Foley choices

Style, layering, and live performance

Today’s decisions

  • Choose a sound that fits the scene’s style
  • Explain what a performed layer contributes
  • Test objects and plan your team’s robot performance

A quick return to Wednesday

Name one move, step, or specific you remember.

What did it tell you about the character?

Singin’ in the Rain

Which actions get a clear sound, and which recede?

White Nights

How does the treatment of movement change the scene’s tone?

Style changes the choice

  • Name one audible action from each scene
  • Compare its prominence and character
  • Explain what that choice does for the scene

Foley alone or layered

  • Production audio: recorded during the shoot
  • Foley: actions performed to match the picture
  • Edited effects: selected or designed sounds placed in the scene

A finished event may combine these sources.

Sylvester: horse footsteps

What makes a footfall fit the horse’s movement and weight?

What would each layer contribute?

For a heavy landing, propose:

  • A performed sound for contact and movement
  • A second sound for added weight

What could become excessive?

An invented character

A small mechanical spider crosses the frame.

What object and gesture could suggest its feet?

Predict before watching.

Explorers: the spider

What do the footsteps suggest about its material and personality?

A performed solution

The chapter describes footsteps with different pitches.

How would you perform a similar idea using objects available to you?

Your robot: events and choices

Watch once, then inventory the 10-second animation.

For each event: action → candidate object → performer

Open Assignment 1

Two objects, one action

  • Perform the same robot event with two objects
  • Keep the timing and gesture comparable
  • Choose one and explain what fits better

Coverage and emphasis

This exercise requires every sound-making event.

Give important actions more emphasis while keeping the full event list covered.

Your rehearsal plan

  • Assign each event and prop to a performer
  • Identify the hardest handoff
  • Agree when to rehearse with the actual objects

Before you leave

Name one robot event, your chosen object, and why it fits.

What still needs rehearsal?

Optional comparisons

Additional examples of selective detail and performance

Au revoir les enfants

Do we hear individual actions or a general sense of activity?

Run Lola Run

Which precise action sounds help you follow the sequence?

Dancer in the Dark

How do everyday sounds relate to the musical scene?

Vanessa Ament: live Foley

Which object substitution could you adapt for your robot?