Foley

Foley is the performance of everyday sounds while watching the picture: footsteps, clothes moving, keys landing, a cup set on a table. It is named after Jack Foley, whose work at Universal helped establish the craft. Unlike a library effect dropped onto the timeline, Foley is acted to match the movement, weight, surface, and rhythm of one shot.

Reach for it when production sound did not capture a physical action cleanly, or when the action needs more character than the real sound had. Record separate passes for feet, cloth, and props, then cut each transient to the matching contact point. A leather glove can sell wings, cornstarch in a leather pouch sounds more like snow than snow does, snapped celery reads as breaking bone, and coconut halves have played horses since radio drama.

Gotcha: literal is not always believable. The right prop is the one that reads correctly against the image, and its perspective must match the shot. Close, bright footsteps under a wide exterior sound pasted on, even when every heel lands on the correct frame.