Appendix 1

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Final Cut Pro Workfl ow
Rather than recording with a four-track recorder, this is most often done by recording two extremely
similar stereo backgrounds and using one in the front channels and one in the rear.
Walla
One special type of background is walla, a group of human voices blending into a background.
Editors, distributors, producers, and directors often disagree on whether walla is an effect or a dialogue.
Should it be cut by the effects editor and/or end up in the effects stem? Walla is often recorded
by the ADR editor who schedules a walla session with a group of walla actors (yes, there is such a
thing). This walla is cut into an ADR track. Or, often the effects editors and friends put together their
own walla session or pull walla from a library. In this case, the walla ends up in an effects track and
possibly the effects stem. Whichever system you use, never premix the walla into the background;
you may need to record it into the dialogue stem in the dub. Foreign language dubs may require
foreign language walla. If not, it is a sound effect and should be edited into an effects track.
Foley
Foley is a special kind of sound effect recorded on a Foley stage in sync with the picture and guide
track. The technique was originally used in radio to create sound effects live during the show, In the
1930s Jack Foley, after whom the process is named, started using the system to record movie sound
effects in sync to a projected picture. Figure 7.6 shows a Foley room dedicated to recording specifi c
sound needs. On large projects, there are often one or even two Foley editors. More often, Foley is
handled by the effects editor. Foley is cued early in the sound design, often as ADR and effects are
being cued. The usual things recorded on the Foley stage are footsteps, cloth movement, and any
sync effects that are too sync-specifi c for wild recording or library effects. A glass of water being
poured and drank, setting down a box of junk, a slap or punch, even something like a block of wood
being sanded are recorded on a Foley stage. Often, Foley is used when the effect is hard to record
outdoors because of background noise. The usual Foley crew consists of a Foley mixer and, because
the chief product of the Foley is footsteps, two “steppers,” often a man and a woman with lots of
Figure 7.6 Often a Foley stage looks more like a thrift store than a recording studio with the hundreds
of props used to create Foley tracks stored on the stage or very near by. Photo courtesy of Richard
Partlow’s Complete Foley and Tom Ruff at Film Leaders
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