points)    
 
(Total  points:  16)    
 

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  Personal  Best  B1+  ©  Richmond  2018