This week our main focus as a group was to start getting our final mix to speed. We talked about how where progressing within our group. I talked about my final mix, and how I was slowing working towards the deadline. Jessica mentioned to me about how panning and or playing my mix in 5:1. This made me think more critically about spacial audio and how different decisions can completely change the mood or focus within a scene. After our discussion, I decided to head into the Foley studio to start recorded my sounds for my chosen.
Foley Room
Below are the photos of mine and my friend Gil (see image right) trying our luck in the foley studio to record some audio for a film by Margret Tait called Aerial. I had started last session by adding a time code onto the screen as you can see in the first image. This enabled me to precisely record the foley into perfected timestamps which is important to get that crisp Foley Audio! Having that visual marker made the process feel more organise and definitely improved the quality of the recordings.
Reflection
Working in the Foley room was a lot more challenging than I expected. It’s one thing to watch a short film and imagine what sounds need to be implemented, but it’s another thing entirely to actually produce them in a controlled and believable way. Personally a struggle for me was the small movements. Things like footsteps, rustling clothing, or even the subtle ambience of an object took multiple takes to get right. This overall process really made me appreciate how much detail goes into sound design and how often you have to change material to get the organic sound you are looking for. Also, how the perfect sound can contribute to the overall atmosphere.
Another big lesson for me and probably more for Gil (as he was in charge of finding the material) was the importance of experimentation. Gil and I tried different materials, surfaces and mic placements. I had some prior knowledge about how difficult it could be to create Foley, however, it really opened to how creative Foley work can be.
Another thing I noticed was about workflow. Setting up the timecode ahead of time really saved me from a lot of guesswork during editing. if I hadn’t prepared that, syncing everything later would have been a nightmare. Preparation before recording is just as important as the recording itself.
Overall, spending time in the Foley room made me much more confident about the studio space and the audio side of my creative project. It also gave me a clearer understanding of how Foley contributes to a films emotional impact. As I move closer to the final mix, I feel more aware of the choices I’m making, not just placing sounds, but shaping how those sounds are experienced by the audience.