Foley

What is Foley?

Foley effects are sound effects added to the film during post production. They include sounds such as footsteps, clothes rustling, crockery clinking, paper folding, doors opening and slamming, punches hitting, glass breaking, etc. Basically, it is adding in the sound that recordists try to avoid recording. .

The boom operator's job is to clearly record the dialogue, and only the dialogue. At first, it may seem odd to add back to the soundtrack the very sounds the sound recordists tried to exclude.This has been all done for control. By excluding these sounds during filming and adding them in post, you have complete control over the timing, quality, and volume of the sound effects.

By adding the foley sound effects in after, you can control its intensity, and fade it down once the dialogue begins. Even something as simple as boots on gravel can interfere with the dialogue if it is recorded too loudly. 

How is Foley Recorded?

Foley is usually performed by Foley artists. They stand on a Foley stage (an area with a variety of possible surfaces and props) in a Foley studio (a specialized sound studio). The Foley artists can clearly see a screen which displays the footage they are to add sound effects to, and they perform their sound effects while watching this screen for timing. The actions they perform can inclu
de walking, running, jostling each other, rubbing their clothing, handling props, and breaking objects, all while closely observing the screen to ensure their sound effects are appropriate.

Why Do We Use Foley?

Without Foley, a film sounds empty and hollow - the actors seem to be talking in a vacuum (no sound). The sound recordist provides the just dialogue and gets rid everything else, but films needs more than this for the picture to "come alive". We need to hear the little sounds of clothes, furniture, but we need to control those sound effects so they don't obscure any of the dialogue.

Another common use for Foley sound replacement is adding it to documentary footage. Old historical film seems lifeless when it is screened without sound, and adding foley to it helps bring those old images to life.

Foley can also be used to enhance comedy or action scenes. Watch most comedy films and you'll notice that many of the sounds are enhanced for comic effect, and sometimes the Foley sound is the joke. As for action, most fist fights do not involve the actors really hitting each other, and even if they did we would not be able to record a satisfying punch sound. By punching and variously objects such objects as cabbages, celery and sides of beef, Foley artists can record unique and much more 'realistic' action sounds.