The Canadian who creates the real, but fake, sounds in Hollywood blockbuster films
Next year will be my 20th season doing the final sound mix for W5. I have seen every story the series has produced in that time, but I had never actually pitched a story idea to the producers.
That, I assumed, wasn’t really in the cards for the sound person. But W5 is a bit of a different atmosphere and when I asked Avery Haines if I could run some ideas past her, she not only listened, but she set me up to pitch my thoughts to the whole team.
I told them about a Canadian sound person that was doing amazing things, but almost no one knew about it.
In quiet Uxbridge, Ont., north of Toronto, there is a farm house that looks no different from all the others on its rural side road.
This particular house plays a major role in countless Hollywood films year after year. It is the home of Footstep Studios and specifically, Andy Malcolm. He and his entirely-Canadian crew have provided so-called Foley sounds for just about every director’s films you can think of.
Foley – named after sound effects pioneer, Jack Foley back in the 1920s – is the creation of real sounds that are then matched to film to create a clean and often uber-real sound experience to match the action.
Crushing a piece of rigatoni can be dubbed over the shot of someone’s nose getting broken. Tearing open a chicken carcass could be a mainstay of a show like "The Walking Dead," where guts need to be spilled.
Andy Malcolm's resume gives you an idea of how good he is. From massive blockbusters such as "Dune," "Planet of the Apes," "Blade Runner 2049," "Ford v Ferrari" to Academy Award best picture nominees including "The Big Short" and "The Greatest Showman," to broad comedies like "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and "Bridesmaids," Andy has a credit on nearly 700 films.
In addition to all those grand accomplishments, he was also a major influence on my life and career, even though he had no idea who I was at the time.
When I was growing up, I always wanted to be a record producer. I loved music and the idea of working in a recording studio and thinking about sound all day was a dream.
Then in my grade 10 media studies class, back in the 1990s, we were shown a Canadian short film called "Track Stars” that showed how Foley artists made films come to life with sound, creating all the sound effects in a studio space.
Wood was being smashed, metal bins were crashing to the ground, and heads of lettuce were being ripped to shreds. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen and I immediately switched my focus from music to sound for film.
The main Foley artist featured in the film "Track Stars" is Andy Malcom who, since the film’s creation in 1979, has gone on to be one of the greatest Foley artists in the world.
Andy Malcolm, left, shows W5 correspondent Richard Crouse how breaking apart a stalk of celery can be used as a sound effect (W5).
He is also a funny and charismatic person and a bit of a risk-taker. Instead of moving to Hollywood, Andy took a gamble by asking Hollywood to come to him. And his bet on Canada and himself has paid off. By staying in Canada he has helped raise the bar for all Canadian film production.
I have won multiple Canadian Screen Awards for my sound work over my 25-plus year career and it all goes back to Andy Malcom starring in the film that opened my eyes to the creative possibilities that a Foley soundtrack can add to a film, series or video game.
I hope there is a whole new generation of kids that will see this profile on Andy and his team and they will be awakened to the possibilities that sound can open up for them too.
Sound Editor Tim Muirhead wanted to be a record producer until he saw a Canadian short film called "Track Stars” that showcased how Foley artists made films come to life with sound, creating all the sound effects in a studio space. Muirhead wrote this article for W5.
Watch the documentary 'Sound Farms' in the video player at the top of this article or on our official YouTube channel.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Local Spotlight
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly on a mission: N.S. student collecting books about women in sport for school library
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.