Foley is a part of the post-production sound process where sound effects are performed and recorded in time with an edited film. Creating "real" sounding Foley is about having the right prop, performing the effect accurately and recording it in the correct acoustic space.

Foley covers an incredibly wide range of sounds that are added to a film during post-production; everything from falling debris to footsteps, to garment rustles, to cutlery clinks, sloshing water, sword hits, kissing... you name it.

The location sound recordist's main job is to clearly record the dialogue. Film sets are noisy places and many of the sound effects required for the film are too specific to be recorded in conjunction with the dialogue. In order to create comprehensive and rich sounds, each element of the sound must be distinct, and individually controllable. Only then does the Sound Mixer have the capability to effectively combine and balance all the sound elements in the final sound track. For example; the sounds of galloping horse feet must be separated from the rattle of the carriage, the bridle and reins, the dirt spray, and separate again from the distant horse feet that are in hot pursuit.

Film sets and many film props are traditionally constructed of very different materials than they are made to portray. That's where Foley comes to the dramatic rescue... replacing hollow plywood footsteps, foam rubber pipe hits, rubber swords and candy glass bottle breaks with realistic or enhanced 'movie' sound.

A foreign version requires a complete sound track stripped of all original language dialogue, leaving the music and sound effects tracks to be used in conjunction with dialogue in a variety of languages. Therefore, foley and sound effects tracks must cover the entire film.

The technique is named after Jack Foley, who performed this role at Universal Studios from the dawn of the "talkies". Jack spent most of his time "walking" the actors performances. Desilu Studios officially honoured Jack by naming its stage the "Foley Stage". The term stuck, and today it is used all over the world.

Check out these links to see Foley demonstrations and to hear from the experts:

Track Stars: The Unseen Heroes of Movie Sound
Footsteps Upon the Brain, directed by Robin Bain
Footsteps, directed by Guy Maddin
Box of Toys