FOLEY

Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects which are added in post production to enhance the quality of audio for films, television, video, video games and radio.These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience. It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene. Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and uncomfortable.
(Definition from wikipedia)






The sound of the Imperial Walkers in Star Wars were created by modifying the sound of a machinist's punch press. Added to this for complexity, were the sounds of bicycle chains being dropped on concrete.The sounds created in this scene were rather complex compared to some others such as footsteps on gravel which is simply made by filling a tray with gravel and pushing shoes onto it in time with the image. 

In this fight scene from the film 'Enter The Dragon' a lot of the strikes (punches and kicks), are recreated sounds, recorded in a studio and overdubbed to the film. A lot of the punches to the head are recreated using a cabbage or a lettuce and simply punching it. For a body falling and landing on the ground, they would simply throw a punch bag/boxing bag onto the floor. 

A lot of the Foley artists job is trail and error. They will try a variety of techniques and sounds until they find the most realistic and effective one to go with the movie. 
The mean average annual salary for a foley artist is around £35,000.