Before You Begin

Foley, as all other Audio-Post, is done when the project has reached final cut.

The first step is an Audio Spotting Session - use the Sound Effect & Foley Spotting Sheet, watch the project final cut, and 'spot' where, and what kind of, SFX and/or Foley will be required.

Next, gather and prep all your props for the required effects.

Then, prep your recording space (foley studio) and your recording equipment.

Do a 'Moves' pass first, then a 'Pats' pass. This will provide a good opportunity to get to know the material, get a feel for the flow and action, before you do the 'Feet' and 'Specifics' passes.

... and, before you jump to it, here are a few other tips:

• Always wear shorts.

• Bring MANY different shoes.

• When recording 'Feet' Foley artists often watch actors shoulders to determine when footfalls should occur - especially if the feet are off camera.

• Remove all rings, watches, etc. 

• If the scene is crowded with extras, you don't have to do everyone's feet. A good approach is to only make cues on the foley cue sheet for the extras that you notice on your FIRST look at a scene. Chances are, an audience will only notice what you notice when viewing the scene for the first time. 

• Practice!  

• Practice!  

• Practice!

What is it

A Foley artist is sometimes called a 'Foley Walker' or 'Stepper' because one of the most important elements they provide is the sound of the footsteps.

When the original dialogue is replaced, due to noise or bad performance, the sound of the actors walking must be redone.  Every footstep for each character is covered; you must match the sync of the steps, the surface (wood, marble, dirt etc.) and the feeling (heavy, fast, angry, panicked etc.) of each step.

Feet is very difficult to perform. It takes a lot of practice to get the exact feeling and timing while standing stationary - you can't walk across the room because the microphone needs to be fixed and besides, you don’t have that much room.

Recording

You will need a separate track for each main character in the film as well as several for background or 'B.G. Feet'.

Minor characters are grouped on tracks by Male or Female so that the Mixer can set the EQ  (Equalization) consistently (pumps are sharper than running shoes).

The microphone should be placed about one meter in front of the Foley Artist when the scene is outdoors (tight mic) and placed two to three meters away when the scene is indoors (loose mic). This technique allows the mike to breath and provides a roomy sound for indoors vs. a tight sound for outdoors.

A second mike on a boom, placed high in the room, is often used to capture the ambient room sound - this mike is mixed into the single track while recording. Using a second microphone allows the Foley recordist to mix fades and perspectives during the recording session, but this is very tricky - the problem is that you are limiting the mixer to what you recorded with no chance to 'fix it in the mix!'

The sound recordist might have to 'ride the level' as characters enter or exit a scene but be gentle and let the Foley Artist work the fade as you do.

If you have to 'punch into the track’ (the artist missed a footstep) you will need to get the rhythm of the steps and punch in between footsteps. This requires extreme precision, teamwork and practice. Whenever possible, try to punch on a scene cut or break in the action.

Performing

Select the appropriate shoes and surfaces required in the scene (boots, pumps, marble etc.).

Watch the picture carefully and remember that sometimes what you hear on guide (the production recording) is only a film set and its up to you to create the best sounding footsteps.

You will be standing still (not actually walking!) and you will be using one or two feet. The action is "heel / toe". While you are doing this you must roll your foot from heel to toe, so as to create the sound illusion of forward movement. A good technique can be to roll from the outer heel to the inner toe of your foot.

Running requires a quicker and shorter heel / toe action as does climbing stairs! When the actor comes to a stop, there is usually a definitive step or weight shift, which you must capture (this give a feeling of closure to the movement).

To get "in sync" with the actor, you must try to watch their shoulders (not their feet). If you watch their feet then you will never be in sync because this technique is too reactionary. Watching the shoulders however, provides the sense of movement about to happen and when you sway and move as the actor does, the feet just tend to naturally sync up.

When the sync gets tricky (some actors just do strange things while walking) count steps and get a pattern - step, step, step, skip, stop. Rehearse this sequence, and then record. (For an exercise in frustration, try doing Jack Nicholson’s feet in "As Good As It Gets" when he walks down the sidewalk never touching the cracks).

B.G. Feet are a wash of foot tracks that fill the background characters. Pick a person(s) on screen and follow them - after a while of practicing, you will be able to do several people at once.

End Result

When all the steps are recorded (this can take several days or weeks) the foots track should sound distinct and natural. Every character should be recognizable  (even when you don't see them on screen) and the feeling of movement and action should be captured. 

Next we'll look at the foley element called Specifics

Additonal Resources

Articles

• List of Foley Tips

• Real-Time Sound Effects – The Foley Way

• How to Record Your Own Foley Tracks

• How to Record Foley Sound

• Introduction to Sound Design (with some interesting exercises)

• Rain is sizzling bacon, cars are lions roaring: the art of sound in movies
  
  

Videos

Foley

• Introduction to Foley and Sound Effects for Film 

• Caoimhe Doyle – Foley Artist – Sound Effect Demonstration

• Lesley Bloome – Foley Artist

• Gary Hecker – Foley Artist – Robin Hood

Sound Design

• The Sound of The Revenant

• WALL E – Sound Design Part I

• WALL E – Sound Design Part II

• Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring – Sound Design Part I

• Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring – Sound Design Part II

• Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers – Sound Design Part I

• Lord of the Rings –The Two Towers – Sound Design Part II