Book Review - The Foley Grail

by Mark Shapiro

March 7, 2009 - San Diego

Foley is the art of creating the customized sound effects that are the mainstay of soundtracks for films, broadcast, animation and games. In this fascinating and very detailed  book by Vanessa Theme Ament, "The Foley Grail", you will learn how Foley is designed, crafted and edited for any project- from the big picture concepts to the day to day details of recording, spotting, cueing, and performing sounds.

Targeted to those who work in the video and film production business, it covers the history of Foley, various techniques and "secrets" for creating sound effects, as well as what you need to start your own Foley business and how to build a Foley stage. Throughout the text, the book is imbued with Ms. Ament's audio philosophy regarding how much Foley is enough and how to avoid doing Foley wrong. She has been doing this over 25 years and she knows what she is talking about.

The book is quite dense with little art to break up the content. If you want to know about Foley - the ins and outs, this is the book you need to read. If you are planning on getting into professional video and film production, especially on the audio side, this is a must read - even if you don't plan on doing Foley yourself. Knowing what Foley artists do, how they work, and how they prefer to be worked with, is of incredible value to the overall production process.

THE FOLEY GRAIL

The Art of Performing Sound for Film, Games, and Animation To order this title, and for more information, click here By Vanessa Theme Ament, Vanessa Theme Ament is an award winning Foley Artist with over 25 years experience in film and television. She has had her own sound effects company and published MovieSound Newsletter during the 80s and 90s. Description Create custom sound effects that are the mainstay of soundtracks for films, broadcast, animation and games. Learn how Foley is designed, crafted and edited for any project- right down to the nuts and bolts of spotting, cueing, and performing sounds. An array of techniques is illustrated with artists presenting their own methods for selecting and handling props, "walking" various characters, and other tricks of the trade. Various renowned artists, editors and mixers contribute stories and perspectives on what is necessary for a film or media project, and how technology has changed the craft over the years. The Foley stage is discussed in detail, with illustrations to assist you in designing your own stage, whatever the size. The companion DVD includes video demonstrations of Foley Artists at work, along with illustrated techniques for the novice. Audience Film and video postproduction professionals, animators, game audio designers, prosumers, and students. Contents Chapter 1: Holy Foley: Evolution of a Craft; Chapter 2: Noise Vs. Sound: Foley As It Is Used in the Various Genres and Styles of Film, Animation and Games; Chapter 3: Single or Married: Foley Used Independently oe Combined with Sound Effects; Chapter 4: Fire In The Hole: The Players and Their Responsibilities; Chapter 5: Let's Go Ahead and Go Back: Spotting and Cueing; Chapter 6: Scene Change: The Foley Stage, Mixing Booth and Prop Room; Chapter 7: Walking in Their Shoes: Performing the Footsteps; Chapter 8: What We Use For...: Performing the Props; Chapter 9: Hang It As A Unit: The Knack For Sync; Chapter 10: Magic Wind: Unusual Foley Requests; Chapter 11: Mix and Match: The Foley Mixer; Chapter 12: I Miss Mag: Editing Foley; Chapter 13: Fix It In Post: The Dub; Chapter 14: Ivory Tower: The Film School; Chapter 15: Checkski:Perspectives of Experts   Bibliographic details Paperback, 216 pages, publication date: JAN-2009 ISBN-13: 978-0-240-81125-3 Imprint: FOCAL PRESS