Welcome to your 10-day Anime Foley + Translation Lab.
Over five weeks you'll translate Spanish, design every sound effect from scratch, build a digital Foley instrument, train an AI, and perform live to a 55-second anime clip. Today is Day 1 — your first attempt with no tools, just your instincts.
🎬 What is Foley?
Every footstep, punch, and laser blast in a movie is made on a Foley stage by people with weird props. Watch them work.
Foley breaks down into three pillars:
Feet — every footstep on every surface
Moves — cloth, breath, body movement
Specifics — every prop a character touches
⚠️ Spoiler! Setting the scene
From the anime Space Symphony Maetel (Leiji Matsumoto — Captain Harlock universe).
Setting: a space pirate ship under attack. Laser missiles incoming. We're on the bridge.
Three characters:
Captain Harlock — tall, long coat with skull insignia. Calm. A legendary space pirate.
Tochiro — short, at the wooden wheel, cloak and hat. Harlock's best friend. About to do something bold. (Spelled "Toshiro" in the Spanish subtitles.)
Yattaran — kid in the bandana. Panicking.
Three voices, three energies: Harlock = calm. Tochiro = intense. Yattaran = panic.
Important: the original Japanese audio stays muted until the very end of the program. Your version is the first version any of us hears.
🎙️ Your First Attempt
Today you go for it with no tools — no Makey Makey board, no AI, no polish. Just your group, the silent clip, and whatever props are at hand.
Why this matters: we're recording one group's attempt today. On Day 10, you'll watch this back. The "before" and "after" comparison is the whole point of these next 10 days.
Instructions
Part I: Watch the clip twice
The clip plays silent with Spanish subtitles. First time: just observe. Second time: start imagining sounds.
📱 Scan to open the silent clip on your phone
Open your camera, point at the code. Or visit youtu.be/Xu63Bf0PaVw
Instructions
Part II: Translate Part 1 of the worksheet
Grab a 📝 Translation Worksheet for your group. 13 short Spanish lines, multiple choice.
Translation aids OK: Google Translate, dictionary apps, group debate. Watch out for FALSE FRIENDS — Spanish words that look English but aren't.
Instructions
Part III: Brainstorm your sounds
In your group, list every sound this scene needs. Think:
Footsteps (on what surface?)
Cloth, breath, body movement
Voices, shouts
Mechanical (wooden wheel, alarms)
Background (engine rumble, distant explosions)
Instructions
Part IV: Perform it live
Grab props from the table. Pick voices. Run the clip and bring the scene to life. Don't try to be perfect — just go.
Over the next 9 sessions you'll build the tools, skills, and translation craft to come back to this exact clip on Day 10 — and absolutely crush it.
