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: