The Importance of Foley Sound

      Have you ever wondered how films are able to have original dialogue replaced with another language, and yet the background sounds are still in tact? How is that possible? It is possible through the art of Foley sound, a technique founded by a man named Jack Foley, which is usually the recreation of sounds such as footsteps and clothing rustle. It can also include other sounds, such as basketball dribbling, clinking dishes, doorknobs being turned, bells ringing, doors slamming, etc. Foley sound is the group of those types of sound effects performed by a Foley artist on a Foley stage in a Foley or post-production audio studio, usually on cue with the actions in the film seen on a screen as they are performing the Foley sound, during the post-production stage (after the film shooting ends).

      One main reason for the use of Foley sound is for the dubbing of films that need a foreign version of the original. However, another reason Foley sound is important, is that it provides more control over the sound for the media being worked on, especially for films, television shows, commercials, or videos that do not have animation as the sole content. When boom operators record dialogue for these types of media, they are supposed to try to avoid capturing the original sources of the types of sounds that Foley artists recreate after the fact. The reason for this is that if the background sounds created from physical action are too loud, such as footsteps in snow or the rustle of a nylon jacket, then those sounds might overpower the dialogue such that it is difficult to hear. By adding Foley sound after the fact (to replace the original sounds), then the overall sound design can be better controlled in the mix; to ensure that the dialogue and Foley are at the right levels, for an optimal audio and overall viewer experience.

      Adding Foley sound also adds depth to media that would otherwise seem and sound very incomplete or hollow, with just dialogue and music. When watching a movie, television show, or even a commercial, it would seem very strange if the actor were walking outside on concrete without being able to hear any footsteps whatsoever. The audience might think that something is wrong with the station or DVD they were watching, since most people are used to hearing these Foley sounds; even if they do not even realize it, or are even aware of what is required to ensure these sounds are present in entertainment media.

      Today, many Foley sounds are often created without the use of Foley artists, Foley stages, or Foley studios, because numerous sound FX are available in digital sound FX libraries, and the budgets for entertainment projects might be limited. These sound FX libraries can be either purchased, or created by an audio engineer through the use of keyboards and digital audio workstations such as Pro Tools. However, the quality of those sounds might not be as good as the Foley sound created by a veteran Foley artist like John Roesch, who has worked on notable films such as “Frozen” and “Inception”, and video games like “Final Fantasy X”.

      The bottom line is this, some type of Foley sound is very important for many types of entertainment and advertising media. Films, animation, video games, commercials, and television features need Foley sound to enhance the sound design by creating a rich tapestry background for that media. Without this type of audio, the audience may not be interested or engaged in the media because of the lack of depth. For obvious reasons, this shows how vitally important Foley sound actually is. If you are still not convinced, take a look at this short video that demonstrates the art of Foley and how important it is:

An Examination of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO stands for “search engine optimization” or “search engine optimizer”, and according to Search Engine Land, it is the undertaking of obtaining traffic from the free and organic listings on search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Typically, SEO consultants/agencies provide website owners with services such as: keyword research, site structure/content review and development, online business development campaign management, specified market/geographic expertise, SEO training, and website development advise from a technical standpoint. It is recommended that one should hire a SEO company or consultant, upon planning to launch a new site or redesign a site. There are both ethical and unethical SEO businesses, so consumers need to do the proper research to ensure that they have hired the appropriate one. Unethical practices could include: promises of #1 ranking on a particular search engine, unsolicited email sent by the SEO company, deceptive or misleading content created on a client’s behalf, ownership of shadow domains that funnel users to a site by using redirects that are deceptive, offers to sell keywords in the address bar, and other deceptive black hat SEO techniques.

One example of a major SEO company is SEO.com, whose clients include Dell and Mrs. Fields. This company has successfully been able to increase organic traffic, ranked keywords, and revenue for these companies and others through its methods of Internet marketing plans that are strategically based upon search engine optimization, search optimized web design, social media marketing, and conversion optimization, all used to dominate the client’s online competition. One example of how it affects the revenue of client competitors from a content provider perspective is the following: SEO.com has been successful in facilitating almost a 200% increase in monthly sales for one of their clients in just a matter of months. This most certainly had to have put a significant dent in the pockets of that client’s competition, because obviously those customers have been lost to said competition. Based upon this client and others that SEO.com has worked with, SEO agencies can certainly be beneficial in adversely affecting the revenue of competitors when one has a larger business. 

If one has a smaller business, the common sense opinion is that they would fare better to either hire a SEO consultant or DIY (after much research on the subject of SEOs), possibly because of a limited budget. When considering a choice of the type of SEO agency or consultant, or whether to utilize one at all; when building a website or if you have a business that incorporates the usage of the Internet for increasing revenue; one should definitely keep in mind that SEO strategies have increasingly become a significant part of business, for Internet marketing, over the past decade.

      Today, there are three pillars of a great SEO strategy, which are: publishing high-quality content that does not get ignored, ensuring that numerous people link to that content (link building), and capitalizing upon social media, which is now the most popular form of communication, especially online. Online social sites are the most common form of social networking, where people with common interests or friendships can communicate, share personal content and information, and make new contacts through current contacts they are linked to. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other significantly popular online sites are examples of social media that are highly used today by most everyone (young, old, personally, and professionally). Apparently, data from social media is currently being used as a search engine-ranking factor, since likes, shares, and tweets are being tracked and incorporated into ranking. Furthermore, Jason DeMers mentions in this article about the three pillars of SEO, that social media is an excellent tool for increasing dissemination, reach to other consumers, and the ability to be shared. 

      Regardless of what one’s business situation is, SEO strategy is extremely important due to the fact that we are in a digital age where the Internet is a critical part of any marketing plan. As such, it demands optimization of any avenues that can potentially enlarge a company’s customer base, and thereby possibly increase revenue streams. I recommend research of SEOs to anyone with a website or Internet business, and for those with a startup business, to watch this embedded YouTube video entitled “SEO for Startups in Under 10 Minutes”: