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Science

See the bizarre tools that make a movie’s sound effects

Published 16 Jul 2019, 12:17 BST
Pine cone: Full of crunch, pine cones excel at re-creating the sound of breaking bones. Roesch ...
Pine cone: Full of crunch, pine cones excel at re-creating the sound of breaking bones. Roesch and his team also used pine cones to mimic hedgehogs rolling down a hill in the children’s movie Ferdinand by scraping the cones with a hairbrush.
Cat-o’-nine-tails: This whip was perfect for making the sound of an alien’s tentacles slapping against a window in Independence Day.
Spurs: To add a “real Western feel” to the 1985 film Silverado, the Foley artists relied on spurs.
Audiotape: For simulating the sound of feet walking on grass, the team likes this prop because it adds “crispness.”
Baby trainers: Small and rubbery, these little shoes helped bring the Minions’ footsteps to life in the animated hit Despicable Me 3.
Bone fragment: The Foley team used bits of bone to replicate the sound of Maui’s bone necklace in the popular kids movie Moana.
Broadsword: The sound made by wielding this hefty weapon emphasised the power of the swords in Braveheart.
Candleholder: In Black Panther, the 2018 superhero blockbuster, the title character wears a suit made of a fictional metal called vibranium. To make its sound, Roesch employed several implements, including this metal candleholder and an S-shaped crowbar.
Boing box: This custom-built, single-string instrument supplied cartoon sounds for the 1988 comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit? On its surface are five unrelated sound props (clockwise from top right: Jew’s harp, tuning fork, lighter, brass cup, brass top).
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