The Origin And Reason For NCIS' Black And White 'Foofs,' Explained

According to "NCIS" executive producer Charles Floyd Johnson, the idea for one of the long-running police procedural's most iconic motifs arose from an unexpected source: the sound of an old flashbulb camera. 

A typical "NCIS" episode will hook audiences' attention by bookending sections with black-and-white freezeframes of their respective final shots – a stylistic choice known as the "foof" for the distinctive sound that always accompanies. In a 2020 interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Johnson revealed that the idea for the "foof" began in the show's early days, with "NCIS" creator Donald P. Bellisario's attempts to make the then-fledgling series stand out with something more "interesting".

"I have to give credit, I think, to Bellisario ... I remember [him] talking about the sound of an old flashbulb," Johnson remarked while discussing the origins of the "foof," adding that the unique noise and its image are meant to serve as "a kind of transition" throughout "NCIS" episodes, marking both "the end of the act and ... the lead into the next act."

Johnson further revealed that, following its implementation into the show, the "foof" was an instant hit on the "NCIS" set. "Actors loved it," Johnson reminisced. To the cast, he elaborated, the "foof" quickly became a fun question of "whose face gets ... at the end of each act?"

The "foof" made its official debut in the fourth episode of "NCIS" Season 2, "Lt. Jane Doe." The series continues to use the device more than 20 seasons and 20 years later.

"I just love the foof (or phoof?) screen", wrote user CasioCobra78 in a Reddit post. "They set the show and the spinoffs...apart from other shows coming and going imo." Over the years, many of the "NCIS" spin-offs have developed their own approaches to the "foof," utilizing the motif as a tool to strengthen their brands as individual series. The "foofs" of "NCIS: Hawaii" only appear at the conclusion of segments, while the "foofs" of "NCIS: New Orleans" are in color.  "I do like New Orleans' one a lot," user the_neverdoctor commented in reply, even as they asserted that "[n]othing beats the original." 

Further episodes of the CBS crime drama will return with the upcoming fall premiere of "NCIS" Season 24 – and with them, even more "foofs." "It's become kind of a standard thing ... we've developed [the "foof"] and, you know, kind of massaged it over the years and made it work very well." Johnson reflected.

"It's been ... a hallmark of the show, in many ways."