What is Foley Sound?
Foley sound was discovered in 1926 for the Warner Bros film: Don Juan. This film was originally a silent film but had some sort of music added to it in the post production. As sound got added to films the sound effects department had appeared to add this music to their soundtracks.
The name Foley became the actual name in the 1960s, people called it the Foley because of the man Jack Foley who ran the department for over 45 years in universal studios.
Foley sound is is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. These reproduced sounds, named after sound-effects artist Jack Foley, can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass.
Foley sound is broken down into 2 categories : footsteps & props. They are usually custom created for each film so they sound more natural. When an object in the film looks like a piece of metal its more likely to be wood, so as someone hits on the wooden door, they get sounds of metal and add it to the soundtrack to create the illusion.
What’s a Foley stage?
A Foley stage is a specially designed studio with a place that is unique to the world of sound recording for its props. Surfaces also called pits give Foley artists the ability to walk/run/skip on mud/concrete/gravel/wood. Over the years Foley artists have come to realise that mounting the surfaces on the floor is the only way to create a proper natural sound. There are also water pits which are filled with water but also for the water to spill,so it sounds like a river with the water splashing onto tiles.
Who is Jack Foley?
Jack Foley was born in New York in somewhere called Yorkville in 1881, he died on November 9th 1967. Jack Foley was the developer of many sound effect techniques used in his film making. He was credited for making unique methods on creating sound effects live and in time with the pictures during films post production.
Here is a photo of Jack Foley:
Here’s a video example on Foley Sound:
Films he worked on:
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Dracula
- Spartacus
Objects that make sounds for other noises:
- Cracking= Crunching fresh celery
- Tyres= Hot water bottle
- UFO= Fibreboard
- Crunching Snow= Box of Cornstarch
- Walking Through dried grass
- A Chugging train= Box of Pasta
- Loading a revolver= Vice Grips
- Wings Flapping=Gloves
- Walking Robot= Bike Pump
- Breaking glass= Metal chimes and bottle
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