Join Us

Empowering the Next Generation of Women in Audio

Join Us

Chelsea Body – Foley Mixer & Editor

 

Chelsea Body is a freelance Foley Mixer and Editor, working primarily with Footsteps Foley and Formosa Group (Toronto). Chelsea has been working in Foley for seven years and became a freelance engineer five years ago. Currently, she can be found working among the Foley teams on critically acclaimed productions such as ‘Dune (2021)’, ‘Women Talking (2022)’, and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale (2018)’.

Chelsea grew up taking classical piano lessons from age 10 and worked her way through the Royal Conservatory rudiments to a Grade 10 level. She now considers the bass as her main instrument, which she enjoys. She loved listening to music and going to concerts as a teenager and always admired the tech crew at live shows and thought that would be a really fun job. She attended Mohawk College and Fanshawe College, both in Ontario, Canada, and graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Applied Music from Mohawk College (2012), Diploma in Music Industry Arts from Fanshawe College (2014), and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Audio Post Production from Fanshawe (2015).

 

Career Start

How did you get your start?

At the end of college, I was offered a contract at Urban Post in Toronto doing Closed Captioning work. While it wasn’t specifically in my field, it was my first foot in the door and I took that opportunity to connect with the staff there and show my interest in audio. After a few months, they were looking for a new Foley recordist and they thought of me for the job. It was a night gig and a position I didn’t have much experience in but I jumped at it. I had such wonderful, supportive mentors there and I learned so much from everyone. After about two years, the time came for me to explore other studios and network with the broader Toronto community, and from there I went freelance as a Foley mixer and editor.

What did you learn interning, or on your early gigs?

I especially enjoyed my time working in a post house as I was able to jump between roles and projects. If Foley wasn’t busy, I would be editing a reality tv show or was able to take the time and sit in with a re-recording mixer, or an ADR session. Being in that environment, I was able to gain knowledge in many aspects of the post field which really helped me understand the wider process and how to better communicate with other colleagues along the pipeline of a project.

Career Now

What is a typical day like?

Footsteps is about an hour’s drive each way from home which isn’t ideal but I enjoy being in the city and having that escape to the countryside for work. We work a typical 8-hour day, though I often work longer to tidy things or finish up emails and scheduling. While my main role is Foley mixer and editor, I also manage the scheduling at Footsteps. We work as a team so I find time throughout the day when I can step aside to answer client emails and update our work schedule. We have a small, tight-knit crew there that’s extremely collaborative and I enjoy working in a team like that.

How do you stay organized and focused?

I guess I am somewhat organised even if it doesn’t feel that way sometimes! I do enjoy finding new tools to help me keep track of everything but it can be difficult to find software geared toward our field that does exactly what we need it to do. I still keep an old-school handwritten planner because I find it faster to jot things down than to open an app on my phone. Finding what works for you is important and planners that I can put stickers in make organising things more fun too!

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Being able to work on a variety of projects is a real pleasure. One week we’ll have a drama, the next, a horror, and then a comedy. All of those genres require a different set of aesthetic and creative mindsets and I love the variability and challenge of jumping between them. Sound editors typically work on a job for weeks or months at a time while our timeline is much shorter in Foley, so we have the opportunity to create sounds for many different projects throughout the year.

What do you like least?

Sometimes the budgets we have to work with can be challenging. We always focus on the high quality of our work and that can be tough to manage when we’re on a tight timeline.

What is your favorite day off activity?

On my off days, I enjoy focusing on my hobbies which include yoga, sewing/crocheting, and playing bass in my band.

What are your long-term goals?

I still have a lot to learn and I’m looking forward to being able to do that. I would like to spend some time in different roles in the post field to have an even better, well-rounded knowledge of the work my colleagues do. I know that no matter what, so long as my work is in audio, I will be happy so I’m looking forward to a long career playing with sound.

What, if any obstacles or barriers have you faced?

I feel very fortunate and acknowledge the privileges I’ve had in my career so far. I think a big thing for me has been having the ability to say ‘yes’ to pretty well every opportunity that has come my way. I am so grateful for the mentors I’ve had who have helped guide me and I hope to extend that to the next generation of folks coming into the industry.

Advice you have for women and young women who wish to enter the field?

Say yes to those opportunities. Even if you doubt your ability, say yes and figure out how you’re going to manage it after. Apply for those jobs where you don’t think you quite qualify because you never know, you could be the best candidate. Don’t sell yourself short and be sure to ask for what you deserve. My golden rule is always “don’t be a dick”, that goes for everyone. If you’ve got a personality that people want to be around, that’s worth more than how much you know about compressors or the frequency response of every microphone.

Must have skills?

Unfortunately, you have to know ProTools for post-audio work. Every studio uses it – though some editors work with other DAWs, so long as you’re able to output what your supervisor or client needs from you.

For Foley recording, a good knowledge of different microphones is useful as well as recording techniques including compression and EQ.

Favorite gear?

Hardware:
TLM103
My ’92 Lake Placid Blue PBass

Software:
FabFilter Pro Q3 – I put that on EVERYTHING
Whatever the most current Izotope RX Suite is at the time (de-click gets the most use in my work)

*Huge thanks to my parents for sending me to piano lessons and listening to my sometimes painful practicing; for not getting upset when I said I wanted to go to music school; and for generally being super awesome and supportive.*

 

Working For Free

You may have seen those ads on job boards. You know the ones. “Low/no pay,” “micro-budget,” “volunteer,” “passion project, no one is getting paid.” You may think, “Who would work for free? Who are the people taking these jobs?”

Competition is high in audio/creative industries and competing against many other people for the same job is a regular occurrence in the freelance world. Unfortunately, our first compromise is usually financial. There are those who are so hungry for work and experience that they will do it for low/no pay. And there are others simply willing to do a favour.

Of course, if you are in a position where you would consider working for free – the apparent upsides may outweigh everything else. Your first thought may be that this experience will lead to future, paid work from this client. Sure, it could but don’t base your decision solely on that unknown. You are not guaranteed paying jobs from that client in the future, and it is more likely they will keep coming back to you for free work.

For many students/recent graduates, that unpaid internship may look like your way into the industry, but you must be cautious as you can easily be taken advantage of. Here in Ontario, the only legal way employers can hire unpaid interns is if said intern “performs work under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology or a university, or under a program approved by a private career college.” That being said, unpaid internships have been the norm for many years. There are some unpaid internships where you may be expected to do the work of a paid employee – this is where you will be taken advantage of. Internships can be an amazing experience, and a jump start to your career. Keep in mind though; you are not guaranteed a job at the end, so make sure you put as much into it as you get out of it.

We now reach this conundrum; if you are someone without much experience in the field, you will find it hard to get paying work. You want to work and need the experience, but you also don’t want to work for free, potentially devaluing yourself and the industry. Are there ways you can take on low/no pay work successfully?

My personal rule of thumb for doing free/low pay work is to make sure I’m getting something out of it too. Whether that is a non-monetary payment such as baked goods or a killer mixtape, or a trade of services. I think it is important to receive something in return for your work so that the client understands that your time and experience has value. At the very least, make sure you establish an agreement that allows you to keep your work and use the project for your personal reel, etc. If I ever take on a job for free, it can be a fine balance to negotiate paid work in my schedule as well. It is important to establish expectations like deliverables and deadlines first so that you are in control of prioritizing paid work.

Working for free is a very polarizing subject. Even in speaking to friends and colleagues while writing this blog, I found we all had slightly different opinions. Have you done work for free? Would you again?

7 Sound Alternatives to Working for Free

10 Reasons to Volunteer Your Time or Work for Free

Should You Work a Gig for Free for Exposure?

 

Impostor Syndrome in Creative Industries

This month’s blog topic is not directly related to audio. Yet it relates to our work and everyday life. It is a topic I have been thinking a lot about lately and one I hope others find educational or can relate to.

One evening, I was talking to a good friend about work and our successes. I’ve had some important accomplishments recently, and I was telling her how I felt undeserving of the recognition. I feared that soon, someone would point out how I didn’t know what I was doing. She said, look up impostor syndrome.

As defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, impostor syndrome “is the feeling that your achievements are not real or that you do not deserve the praise or success.” Great, I thought. There is a word to explain how I feel, but why do I feel this way? As I began looking into this, I’ve learned more about the syndrome and myself.

Impostor syndrome was introduced in a 1978 research paper by Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Ament Imes titled “The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women.” From the abstract: “Certain early family dynamics and later introjection of societal sex-role stereotyping appear to contribute significantly to the development of the impostor phenomenon. Despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, women who experience the impostor phenomenon persist in believing that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise.” Clance and Imes aimed their research at how the syndrome affects women, yet further studies have since shown that many men also suffer from the phenomenon. Why do so many of us feel this way?

I believe that part of it, for me, is confidence and insecurity. I understand deep down that I know what I am doing, but there’s that subconscious nagging jerk tapping me on the shoulder saying “But you don’t really understand this thing. Everyone else understands it and will figure out soon enough that you don’t.”

