The difference between Sound Effects and 'Foley'

Ever since films were referred to as the 'Talkies', movie producers have incorporated artificial sounds into their films in order to enhance the movie going experience. Often in a movie the sound of footsteps or a door closing will seem too weak or quiet. In order to alleviate this problem, sound effects teams will record the sound of a door closing, and sync it with the video. 

There are two types of sounds that are added to movies- Sound Effects and Foley.
The two are quite similar in how they're done, however they differ in what they are. Sound Effects typically consist of non-human made sounds. Foley consists of sounds created by humans.

Typical Sound Effects:

- Explosions
-Car Crashes
-Sci-fi Sounds (E.g. Lazers)
-Vehicle Engines

Typical Foley:

-Footsteps
-Picking up of objects
-Punching Sounds
-Bodily Impact with material (E.g. Smashing of wood, or the sound of hitting metal)

Sometimes, the addition of sound effects in a certain scene can add intensity and tension. For example in a horror scene, the opening of a door or the sound of footsteps whilst the victim is hiding can add a surprising amount of intensity to the scene, and can make the audience sit at the edge of their seat, and can really draw them into the movie. 

Adding sound effects and foley can really give the producer great control over the atmosphere of the scene, allowing them to adjust the volume of a sound to their liking. If done right, sound effects can sound very convincing, and can draw the audience further into a realistic sounding world. 

Often when foley sounds are being recorded, whoever is creating the sound will wear minimal amounts of clothing, this is due to reduce any annoying rustling, however this is mainly when trying to create footstep sounds, where clothes sounds are unnecessary. 

Sound effects within a scene are recorded with completely different items from what is actually being shown within a scene, so for example, the drawing of a sword in real life would sound dull, as swords are never kept in a metal sheath, however in a movie, a long metal sliding sound would be played. Adding sounds like these are necessary, mainly to add interest to the scene, and to emphasise certain sounds that would be hard to hear with normal studio microphones, or it could be due to excess noise in the studio disrupting the shoot.