Foley Artists

Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best Foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience. It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene. Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and uncomfortable.


 1. What is a Foley artist?
A Foley artist is someone who creates  the sounds during films to either change or emphasise the sound that cant be picked up by the cameras as when filming the sound is more focused on dialogue than sound effects. For example, if an actors footsteps are not as loud as the director desires, they can be recreated in a studio and edited in instead of the original sound. They use props and/or their body parts.

2. Who was Foley?
The technique is named after Jack Donovan Foley who was a film maker born in 1891 in New York.

3. Why are Foley artists needed?
Foley artists are still an important role in the film industry today. Foley artists are needed to enhance the sounds used in films post-production. Without Foley artist's the film could sound empty and hollow as the sounds created help to establish a sense of reality within a scene. Without these background noises, movies may feel quiet and uncomfortable. For example, they can be used within comedy films to enhance sound effects and increase the comedy value of the film. Foley can also be used to cover up unwanted sounds in the original footage.

4. Give examples of how Foley artists traditionally achieve their outcomes.
Foley artists create their sounds on a platform surrounded by props and objects in which they can create sounds. They usually perform the movements which create the sound effects in front of a screen in which they are watching the film. They can make sounds such as swishing of clothing, footsteps and even sounds like clattering pans to sound like a big clash or something falling over.

5. How is Foley work done nowadays?
Usually, Foley work is now electronically done by a person behind a keyboard due to the wide range of technology available in this era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZfQNt4ljsk

Hugh Jackman foley artist video