P1. Foley Sound

Definition of Foley Artist:

A foley artist is some one who recreates everyday sounds using random objects that give the impression of the real sound. This is used to enhance audio in post production during the editing process in TV or Film production. They can create sound effects such as footsteps, horses trotting, doors opening, cloths rustling, punches and glass smashing.

The first step they do when creating foley sound, is go into a Foley Studio, which is an area built especially for recording sound and is specialised so the sound is recorded at its best quality. Then the foley artist goes on a Foley stage, which is an area with a variety of surfaces, objects and props. The Foley studio has a screen where the artists can see what they need to be recording sound for, and therefore can record it in sync with the picture.


In this clip Gary Hecker talks about his 'Prop Pass' process, where he firstly starts by recording the footsteps of the horse, which is the most predominant  and loudest sound in the scene, he does this by tapping hoof like cups on a sandy surface. Then he goes on to recording a track of the bridal, where he uses an actual bridal and records himself shaking it up and down. Lastly for the most subtle sound in the sequence (the breathe of the horse) he uses his own mouth and vocal abilities to mimic the sound of the horse.

Hecker then mentions through out the clip three key skills and qualities Foley artists need:

-Sense of timing
-Creative mind
-Need to be able to put in a good convincing performance

The advantage of using real objects to create sound FX rather than using digital production or sound libraries is that you may not always find the exact sounds you are looking for. By creating the sounds yourself, you can experiment with the duration of the sound, the pitch, the volume, tone and many other aspects to get it perfect. You can also create the sounds in sync with the picture to make it even more believable.

Starwars is an example of Foley sound being used effectively in a well known film. Ben Burtt was the sound designer for the film, and decided to use a machinists punch press and bicycle chains for the Imperial Walkers, and for R2-D2 a combination of water pipes whistles and vocalisations. He also recorded sounds of various animals such as walruses to design Chewbaccas voice.