Foley is all about the creation and performance of detailed sounds we see and hear on the screen. It’s the sound of the actors footsteps, their movement and clothing rustle. It’s anything that the actor might handle touch or grab, like writing a letter, the shaking hands or the clinking of a drink glass. It’s the detailed sound for the props that the actors might use during their performance like the pull chain of a grandfather clock or the handling of a blood pressure gauge. Foley also covers the visceral sounds like that of a body being through down a flight of stairs or what might you would expect to hear during an autopsy scene. A great Foley performance is the organic glue that connects the dialog, music, and sound design together to create a memorable scene.
During filming, the location sound recordists’ job is to capture the dialogue as best as possible. If the end viewer can not understand the dialog then the story being told is lost. On the set, microphones are placed and positioned to record the actors voices as best as possible. From the slightest whisper to a scream, the dialog needs to be heard without interference from outside sources the camera men or crew.
On many occasions the actors will need to replace several lines in their film due to these outside noises or to fix a poor performance. Also when a film is sold for foreign distribution an M & E (music and effects only) mix is needed. On these occasions, whatever production sound that might have been captured on the set has been removed and is lost from the original mix along with the dialog. It is here that Foley really comes into play.
