If you're one of those people who reads film credits, you've probably seen a listing for a "Foley editor."

Jack Foley was a technician at Universal Studios in the 1950s. He was the first to develop a process of "looping" sound effects using a special studio, now called a Foley studio, designed for watching the picture and creating the sounds at the same time.

In this way, the Foley editors can add the sounds of footsteps, rustling clothing, and background noises. You may be wondering why they didn't record the real sound of the actor's footsteps in the first place. The answer is that in real life, background noises can be as loud as foreground noises, but we are able to focus our attention on certain sounds. That's why the friend you're talking to on a New York street is not drowned out by the traffic and crowd noises.

On film, the sound effects editors and re-recording mixers have to do the focusing. First they record the dialogue and later add other sounds at just the right levels.

Perhaps you were wondering about some of those other mysterious job titles you've read in the credits? What is a boom operator or a gaffer, and what does the best boy do best?

The answers: the "boom" is a microphone that is suspended on a large pole met actors in a scene, just above camera range. The boom operator moves the boom as necessary. In Old English, "gaffer" meant "old man." Now it refers, to the head of the electrical department. Gaffers work closely with grips, who are the folks responsible for the production equipment. The key grip is, of course, the person who holds the keys. Actually, the key grip is the chief grip. The best boy is the chief assistant to the gaffer, or the second in command of another group. Traditionally, women as well as men are called the "best boy," but I recently spotted a listing for a "best person" in a film's credits.