Real Audio Sound Effects

• Hitting vegetables can be used to simulate the sound of punching someone.celery image by Hilma Anderson from Fotolia.com
  
  Foley artists, the people who make sound effects in movies, strive for realism and originality. Prerecorded samples can be used to cut down on film budgets, but hearing sounds in one movie that you've heard in another can cheapen the experience and are best avoided (unless they need something dangerous like a shotgun or a chainsaw; exceptions can be made).
  
  Quality recording software, proper microphone placement and a few industry tricks can make for some interesting sound effects, and a good foley artist can fool any audience into perceiving one sound as another.
  
  

Recording Software

• Modern technology now offers the power of a professional recording studio to home users, and films on virtually any budget can now implement a foley artist. Avid Pro Tools, Sony Acid Pro and Adobe Audition are among a multitude of audio software programs that can be operated via a Mac or PC, and do not require an expensive, high-end model to operate. Anyone purchasing a computer right off-the-shelf at their local electronics store now has the ability to install and use these tools, though learning to use them effectively will take quite a bit of time and some education.
  
  

Microphone Placement

• Placing microphones in the proper locations is an important part of creating foley effects, as each sound effect will be heard at a different perceived distance by the audience. Close miking, or recording at a distance from one inch to three inches of the sound source, can be used for small sounds like footsteps or close-proximity effects such as someone falling or being hit. Distant or ambient miking can be used for creating larger sound effects such as thunder or ones that require a reverberation, echo or give the illusion of being distant.
  
  

Recording Sound Effects

• Actual creation of foley effects is at the sole discretion of the foley artist or production team she is part of, and they often use common household items to reproduce a film's sound or create the impression of another one. Broccoli or celery, for example, when combined wrapped in various clothing materials and struck with a bat or stick can create an effect that sounds like someone is being punched, kicked or struck with an object. Stabbing the vegetables with a knife can sound like a person is being stabbed. Sounds that often go unnoticed by the audience can be emulated as well, such as a dog walking, by taping paperclips to the fingers of gloves and patting the ground in sync with the walking dog while wearing them.