Foley Research
A foley artist is someone who recreates different kinds of audios and makes them sound more realistic for the film. They change and make little tweaks to the sound to make the audio fit for what is happening in the current scene of the film. They also replace sounds which cannot be recorded whilst filming. The sounds they replace can be anything for example if they would like to make something like a laser blaster sound, they would get a sound piece which is like how they think this sounds like but then edit this sound to make it seem more realistic sounding. Foley artists don’t only work on movies some may do sounds for games. Foley artists play a major role in films as sound is one of the major senses especially since it brings the film or game to life by enhancing the viewer’s listening experience. For example, if you were watching a movie and people were firing gun shots without foley artists you would not hear any of the gun shots or the gun shot may just be poor quality which makes the viewer uncomfortable as it is not the sound, they would think they would hear coming out of a gun. Viewers also need sounds that are as good if not better than the actual video because people tend to focus more on the sound that’s why there are foley artists who specialise in creating specific sounds. Foley artists use a variety of props to recreate sounds like rain they could use sizzling and popping sound and tweak it a little to make it sound like rain dropping since they are similar. Foley artists re-record poor quality sounds from the recording done prior so that they can increase the quality of the sound. The video in films can be shaky and grainy but the sound needs to be perfect as it is a big factor in making films feel real and immersive. The sounds created are done live as the foley artist watches the footage and creates the sound depending on what movement is made and to get the timing right.
There are 3 types of Foley Footsteps, Movement and Props.
Foley Footsteps
Foley Footsteps is reproducing the sound of footsteps made by anything that is walking by using different shoes or objects on different surfaces. Foley artist always are considerate of where the scene is taking place as they need to be to get the sound perfect depending what or where the character is. The Foley artist may use trainers, leaves, branches or grass to recreate a scene where the character is walking or running through a forest.
Movement Foley
Movement Foley is for small and precise sounds like someone breathing or someone crossing their legs with jeans on. Sounds like these add more detail to the film. These small sounds help make the film more immersive as these would be the sounds you would hear from them depending on how close you are to the thing and how quiet the place you are in is.
Props Foley
Props Foley is used to recreate sounds like explosions, cars driving, laser blaster and more depending on what kind of film it is. Props are effective to recreate sounds as they can help emphasize them more which will help make editing these sounds easier. Any kind of prop can be used to make the sound you are looking for all you need is creativity. For example, the foley artist Marko Costanzo used the cracking of celery to create the sound of breaking bones.
References
Maio, A., 2020. Foley: The Art Of Sound Design. [online] StudioBinder. Available at: <https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-a-foley-artist/> [Accessed 15 December 2020].
Youtube.com. 2020. The Magic Of Making Sound. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO3N_PRIgX0&feature=youtu.be> [Accessed 15 December 2020].
Youtube.com. 2020. How The Sound Effects In ‘A Quiet Place’ Were Made | Movies Insider. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnozP8OWeik&feature=youtu.be> [Accessed 15 December 2020].