Canadian Andy Malcolm creates the real, but fake, sounds you hear in Hollywood films

Next year will be my 20th season as the final sound mix for W5. At the time, I had seen all the stories produced by the series, but I had never really pitched a story idea to a producer.

It wasn’t really in the sound person’s card, I think. But W5 has a slightly different vibe, and when I asked Avery Haines if she could implement some ideas, she not only listened, but prepared me to pitch my ideas to the entire team. gave me

I told them about a Canadian sound guy doing great things, but almost no one knew about it.

In quiet Uxbridge, north of Toronto, Ontario, there’s a farmhouse on a rural side street that looks like no other.

This particular house plays major roles in countless Hollywood movies each year.is the home of footstep studios Especially Andy Malcolm. He and his all-Canadian crew have contributed the so-called Foley sound to nearly every imaginable director’s film.

Named after 1920s sound effects pioneer Jack Foley, Foley creates real sounds, adapts them to film, and adapts them to the action for a clean and often hyper-realistic sound experience. is to create

Crushing a rigatoni can be translated as a shot that breaks someone’s nose. Tearing up a chicken carcass could be a mainstay for a show like ‘The Walking Dead’ that needs guts to be spilled.

Just look at Andy Malcolm’s resume and you’ll see how good he is. From blockbusters like ‘Dune’, ‘Planet of the Apes’, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and ‘Ford v Ferrari’ to Oscar nominees like ‘The Big Short’ and ‘The Greatest Showman’ , Andy has appeared in nearly 700 films, including ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ and ‘Bridesmaids’.

In addition to all these great achievements, he had a huge impact on my life and career, even though I didn’t know who I was at the time.

When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a record producer.I love music and the idea of ​​working in a recording studio and thinking about sounds all day was a dream.

Then, in my 10th grade media studies class, I was shown a Canadian short film called “Truck Star”, going back to the 1990s. The film shows how Foley and his artists brought the film to life, creating all the sound effects in his space at the studio.

Trees were crushed, metal containers crashed to the ground, and lettuce heads were torn to shreds. It was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen and immediately shifted my focus from music to movie sound.

The main Foley artist featured in the film Truck Stars is Andy Malcolm, one of the world’s greatest Foley artists since the 1979 film was made.

Andy Malcolm (left) shows W5 correspondent Richard Crouse how to break a celery stalk into pieces can be used as a sound effect (W5).

He’s also a funny, charismatic person and a bit of a risk-taker. And his bet on Canada and himself has paid off. By staying in Canada, he helped raise the bar for all Canadian film production.

I have won multiple Canadian Screen Awards for my sound work in my career of over 25 years. It all goes back to the movies starring Andy Malcolm. A movie, series, or video game with a Foley soundtrack.

We hope that looking at the profile of Andy and his team will awaken to the possibilities that sound opens up for them as well as a whole new generation of kids.

Sound editor Tim Muirhead didn’t turn to record producers until he saw a Canadian short film called “Track Stars” that showcased how Foley artists bring their films to life and create all the sound effects in studio space. I wanted to be W5.

Catch the documentary “Sound Farms” Saturdays at 7pm on W5 on CTV