How to Be Anything

Episode 5: How to Be a Foley Sound Artist

Host: Emily McCrary
Guest: Ronnie Vanderbeer
Released: August 6, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of How to Be Anything illuminates the unusual and elastic world of Foley sound art through the career and studio practice of Dutch Foley artist Ronnie Vanderbeer. Host Emily McCrary takes listeners behind the screens of cinema to uncover how movies and TV shows construct the sounds that make imaginary worlds feel real. Vanderbeer reveals the artistry, problem-solving, and sometimes sheer improvisation that Foley entails—from mimicking footsteps on human flesh to the clank of a machine gun belt—while sharing insights about the evolution of his craft, the details of his daily work, and his creative journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Is Foley, and What Isn’t?

• Foley artists recreate naturalistic, character-driven sounds for film and TV—not big effects like explosions, rain, or engines, which come from sound libraries or other specialists (05:25).
• The focus is on the “movements of the actor,” e.g., footsteps, the clink of a cup, a hand tapping a table:

  “We don’t do the actual shooting, but we do the rattle… maybe of the gun or someone puts a gun on a table.”
  — Ronnie Vanderbeer [05:28]

2. The Art & Ingenuity Behind the Sounds

• Sounds are rarely what they seem: a “tunnel made of flesh” was built from a mat, wet towels, and the artist’s hands, creating a mix of “tappy” and “squishy” (02:22):

  “It should be sounding like a very thick, big skin or organ… so that’s why I put it on a wooden floor, because the wooden floor gives more bass.”
  — Ronnie Vanderbeer [02:42]

• Everyday objects like wet chamois cloths, rubber mats, or keys become surrogates for mud, food, or bullets.

3. The Foley Process

• Foley is performed live to picture, physically mimicking actors’ gestures while watching the screen—not just recording isolated noises:

  “I watch the TV and watch all the movement of the actors. I look at the screen while I perform the movements.”
  — Ronnie Vanderbeer [06:19]

• Foley fills in or heightens scenes where real set recordings don’t capture enough detail or emotional nuance.

4. Creative Problem-Solving

• Making unfamiliar or impossible sounds (e.g., landing in a shark’s mouth, fingers being cut off) demands trial, error, and imagination (08:10, 18:33):

  “I had this USB stick that was made of rubber… and I dropped that on the floor and that worked very well for a chopped-off finger.”
  — Ronnie Vanderbeer [18:33]

• Props are often scavenged or invented; for machine gun belts, bullets may be simulated by shells, wind chime pieces, or keys (13:05).

5. The Layered Construction of a Scene

• Each scene’s Foley is built in layers: footsteps first, then props, then clothes, capturing all sound-action elements the actors experience:

  “For a scene like that, Rani works in layers, starting with footsteps, then add sounds for any props… then the rustling of clothes…”
  — Emily McCrary [12:29]

6. Collaboration and Workflow

• Foley artists communicate with the film’s sound designer to align style (realistic vs. heightened), solve unique sound challenges, and synchronize creative vision (09:59).
• Work is tightly scheduled: a mid-scale feature takes about six days; epic war movies take much longer (“The Forgotten Battle” required 23 days) (11:01, 11:43).

7. Tools, Studio, and Professional Growth

• Ronnie’s studio near Amsterdam features nine different wooden floors, a small pool, and even a car—not for engines, but “subtle sounds” inside a vehicle (19:51, 20:15).
• His journey began as a sound designer and composer, segueing into Foley out of necessity and curiosity. Lacking mentors in the Netherlands, he learned through hands-on trial, feedback, and travel (17:15).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Foley’s Magic:

  “That's actually the cool thing about my job. When I record it and I listen back and see it, and I feel like I would believe that… this is the original sound. Then my job is done.”
  — Ronnie Vanderbeer [14:27]

• On Admiration for the Work:

  “It's still a magical thing to me even after all those years… you listen back to it, and you believe that that's the real sound.”
  — Ronnie Vanderbeer [25:57]

• On the Importance of Rhythm and Musicianship:

  “What I do, it’s all rhythms actually… You have ‘Chucka chugga Chuck’… If someone writes a letter, that’s also rhythms.”
  — Ronnie Vanderbeer [24:18]

• On Foley Community and Trade Secrets:

  “…People realize it’s not about that one object you use… it’s about your talent, and if you’re good, then you will have enough work.”
  — Ronnie Vanderbeer [24:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Meet Ronnie & What Is Foley? [01:34]
• Creating the Sound of Walking on Skin [02:22]
• Foley vs. Sound Effects [05:25]
• Performing Foley to Picture [06:19]
• Solving Unusual Sound Challenges [08:10]
• Workflow with Sound Designers [09:59]
• Big Projects: “The Forgotten Battle” [11:01], [11:43]
• Layered Sound Construction [12:29]
• Favorite/Clever Foley Solutions [14:27], [18:33]
• Studio Setup & Tools [19:51], [20:15]
• The Creative State & Reflection [20:45]
• Recognition & Professional Learning [22:16], [23:19]
• Sharing Knowledge in the Foley Community [24:09]
• Love for the Craft [25:57]

Episode Takeaways

• Foley isn’t about noise, but about storytelling—the invisible artistry that convinces you a world and its characters are real.
• The best Foley marries technical skill, resourcefulness, inventiveness, and a certain playfulness: turning anything into anything, even a tunnel made of flesh.
• The field is small, collaborative, and ever-evolving, with a spirit of shared discovery rather than trade secrecy.
• For Ronnie, the magic of Foley endures: every time the artificial becomes convincing, it’s the thrill of starting fresh, and, as he puts it, “We made a sound for that.”

For more on Ronnie Vanderbeer and his films, visit howtobeanything.com or follow the show’s Instagram.