3rd Edition
The Foley Grail The Art of Performing Sound for Film, Games, and Animation
This book teaches you how to master classic and cutting edge Foley techniques in order to create rich and convincing sound for any medium, be it film, television, radio, podcasts, animation, or games.
Award-winning Foley artist Vanessa Theme Ament demonstrates how Foley is designed, crafted, and edited for any project, down to the nuts and bolts of spotting, cueing, and performing sounds. Various renowned sound artists provide a treasure trove of indispensable shortcuts, hot tips, and other valuable tricks of the trade.
This updated third edition features the following:
- New chapters dedicated to Foley in games, television, broadcasting, and animation, as well as what is new in sound for media education
- A multitude of sound "recipes" that include proven Foley methods you can immediately use on your own projects
- A diverse range of case studies from well-known films, shows, games, and animation
- Interviews with current sound artists from around the world
By exploring the entire audio post-production process, this book provides you with an excellent understanding of where Foley fits in the business of filmmaking and is a perfect guide for both newcomers and experienced sound designers wanting to learn more about this art.
Accompanying the book are online resources featuring video demonstrations of Foley artists at work, video tutorials of specific Foley techniques, lectures from the author and more.
Preface to the Third Edition Introduction Part 1: What Foley Artists Do and Why: The History, Theory, and Methods of Foley 1. Holy Foley: The Evolution of a Craft 2. The Progression of an Art: International Foley Practices 3. Aesthetics of Foley: Noise, Sound, Single, Married Part 2: How Foley Artists Work: Protocols, Conventions, and Hierarchy of Foley 4. Fire in the Hole: The Players and Their Responsibilities 5. Let’s Go Ahead and Go Back: Spotting, Cueing, and Editing Foley 6. Scene Change: The Foley Stage 7. Mix and Match: The Foley and Rerecording Mixers Part 3: The Practical Concerns: The Art and Craft of Foley 8. Walking in Their Shoes: Performing the Footsteps 9. Manipulation Techniques: Performing the Props 10. Hang It as a Unit: The Knack for Sync 11. Adaptive Sound: Sound in Animation, Games, Radio Plays, and Movie Trailers 12. Chef or Cook: Ingredients and Recipes 13. Magic Wind: Unusual Foley Requests Part 4: Past, Present, and Future: Connecting the Foley Dots 14. Professional Panorama 15. Foley Reflections: Final Thoughts of Experts 16. Glossary
Biography
Vanessa Theme Ament is the former Edwin F. and Virginia B. Ball Endowed Chair in Telecommunications at Ball State University, Indiana. She hails from the film industry in Los Angeles, where she was a Foley artist, sound editor, and voice actor for film and television. She has worked on many notable films, including Predator, Die Hard, Noises Off, A Goofy Movie, Dolores Claiborne, Malice, RoboCop2, and Platoon, which won the Academy Award for Best Sound in 1986. She received her PhD from Georgia State University in Moving Images Studies.
Praise for the third edition
"Ms. Ament has written an engaging and useful guide to both teaching and performing the art of Foley. The book thoroughly covers all aspects of the craft: its history and evolution, the minutiae of recording footsteps and props, prepping and mixing. It is an excellent guide for both teachers and people who want to learn this largely unknown part of the post-production process."
Harry Cheney, Professor, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman UniversityPraise for the second edition
"This book is entertaining, informative and an absolute must-read for everyone who wants to make a career in sound, as well as being a very handy lesson for anyone involved in production on whatever level—and a particularly valuable aid for 'media' course tutors."
Wendy Laybourn, Network Nine News"Thanks to this publication, sound is appraised as a subjective art form. So whether you’re a novice (i.e. 'what even is Foley?') or a whizz ('pfft, why do I need to read about Jack?'), there truly is much to learn from this book. Seek The Foley Grail."
Matt Howsam, Raindance.org"Comprising a virtual master class on leading-edge Foley techniques, The Foley Grail covers just about everything a practitioner or observer of the Foley process would need to create convinving sounds for a variety of film and television . . . a must-have test for any post professional's bookshelf."
Mel Lambert, CineMontage
