Film Career · Post-Production Sound
Foley Artist
Post-Production Sound · IATSE Local 700
- Union
- IATSE Local 700
- Day rate
- ~$500–$1,000/day
- Experience
- 0–2 yrs
What does a Foley Artist do?
Foley artists perform everyday sounds in sync with the picture: footsteps, cloth, props set on tables. Recorded on a foley stage, these performances replace and enrich production audio so the final mix feels physically real, especially after dialogue is cleaned or replaced.
What does a Foley Artist make?
- Day rate about $500-$1,000, or roughly $70K-$150K a year.
- Reputation and speed, plus streaming and feature volume versus sporadic indie work, drive the range.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
Government wage data
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the closest federal occupation.
On the job
- Perform footsteps, cloth, and prop sounds in sync to picture
- Choose surfaces, shoes, and objects that read correctly on microphone
- Work with the foley mixer to record clean, editable performances
- Cover every sound the effects editors will need for the mix and foreign versions
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can perform sound to picture with props and surfaces
- You have rhythm, timing, and a performer's physicality
Soft skills
- You are inventive and hear the world in textures
- You enjoy solving problems with everyday objects
Career progression
Foley is a small, apprenticeship-shaped world. Artists typically start as foley assistants on a stage, learning props and surfaces, then graduate to performing. Careers concentrate around the stages and supervising sound editors who book them.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Production Assistant· 0-2 yrs
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Foley Artistyou are here· craft peak
~$70K–$150K/yr
How do you become a Foley Artist?
Get onto a foley stage in any capacity; stages are few and hiring is personal. A background in movement, dance, percussion, or props helps more than an audio degree. Record your own foley to picture and bring proof of sync instincts when you knock.
On covered productions, rates, hours, and conditions for the role are set by IATSE Local 700 contracts.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.