Entertainment
‘I’ve played Jennifer Grey, Selena Gomez and Zac Efron – you’ve definitely heard my work’-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro
She has an unusual job.
![‘I’ve played Jennifer Grey, Selena Gomez and Zac Efron – you’ve definitely heard my work’-Josie Copson-Entertainment – Metro](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SEC_207220158-2ba3.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=960)
Sanaa Kelley has played many movie stars (Picture: Getty)
When immersing yourself completely in the beauty of a great TV series or movie, you probably don’t consider that for every footstep, there’s previously been a person standing in a soundproof room, stomping onto artificial terrain.
That person could have been Sanaa Kelley who has spent 26 years creating everything from the gentle touch of a steering wheel to popcorn chomping in her studio using bags of imagination and a seamlessly endless prop budget.
Her unique talent has led to her sounds being heard on projects including Ted Lasso, 17 Again, Dirty Dancing, Shōgun, and Only Murders in the Building, and she has played some of Hollywood’s biggest names including Angelina Jolie, Drew Barrymore, Zac Efron, Jennifer Grey, and Selena Gomez.
Sanaa’s role is to perform the everyday sounds that are added to films, TV, and games in post-production. It is referred to as Foley, after sound effects artist Jack Foley. Unlike sound effects which often come from a library, Foley artists produce unique audio for each project that perfectly matches the actors.
To summarise, every human-created noise, aside from dialogue, could have been recreated by a Foley artist like Sanaa.
If you didn’t know about the existence of her profession then that’s okay, in fact, she prefers it that way. ‘I always say if you didn’t know my job exists then that means I’m doing a good job,’ she stated.
You may wonder why this job needs to exist when the actual sound could be authentically captured during filming.
Sanaa explained to Metro.co.uk that on sets, it’s important the focus is primarily on dialogue.
Sanaa has a unique set of skills (Picture: Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for AppleTV+)
Sanaa can be heard, not seen, in your favourite TV shows (Picture: Hulu)
Sanaa can play men and women (Picture: Offspring Entertainment/Kobal/Shutterstock)
‘As an example, if an actor is eating potato chips, and they have a microphone on it, the bag is going to be so loud that you’re not going to hear the dialogue. Production wants to get the dialogue clean as that’s what is most valuable.’
She continued: ‘Even if they were able to catch them both, if it’s going to be translated to a different language it will be hard to separate the English and the eating.
‘Instead, they’ll make potato chip bags that don’t make a sound, or when they’re walking they’ll put something under the heel so it is silent as it hits the floor. If you have all the sounds separate, you can edit them easily.
‘Then if the actor said the wrong word or something needs to change, they can redo their lines in ADR, and it’s not going to impact the other sound.’ Plus what Sanaa can create is clearer.
Sanaa will begin the process by watching the entire TV show or film armed with a notepad. She’ll write down every sound that needs to be recreated, which will become her to-do list.
Everything from footsteps to a hand touching a face or running through hair, or a character moving a chair is noted. Emmy-nominated Sanaa will also try to understand how the characters are feeling in the moment as she pointed out: ‘If someone is sad, they won’t walk in the same way as when they’re happy. Just like it looks different, it will sound different too.’
Next, she’ll get to work in her sound-proofed studio – a 60-minute TV episode roughly equates to around two to three days’ work. While a movie can take between five and 30 days, before sending to the studio, who will pass on any required changes or give her the thumbs up.
Sanaa has worked on Shogun (Picture: FX/Disney Plus)
That’s what Sanaa spends her days doing now, but how did it all begin?
‘I saw some Foley artists working and decided their job looked fun and easy. I thought: “Why can’t I get paid to walk?”‘
Her first attempt didn’t go exactly to plan. She struggled to keep in time with the actor on the screen, and couldn’t help but walk forward when she was meant to stay on the spot.
The studio told her she ‘didn’t have it’ but that only inspired her to pursue the career with more vigour. Sanaa picked up the yellow pages, and called every LA studio, telling them she’d be happy to clean up for them. One took a chance and allowed Sanaa to work for them. She was allowed to listen to their Foley, but watching was prohibited as they didn’t want to give away too many trade secrets. After they’d performed scenes, Sanaa would enter the room, look for clues as to how they’d made it work, and try to emulate it herself.
Saana even makes kissing sounds alone (Picture: reel_foley_sound/Instagram)
Her job is varied (Picture: reel_foley_sound/Instagram)
Saana gets creative (Picture: reel_foley_sound/Instagram)
‘It was great for me because I learned to use my ears,’ she shared. Although, now with 29 years of experience under her belt, she wants to help others take an easier route into the profession and remove some of the mystique. ‘It still takes around seven years to become decent,’ she remarked.
Sanaa has done this by sharing the behind-the-scenes of her work on social media. She now has over 2.8 million followers on TikTok with fans fascinated by a world they knew nothing about prior to stumbling on her page.
Her IMDb page currently lists 288 projects (‘That’s not even all of them’) and counting, so it’s hard for Sanaa to pick a favourite but when pushed, she names working on the remastering of Dirty Dancing.
Dirty Dancing was a challenge she enjoyed (Picture: Getty Images)
‘I played everyone, including Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. It was really hard because they’re such good dancers and so smooth. Every scene tested my ability to keep time because with Foley Sound, you have to perform it,’ she explained.
While recreating sounds can be difficult, she also has a lot of fun, especially when it’s something that can’t be literally recreated. In these instances, Sanaa has to get creative. She’s walked in the snow on a sunny day (cornstarch in a pillowcase is a good dupe for snow apparently), replicated drowning a ghost (a lot of splashing) and eaten a snail including the shell (fortune cookies, grapes, and pineapples were utilised).
Three decades into her career, Sanaa still faces one question repeatedly: ‘Is this a real job?’ Luckily, she finds people’s disbelief amusing and plans to continue proving that it is for many years to come.
You can follow Sanaa Kelley on Instagram and TikTok.
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