Carrie Giunta is an associate lecturer in Philosophy at Central Saint Martins. She also mentors at Bournemouth University, and will supervise students this year on the BA Sound Art at LCC. She has worked as a professional sound editor for film in New York and in London, where she was part of the BAFTA-winning sound team on Casino Royale. Carrie completed a doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Dundee, partly funded by a Royal Society of Edinburgh network grant for the Humanities. Her thesis, ‘A Question of Listening: Nancean Listening and Resonance in the Work of Charlie Chaplin’, explores Charlie Chaplin’s silent character, through philosophies of listening and the work of Jean-Luc Nancy, Jacques Derrida, Gayatri Spivak, and African philosophies. She co-edited the book Nancy and Visual Culture for Edinburgh University Press. She has published articles on Philosophy, Comparative Literature, the Post-Literary, and Cinema.

In her talk, she showed the sound production team she worked with on the film Casino Royale.I took sound for screen in my second year elective, so I was very interested in Foley and recording for film sound. In the film clips she showed, I could feel the finesse of sound for a big production film. First of all, the first half of the film is outdoor scenes, and then there are some indoor scenes. For me, I think the sound of the outdoor scenes might be more difficult to record because as a student, I don’t have a very professional team and equipment to do some high level live Foley.

The talk also touched on Guerrilla foley (location foley) and studio foley, each with its advantages and disadvantages, but one of the main advantages of recording foley in a studio is the complete control of the sound quality and the environment. Using soundproof rooms, soundproof panels, professional microphones, mixers, and other equipment, you can capture the sound you want without being affected by noise or interference. You can fine-tune volume, equalizer, reverb and other effects to fit the tone and emotion of the scene. Also, use a variety of props and surfaces (e.g., shoes, fabrics, metal, wood, gravel, etc.) to create a diverse range of sound effects. There are a number of shortcomings to miming in the studio. Firstly, renting a studio, hiring an artist and setting up equipment is expensive and time-consuming. Second, it can be challenging to recreate the sound and atmosphere of the original scene, especially if the scene is complex or unique. For example, in scenes such as forests, beaches, or crowded streets, it is impossible to perfectly replicate the natural sounds and atmospheres of these places in the studio. Thirdly, synchronising foley sound effects with video is difficult, especially when the action is fast or subtle. It may take several attempts to film, or edit the sound later to synchronise it with the video. Of course recording foley live has its advantages. The most notable is the ability to capture the true-to-life sound of the place where the scene was filmed. By using props and surfaces actually used by the actors, and recording the sound in the same context and perspective, the sound is more closely aligned with the actual scene. At the same time, it is possible to benefit from the unique acoustic environment and atmosphere of the location, such as the sound of wind, water, traffic or birdsong. In addition, recording foley on location saves money and time as there is no need to rent a studio or hire a foley artist. There are some challenges to recording foley live. One of them is having less control over the sound quality and environment. There may be interference from different sources such as noise from people, animals, weather or vehicles. Limitations in permissions and availability may also affect your access to locations or the use of props. In addition, flexibility and creativity in experimenting with different sounds and effects may be hampered by real-life conditions. Carrying and setting up bulky equipment may also become a hassle.