Foley: Creation

Foley: How is it created

Foley is made by a sound artist mimicking actual sound sources in a recording studio, often there are many little sound effects that happen within any scene of a movie. Foley art is can often be broken down into three main categories which are Feet, Moves, and Specifics.

Feet:

To produce the sound of walking down a staircase for example, two Foley artists stomp their feet on a marble slab in a recording studio while watching the footage. Foley studios carry many different types of shoes and several different types of floors to create footstep sounds. These floors, known as Foley Pits, vary from marble squares to gravel and rock pits. Creating just the right sound of footsteps can greatly enhance the feel of a scene. Foley Artists are often referred to as "Foley Walkers" or "Steppers" when working in the 'feet' subset of Foley

Moves:

The “move's” category makes up many of the more subtle sounds heard in films, for example, the swishing of clothing when two actors walk past each other. This sound is created by rubbing two pieces of the same material together near the microphone at the same rate that the actor’s legs cross. (Note:Cloth is not always used)

Specifics:

Foley can also include other sounds such as doors closing and doorbell rings; however, these tend to be done more efficiently using stock sound effects, arranged by sound editors.

Foley effects help the viewer judge the size of a space. For example, a large hall will have strong reverberation, while a small room may have only slight reverberation. Open outdoor spaces usually have no echo/reverb at all.