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Film & Television vocabulary · Sound and Music

Foley

Meaning in film & television, with examples

/ˈfəʊli/nounCommon term

In film & television, Foley means: Everyday sound effects such as footsteps, clothes rustling or a cup on a table, performed and recorded in a studio in sync with the picture.

In Turkish: foley, efekt seslendirme, canlı efekt kaydı

How it is used

Foley artists watch the film on a screen and perform sounds with shoes, fabrics and props on a Foley stage. The word is often capitalised because it is named after Jack Foley, a Hollywood sound effects pioneer.

Example sentences

  1. All the footsteps in the snow were added later by a Foley artist.

  2. For international sales, you need a full Foley track without dialogue.

Common collocations

  • Foley artist
  • Foley stage
  • Foley track
  • record Foley
  • sound effectsRecorded or created sounds, other than dialogue and music, that are added to a film to make actions and places feel real, such as doors, cars, rain or explosions.
  • sound designThe creative work of creating, choosing and shaping all the sounds of a film so that they support the story and the atmosphere.
  • ADRAutomated dialogue replacement: re-recording an actor's lines in a studio after the shoot while they watch the scene, to replace bad or changed dialogue.
  • post-productionAll the work done on a film after the shoot ends, including editing, visual effects, color grading, sound design, music and the final mix.

More terms: Sound and Music

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