In creative industries, it’s especially tough as your work is very subjective, yet constantly scrutinized. When you get positive feedback you think, that must have just been luck. And of course, there can be negative comments from people jealous of your successes that help crush you even further.

I try to push myself through these moments of insecurity by doing the things that feel uncomfortable.  Writing these blogs, for instance, is not a comfortable thing for me. No matter how well I write a blog, someone is going to point out a mistake and figure out that I don’t actually know what I’m talking about. And why would anyone want to read what I have to say, anyways? I persist because positive feedback fuels my confidence in my knowledge, and negative feedback fuels my pursuit of knowledge and growth even further.

If this subject interests you as well, I encourage you to check out Valerie Young at http://www.impostorsyndrome.com. She has some great resources in her blog that may help you understand and work with your impostor syndrome. (I found this one particularly helpful: https://impostorsyndrome.com/are-creative-people-more-susceptible-to-impostor-syndrome/)

 

The Importance of Mentorships

I had the fantastic opportunity to shadow Chez Stock who is the Tour Manager and Front of House sound engineer for singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer. SoundGirls had promoted this opportunity, and I applied to shadow Chez when she came through Toronto on tour. I wanted to share my experience of my day with her to shed some light on the value of these opportunities.

Load-In

Chez invited me to the 2 pm load-in time, so I found my way down to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. I arrived with my thirst for knowledge, trusty multi-tool and overwhelming garlic breath (should not have had that hummus for lunch…). I quickly found Chez and introduced myself, hoping my breath didn’t offend her. Chez introduced me to other members of the crew (touring and local) before she had to run off to handle something merch-related. This was my first glimpse at just how much work it is being a Tour Manager (TM) and Front of House (FOH) at the same time.

Stage Management and Sound Check

When Chez and I re-connected, she showed me how she mics the grand piano, outlining the mics she uses and why and the importance of placement in achieving the best sound. This tour had a fairly simple setup of a grand piano, vocal mics, and a ukulele mic/DI.

When Amanda arrived, the crew had to make some minor adjustments to the positioning of the piano. Chez then had a chance to go up to FOH and take a listen to the PA. She played some of her reference tracks and showed me how she tunes the system. Chez was able to get what she needed through a quick sound check as Amanda had to leave for a pre-show event. Not before heading back to her Tour Management duties, Chez had to deal with a rattle in one of the keys in the piano. With 2 hours to go before showtime, Chez arranged for the piano tuner to come back and fix the issue. Handling these sometimes intense, last-minute problems is just another one of her many amazing skills!

Tour Management

After the soundcheck was complete, the crew took a dinner break. Except for Chez – she still had incoming merch to deal with among other things before doors opened in 2 hours. During this time, I was able to observe the lighting designer, Lauren as she also worked through the break putting the final touches on her lighting setup. As I watched Lauren, I caught glimpses of Chez running around like a superhuman, dealing with all the pre-show loose ends.

Showtime

I was fortunate enough to be able to stay through the whole show and sit behind Chez at the mix console. Watching her perform an artful blend of technical skill and musical ability was an incredible testament to her dedication to her craft. During the show, she had to be FOH and TM – mixing and dealing with issues that came to her. Again, she calls on her multitasking versatility when Amanda asks about the heating on stage as it was quite cold. Without interruption to the performance or her duties as an engineer, she succeeds in contacting the venue staff to get the heat going onstage. Chez’s ability to keep the show sounding great while dealing with these hiccups all without the audience being aware of them was remarkable.

Load Out

After the show ended, I was tasked with dismounting the mics from the piano and packing them away. After that, I tried to help out the crew as much as possible as Chez continued her Tour Manager duties. At the end of a long day, an exhausted Chez took the time to answer more questions I had and offer advice. We then said our goodbyes, and she continued to pack up before heading to the hotel where she would hope to get a couple of hours of rest before moving on to the next city.

Having the opportunity for some hands-on experience makes a huge difference. It’s one thing to read about the technology and techniques involved but having hands-on learning really solidifies the knowledge in a way that classroom learning can’t. Shadowing opportunities like this are so worthwhile, and I thank Chez for offering her time and knowledge to those of us looking to learn.

What can you do to get the most out of an experience like this?

Be quiet and observe. These professionals have a lot to deal with already so give them their space and don’t disrupt them. You are a shadow, so be in the background and learn from observation as much as you can.

Ask questions at appropriate times. Again, try not to derail their workflow. Write down your questions somewhere and ask them when your mentor has the time or when they offer to answer questions.

