Foley

1. What is a Foley artist?
A Foley artist is someone who creates the sound effects for a film during post production.


2. Who was Foley?
Jack Foley established the basic modern techniques, which are still used today, and was named after him.


3. Why are Foley artists needed?
Foley artists are needed in order to create the sound effects in a film. They include sounds such as footsteps, clothes rustling, doors opening and slamming etc. They are needed to emphasise the sounds in a film which sound hollow or thin. Another common use for Foley sound replacement is adding it to documentary footage and used to enhance comedy or action scenes. By punching objects such as cabbages, celery and sides of beef, Foley artists can record unique and much more realistic action sounds.


4. Give examples of how Foley artists traditionally achieve their outcomes.
Foley artists achieve their outcomes by standing on a Foley stage (an area with a variety of possible surfaces and props) in a Foley studio, which is a specialised studio. The Foley artists can see a screen which displays the footage they are to add sound effects to and will perform their sound effects while watching this screen for typing. The actions they perform can include walking, running, jostling each other, rubbing their clothing, handling props and breaking objects.


5. How is Foley work completed nowadays?
Increasingly, many simple Foley sound effects are done without Foley artists. The sound effects are stored electronically and performed by the post production sound engineer on a keyboard whilst watching the visual. It is much cheaper than renting a Foley stage and paying Foley artists to create the sound effects. However, if done poorly, this type of Foley effect sounds repetitive and bland, and is nowhere near as flexible as the real thing.