Ruby Hawkins

Ruby Hawkins
22/01/23
 Ruby Hawkins

Essay Research

Foley sound in film

My area of investigation is Foley Sound in Film.

As a film maker I have always felt that foley sounds have been such an
important part in film making so I feel that by investigating this area of film
will help me learn more about and as a result further my skills meaning I
can use my new skills when I begin production my final production.

I’m hoping to learn why foley sound is so important to many and I’m also
hoping to get an insight on how foley sounds are created so that I can try to
create some for my final production to show that I can learn new skills
easily.

Without foley sounds a soundtrack would be incomplete. A film nowadays

would not be told the same way if it wasn’t for foley sounds. Foley helps
create a realistic atmosphere in films. For example if you were filming a
scene with horses you should be able to hear their hooves on the ground as
they walk/gallop and it would be very tricky to get a clear recording of their
hooves while filming the scene which is why we now use foley sounds as it
means you can record the hoove sounds after filming has ended, a common
way to create hoove sounds is by using a half of a coconut and hitting it
along the floor in time with the horses movement.

Foley stages or studios are places where the Foley process happens. This
process involves using Foley sounds to improve the movie's audio
experience. It can also help cover up unwanted noises, such as passing
traffic or overflying airplanes, recorded during the movie's filming.

‌ he difference between sound effects and foley sounds is that foley sounds
T
is recorded live whereas sound effects are a cut from a library.

Foley sound is recorded post-production as they create the sounds live while
playing the shots in front of them so that they look most realistic.

The name foley comes from the creator-artist Jack Foley and he created
these sounds to enhance the auditory experience in films.

Some common tricks are:

 Corn starch in a leather pouch makes the sound

of snow crunching.
 A pair of gloves sounds like bird wings flapping.
 An arrow or thin stick makes a whoosh sound.
 Ruby Hawkins

 An old chair makes a controllable creaking sound.

 A water-soaked rusty hinge when placed against different surfaces
makes a creaking sound. Different surfaces change the sound
considerably.
 A heavy staple gun combined with other small metal sounds make
good gun noises.
 Burning plastic garbage bags cut into strips makes a realistic
sounding candle or soft non-crackling fire when the bag melts and
drips to the ground.
 Gelatine and hand soap make squishing noises.
 Frozen romaine lettuce makes bone or head injury noises.
 Coconut shells cut in half and stuffed with padding make horse
hoof noises.
 Cellophane creates crackling fire effects.

Silent film vs New films how different

The first motion picture created was in 1888 in comparison to the most
recent motion pictures they have developed drastically.

The first ever motion picture is only 2 seconds long in comparison to one of
the most recent popular motion pictures Barbie which is 1hr and 54
seconds but there are also movies that have been more than 3hrs.

Foley has progressed so much throughout the years. To the point where it’s
an no brainer segment to add when creating a film and its now a known
thing used in films. Without it, people would feel off-put as it’s so common
nowadays in film.

Foley sound in movies, inspired by audio innovator Jack Foley, enhances

the movie experience by adding carefully synced and authentic sounds after
filming. Foley artists use everyday objects to mimic sounds like footsteps,
door creaks, or fabric rustles, making sure they match the actions on
screen. The main job of Foley is to deal with challenges in filmmaking, like
reducing background noise or filling in missing sounds from the original
shoot. Beyond just fixing stuff, Foley is also a creative tool that lets artists
play with sounds to make moments in the story more emotional,
suspenseful, or impactful.

Additionally, Foley helps keep the sounds consistent, especially when scenes
are filmed out of order or in different places. Teamwork is crucial, with Foley
artists working closely with directors, sound designers, and editors to create
the right sound vibe.

To sum it up, Foley sound is a vital part of moviemaking, going beyond just
copying sounds. It gives filmmakers a cool way to tell stories and amp up
the overall impact of the movie experience.
 Ruby Hawkins

Beforehand I didn’t know much about foley sounds so I didn’t know how to
get a clear recording or how to incorporate foley into my pre-recorded
production.