Offer assistance and always ask before doing. Don’t start touching gear or moving cables. You don’t know what is needed and you will get yelled at. Rather than jumping in, ask if/how you can help your mentor.

Stay in touch. Your mentor may be willing to offer advice and information post-mentorship. If you’ve been able to make a good connection with them, ask if they would be willing to stay in touch.

 

FOLEY 101: A Crash Course

In my journey to learn more about different jobs in audio, I have decided to share what I learn within these blog posts. My first topic is one that I am most familiar with: foley. As a foley mixer and editor, I am often asked: what exactly is foley?

If you’ve watched a film lately, you’ve heard Foley. Foley is the reproduction of sound for any visual medium. Foley is in film, television, video games, VR and digital media. The art of foley is named after Jack Foley, an early sound effects artist. Jack was a pioneering developer of performing sound effects live and in synchronization with pictures. We need to re-record these sound effects because often what is recorded on set is unusable. Microphones on set are focused on capturing the actors’ dialog as cleanly as possible; therefore all other sounds become neglected.  Everything you hear in a film – from footsteps to handshakes, kisses to puking – is created specifically for and in sync with a picture.

Foley, as we know it today, consists of a team of usually 2-3 people in a studio performing, recording and editing everything you hear on screen. Okay, maybe not everything… we leave the explosions to the sound effects editors. Each member of the team plays a different role in creating and capturing the sounds for a project. And those members are:

The Foley Artist

These are the people who begin to bring characters to life, sonically. They are tasked with recreating the sounds for anything the actors interact with and anything on screen that would make sound. The foley artist manipulates props to create these sounds as well as performing footsteps for the characters on screen.

The Foley Mixer

While the whole team has a role to play in the sonic quality, the mixer works with the microphones, preamps, and other gear that may be used to capture the foley. We generally use two microphones (a ‘close’ mic and a ‘far’ or ‘room’ mic) for interior locations on screen and one close mic for exterior locations. The mixer is in control of the balance of these microphones and uses the two in combination to create perspectives or distance in the sounds.

The Foley Editor

This is a fairly fluid role and is often varied depending on the foley studio. The editor may be part of the team before or after the recording stage. Sometimes the editor and mixer roles are combined. In general, though, the job of the foley editor is to ensure that all of the recorded sounds are in sync and without any artifacts or distortion. The foley editor uses software such as Pro Tools to perform these edits. The editor may also play a part in the creativity of the sounds; manipulating what was recorded into something different. For instance, they may pitch down a set of footsteps to give a character more weight.

The Process


An assortment of foley artist’s shoes
Photo by Jeremy Benning

First, we begin with the footsteps. The artist chooses a pair of shoes to suit the character and we go through scene-by-scene capturing footsteps. On our second pass-through, we cover all of the props. These are items that the actors interact with that would make sound. This includes simple things like putting down a glass or shaking someone’s hand to more complex sounds like swords unsheathing or a person skateboarding. The final pass is the cloth pass. This is where the artist manipulates different types of material to capture the sounds of characters’ clothing movements. The cloth pass adds another layer of subtle depth to the soundtrack; giving the characters even more life.

Once all passes have been completed, and everything has been edited and synced, we prepare the session for delivery to the final mix stage. There, our tracks will be combined with the sound effects, dialog, and music to create the complete, finished soundtrack.

When Foley is done well, you generally don’t hear it. That’s because it fits in so seamlessly with what you are visually seeing that you shouldn’t notice it. If something stands out, it can take the viewer out of the experience. That is what we aim for every day – our work to not be heard. It sounds bleak, but it is actually very rewarding. We often are so absorbed in what we are creating that it becomes almost a challenge to get a reaction out of each other. When the artist performs a perfectly in sync, great-sounding footstep pass, we all cheer. When we build a really gross sound, the usual indicator of where we’ve reached peak grossness is based on those reactions too. If the artist looks back and sees my face contorted in disgust, we know we’ve just made magic.  Ultimately, the natural human elements that foley can bring to a soundtrack are irreplaceable.

 

Going Freelance

Hello everyone and welcome to 2019! As a new contributor to the SoundGirls blog for 2019, allow me to briefly introduce myself.

I am a foley recordist/sound editor based in Toronto and have been working in the audio post industry for just over three years now. In late 2017, I left my salaried position at a studio to pursue a freelance career. 2018 was my first complete year as a full-time freelancer. As a recent newcomer to the freelance world, I would like to share what I’ve learned and what has helped me so far. Here are some tips I hope you find helpful if you are thinking about, or are in the process of going freelance.

