We think of movies as being visual experiences. And they are. But a big chunk of the pleasure in watching a movie comes from recorded SOUNDS–bees humming, thunder roaring, sirens blaring.

In just about one minute, Ben Busnel’s “Yes You Can”  demonstrates the importance of natural sounds in moviemaking. The big take-away (after you stop laughing) is: Anyone can do foley.

In Busnel’s short comedy—which is being used to promote Mobile Film Festival 2015–sound takes on a crucial role.  Play the movie with the sound turned off, and you’ll see–hear–the value of the audio.

A feature length film will present many challenges to the foley artist. There might be scores–even hundreds–of sounds. On the other hand, a short movie will likely require just one or a few sounds. So if you want to try your hand at foley, a short project is the way to go.

You’ll find a helpful overview of foley–including why it’s called foley–at Wikipedia.

As for the Mobile Film Festival 2015, this year’s competition focuses on  climate change. The Festival’s longline is: “1 Mobile: 1 Minute: 1 Film.”  Deadline for entries is September 28, 2015. You’ll find more information at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMJos6iJmLk