How has your area of investigation improved over the years? Not just in
terms of technology but with how the audience is immersed within the film.
Refer to examples to support your point.
My area of investigation has improved vastly over the years as I have learnt
the type of things I need to research and the amount of depth I must go in
to.

This investigation has taught me some techniques used to create foley

sounds. I am going to use what I have learnt in my final production, and I
will also use the rest of the stuff I have learnt throughout the years to better
my work to increase my grade.

Here is a screenshot I found from a website which shows the behind scenes
of creating foley. There are a variety of probs all in the room which they use
and helps make so many sounds such as footsteps, door opening, bone
breaking and much more.

https://youtu.be/UO3N_PRIgX0?si=AsPBF7r1bx2pnL97

In the link above is a video showing the behind scenes of foley. The first
thing they show is a pair of gloves with paper clips which are used to create
the sound of dog paws. In the video you can see there is a screen showing a
clip from a film and the next to the screen is the foley artists using objects to
create sounds that link perfectly with shot. The lady in the video says ‘you
would miss it if it wasn’t there’ she is talking about foley sound and she is
correct many film watchers take foley for granted and don’t realise the
impact it has in a film.

What is foley sound in the 21st century?

https://youtu.be/CR5Jp_ag2M8?si=muBcaLjlhQBpsZ_w
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When researching the earlier films using foley sound I came across fight
club and they incorporated foley sounds well. As when it comes to filming
the actors they focus on the dialogue and not the sounds. Which means
they have more time to recreate sounds perfectly while remaining with
perfectly captured dialogue. In this clip you see the blonde actor (Brad Pitt)
jump up and down and you can hear the noise of his feet hitting the ground
which is here the foley sounds are used and they aren’t actual from the clip
shown.

https://youtu.be/b2gPG6eSM1k?si=Q1JsVhHVeLmh_sgS

Throughout the avatar film foley sounds is use through the whole thing, this
is due to the fact that the whole film is animated so no scenes are filmed
with actual avatars in the avatar world. In some cases, foley is just used to
recreate footsteps sounds but in avatar every sound heard other than
dialogue is foley as people have had to create sounds to fit with the scenes
that have been animated, the sounds range from, footsteps to doors opening
and much more. As you can see in the clip linked above the avatar has just
woken up in his avatar body and every sound heard in that clip is recorded
post filming.

In conclusion, Foley artists are like the wizards behind movie and TV
sounds. They get creative with cool tools such as Pro Tools to make things
sound just right, working hand in hand with directors.

When it's time for post-production sound mixing, they team up to make sure
everything from talking to music and sounds fits together smoothly.
Thankfully there are now new tech and recording studios where Foley artists
can now work their magic more easily.

Realism is a key word when talking about Foley as the main point of it is to
make films feel more real by adding realistic sounds.

Although they're not always in the spotlight, the skill of creating lifelike
sounds through Foley is a crucial part of making movies and shows sound
so realistic. It's become a type of secret ingredient use to make our favourite
scenes feel real.

In previous productions sound has been quite a let-down so in order to

improve on this I will be using my new skills in my final production to create
a more immersive entertaining production. For my final production I will be
creating a short film which means I can add foley sounds to it whereas if I
was to go do a documentary, I wouldn’t be able to add foley.

Bibliography
 Ruby Hawkins

Wikipedia. (2020). Foley (filmmaking). [online] Available at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)#:~:text=Foley%20sounds
%20are%20used%20to.

Clipchamp. (n.d.). Exploring the use of foley in film | Clipchamp Blog. [online]
Available at: https://clipchamp.com/en/blog/what-is-foley/.

Fang, J. (n.d.). The Other F Word: What is Foley in the 21st Century? [online]
blog.prosoundeffects.com. Available at: https://blog.prosoundeffects.com/the-
other-f-word-what-is-foley-in-the-21st-century.

www.filmmaker.tools. (2023). What is Foley? | Filmmaker Tools. [online] Available

at: https://www.filmmaker.tools/glossary/foley [Accessed 22 Jan. 2024].