FINANCES

This is going to be the most significant subject because it is the most important – in my opinion – if you are considering going freelance. Some of us don’t like thinking about the money part. It can be stressful, but it is one of the most important things you need to do to set yourself up for success and peace of mind. Freelancing can be unsteady. You may be swamped with work for a month and then not have a single job the next. This uncertainty requires advanced planning, financially. The first thing you should ask yourself is: “How long can I survive without work on the current savings I have?” It was recommended to me to have six months of expenses saved.
At the time I went freelance, I maybe had four. This is really up to you and what you’re comfortable with. For me, the timing was more imperative, and I felt the decision to leap into a fantastic opportunity outweighed my concerns of not having enough savings. What did help ease my peace of mind in those uncertain first few months was keeping a budget. Whether you use a simple spreadsheet (as I did) or go for software like the highly recommended YNAB, a financial tracker at the very least will help you see where your money needs to go vs. where it is going. One important thing you need to include in your budget: setting aside money for taxes.

TAXES

The word generally comes with a winced or exhausted expression from a freelancer. Being your own boss requires you to do the not-as-fun stuff that your employers would have done in the past. This means keeping track of and filing your taxes. Now since I am in Canada, my advice may not specifically relate to your region, but I will try to be broad.

Two pieces of advice here: 1. Keep all of your receipts for EVERYTHING and keep them organized. You will be doing yourself a huge favour if you can keep up the habit throughout the year. Buy one of those small accordion file folders and organize your receipts by category. Things like ‘work equipment,’ ‘travel fees’ are good business expense categories to file in. You should also keep a record of your invoices. (I have a digital record to save on printing.) You may also consider digitally tracking your receipts/invoices with software like Quickbooks or Wave (Free). Organizing this paperwork will make things easier to tally at tax time, and heaven forbid, keep things in order if you are ever audited. * knocks on wood *

HIRE AN ACCOUNTANT

believed I could file my taxes all on my own and I probably could have with relative success but having an experienced accountant or tax preparer handle this for you is well worth the money. (Plus you can write off their bill as a business expense.) An accountant who specializes in your industry will be extremely helpful as they will know all the ins and outs of what expenses you can write off. They will also be your best bet to save more of your money from going to taxes. I mentioned earlier that you should budget for taxes. Your accountant can help you to determine what percentage of your income you should be putting aside based on your estimated income. You should also set aside any sales tax earned (HST/GST/PST in Canada). Once again, your accountant will again be a useful resource in knowing how to file your sales tax return as well. Keep the money you set aside separate for organizational purposes and so that you don’t inadvertently spend it.As far as finances go, I’ve only just scratched the surface. I would highly recommend you research resources specifically pertaining to the region you live in – especially in regards to taxes.

Networking

It can be extremely daunting, exhausting, and anxiety-inducing for some, but networking in the audio industry is your best way to gain work and experience. This is a relatively small industry. Everyone typically knows each other – especially locally – so try and use that to your advantage. One connection can help introduce you to another.

My biggest piece of advice for networking is to try your best to be yourself and be genuine. Those who have been doing this for a while can sense when you are being fake or insincere. No one wants to work with someone with a bad attitude or an ego and those people will have a much tougher time finding work no matter how knowledgeable they are or how qualified they are for the job. Also, being a small industry, your reputation will go far. So just in general, be a good person. Also, never expect anything from someone else and appreciate whatever opportunities or experiences you may be given.

Stay Social

Freelance work can be very lonely, especially as a sound editor where you may spend your days working from home. I like to stay in touch with my other audio friends and make plans to meet up every so often. It’s helpful to have that community of like-minded people to bounce ideas off of. And they usually know some key commands you haven’t heard of yet that will change your life (I’m looking at you, OPT + CMD + V). That community can also be a great way to get more work. If we have work pop up that we are too busy to take, we often recommend or offer it to each other.

 

SoundGirls’ social media groups are a great way to connect to the industry.

 

As much as I dislike social media, it can also be a great way to stay connected to the industry, learn new things and even find work. There are tons of groups online for audio (including SoundGirls’ various social media sites) that you should definitely bookmark and keep in touch with.

I would not have been able to survive the leap to freelance if it weren’t for the amazing support I had in my professional and personal life. I was very fortunate to have great mentors share their own advice with me and I hope this information helps someone else. Freelancing certainly isn’t for everyone and that is OK! In the end, you’ll know what works for you.

If you have any other advice from your own experience or have any questions, please leave a comment or feel free to contact me.

I’m looking forward to sharing more of my experiences and what I’m learning in 2019.

 

X