Foley: How is it made and where?

How is Foley Made?

Foley is usually performed on a custom stage known as a Foley stage where a Foley artist is surrounded by props and multiple surfaces with which he experiments and records each sound that he makes.  To create the sounds, the original source of the sound is not used but rather the sounds are improvised using different items. An example would be when horses are walking; a typical Foley artist uses a cup shaped object like two halves of coconuts to recreate the sound of the horses's hooves.

Where is Foley Made?

Foley is usually made in a studio or stage that are filled with a multitude of props. Each prop is chosen in the studio to create certain sounds, An example of this would be in the following clip where an old, creaky chair is use to create the sound of a swinging rope and gloves hitting a matt wearing gloves to make the effects of the character in the film hitting his head against objects.

In the clip, you can clearly see the sound studio they use to record the sounds with, such as sand and dirt for the sounds of walking while objects such as chairs, pads, gloves and other props which can be seen such as a woven basket, propane tank, metal door hinge and feather dusters. All of these sounds are recorded and then stored digitally by the Foley artists, which is then integrated with the film during post-production.