My Argument: What Foley *Really* Is (As a Subset of Sound Effect Lexicon)
By Rudy Helm, Audio and Quality Assurance Tech, Visual Purple, LLC.
I thought I’d open a discussion about the term ‘Foley.’ I’ve noticed the use of the term bandied about and, methinks, inadvertently misused by some. Truth is, a foley is a sound effect, yet not just any sound effect is a foley.
A Foley artist (named after Jack Foley, a film-sound pioneer) on a multimedia, television or film crew is responsible for creating a goodly share of the sound effects in a project. The typical notion is that foleys are recorded, real-time, in a session with a recording engineer. A foley artist has a specialized role, crucial to producing a successful soundtrack. (Note that Foley artists, sound designers, editors, etc, are not necessarily one and the same function.)
Sound effects and Foley are applied at post-production to voice-over, dialog and real effects which were recorded by microphones on set. There are times, as when in the case of animated features, there’s no sound to begin with and all sound needs to be fabricated by the Foley artist and sound designer. The Foley artist might try to bolster existing sounds to make them more immersive, or bigger-than-life. Below can be seen a list of sound effects apparatuses. Often commonly found materials are utilized. Many Foley artists are proud of their own sound effects inventions and tactics.
Some sound effects apparatuses to give an idea of how Foley effects can be made:
Apparatuses = Intended Effect
Clacking empty coconut shells together=Horses galloping or trotting
Crumbling up audio tape =Leaves rustling
Flapping a pair of gloves =Bird wings flapping
Breaking bamboo or celery stalk = Bones crunching
Thump watermelon = Body punch
Kiss back of hand = Kissing
Walks in high heels on wood = Foot steps – high heels
Squeeze box of corn starch =Foot steps – snow
Slide paper from envelope = Sliding doors, ala Star Trek
Note that this is an ‘art’ context and not a collection in a library. It’s about illusion. Conversely, recording an actual jet engine is not making a Foley. Because you simply recorded a real jet does not mean that you have engaged in the art of foley-ism. But faking a jet engine sound by recording some other event and instead, simulating the jet, you have made a Foley.
Sound Effect is generally described as a superset to many different sound disciplines. A Hard sound effect is a common sound such as door slams, weapons firing, and vehicle drive-bys. Whenever the real thing is recorded and utilized, this is not a foley element.
A Background (BG) sound effect is an ambient or atmosphere sound such as forest sounds, or people ‘walla’. Again, record and use the real thing and we’re still not talkin’ foley.
A Foley sound effect is a sound that is synchronized on screen. Footsteps, the rustling of cloth, the deployment of hand props are typical Foley practices. In the film world, sound effect categories are specialized. Sound editors bear titles known by their specialties, such as “Car cutter”, “Guns cutter”, etc.). Understanding the process can be digested into two parts: the recording of the effects, and the processing of effects. Commercial sound effects libraries are available to content producers. On large-scale projects sound effects may be custom-recorded for originality.
None of the above sound industry terms are of my own invention. And there are no ‘guidelines and recommended practices’ published (that I am personally aware of), so anyone can quite freely call me a ‘quack.’ Thankfully, there are other places on the Internet to find similar discussions in this topic. Among them being:
The Art of Foley
Sound Effect
Film Crew
Foley Artist
Film Production
I have been a many-year subscriber to Mix Magazine, EQ Magazine and Electronic Musician, former co-chairman of the Interactive Audio Special Interest Group (under the umbrella of the MIDI Manufacturer’s Assoc.), and a professional musician since for way too many years. Now back to my coconut shells…
One key point regarding foley is that it’s a performed art. Often there used to be foley crews who, like a band, performed the sfx to the film roll.