Foley vs. Sound Effects: What’s the Difference?

When people first learn about the art of Foley, they often struggle to understand the difference between Foley and sound effects. And that’s not surprising! The distinction between the two can sometimes be quite blurred. In this article, we’ll explore the roles Foley artists and sound effects editors play in creating sound design for films

What Do Foley Artists Do in Film Sound Design?

Foley artists specialize in recording customized sound effects. Foley is recorded especially for every project. The majority of aspiring sound designers believe that they can substitute Foley with pre-recorded SFX from libraries. Although it's a fact that SFX libraries carry sounds normally recorded in Foley studios, such as footsteps, clothing rustling, and assorted props. This begs the question: why not save time and money by simply using these pre-existing effects? Let's discuss why this might not be an option for your film.

Let's take footsteps as an example. At first glance, it should be simple enough to record a series of footsteps in the right type of footwear and match them up with the movement of the character. But the scene looks fake. The sound will not "stay" on the image. You practice and practice and the best you can do is "satisfactory." And you've already spent quite some time on this!

When a Foley artist creates the sound of walking, aside from thinking what type of shoes and terrain, they also consider:

• The person’s weight

• Walking speed

• Gait

• Foot angle

• Type of movement (running, sneaking, skipping, etc.)

  These nuances simply cannot be captured using library sounds.

  Using pre-recorded clothing sounds from libraries is one of the most inefficient ways to spend your time - it never sounds quite right.

You might argue: “But we’ve seen those impressive redesigns sound designers make to showcase their editing skills.” And it’s true - they often use whatever they have at their disposal.

Yes, you can get good enough results with just libraries, but they will never compare to the quality of a professionally recorded Foley session.

Sound Effects vs. Foley

But sound effects enter in where the instance cannot be easily recreated in a Foley studio. Doors are an example. While a studio might have a door prop or two, it is usually easier to use pre-recorded door sound from libraries or production sound, or a blend of both. We do record the door handle sound, though, sometimes, especially if it makes a discernable sound when turned.

Sounds like gunfire, explosions, car engines, machinery, or animal sounds - all are categorized under sound effects.

Suppose there is a car accident scene in an action film: a truck crashes into a sedan, which rolls over several times before finally exploding and bursting into flames. What aspect of this work would a Foley studio be responsible for?

Foley would then capture the sound of the truck crashing into the sedan, obscuring the initial metal-on-metal crash. Then would be the shattering of glass, capturing the breaking and scattering of the tiny fragments. Any metallic fragments could fly off - Foley would also capture those sounds. As the car continues flipping over, the metal and other objects crashing against the pavement would be accomplished. When the car explodes, the remaining glass and metal shards would be generated by Foley.

What would be covered by sound effects?

Truck engine sounds and sedan engine sounds. Everything that would be crashed and would impact would be enhanced by layered sound effects. For the car explosion, the explosion sound itself would be sourced from a library. Fire, explosion, and as well, perhaps a honk of a horn would also be added as sound effects.

How Foley and Sound Effects Work Together in Film Production

As you can tell, Foley work and sound effects complement each other very nicely. Sometimes, in the process of creating Foley coverage, we even use sound effects to enhance the end product and incorporate them into the final Foley session.

For instance, if we need more temporary emphasis and a temporary shaper does not deliver the desired result, we might add a crisp, accenting sound effect and blend it with the layers of recorded props. This is common when we need a rapid attack in a cue or when we need lower lows or more resonance.

This process saves us time as we won't need to re-record a cue if otherwise successful. It is also beneficial to the sound designer, as he receives a smoother and polished sound in the scene. With that said, it must be noted that constructing sound effects and Foley are separate processes. In Foley Makers, our goal is to give an extensive Foley session recorded on our Foley stage. If we include the sound effects, it's just to make the impact more impactful for the Foley - not to replace it.

You now understand the difference between Foley and sound effects and what each covers in a production.