Foley Foley is that sound in a multimedia production which is neither dialogue nor musical score . Persons who perform foley are called " foley artists " . The process of foley recording is generally similar to that for ADR ; foley artists will watch a scene play out , then synchronise their sound with the action on screen . The craft demands creativity from its practitioners . Foley artists must find and use objects so their sounds unobtrusively " reads " true to the scene . For instance , the sound of David Tennant tossing and catching his sonic screwdriver is achieved with a butterfly wine opener , yet is likely believed by the casual viewer to be the actual sound the prop makes when tossed around . Foley pre - dates both television and " talking " motion pictures . Foley sound probably debuted in live theatre , in which specific sounds , like a doorbell , would occasionally be required . Many live theatre productions would not have necessarily required a dedicated technician , but could instead have been " performed " by a stagehand . It came to be a proper " art form " with dedicated technicians during the era of live radio drama . Nevertheless , the name itself derives from Jack Donovan Foley , a sound editor at Universal Studios . The role of the foley artist has increased in direct relation to the ability to record and layer multiple sounds into a single soundtrack . In the 21st century , most film and television productions tend to foley virtually every possible sound , from footsteps to the clink of a fork on a dinner table . During most of the classic era of " Doctor Who " , the number of tracks that could be layered into the completed soundtrack was limited . Detailed foley work was impossible and was generally limited to futuristic objects , like the TARDIS , which absolutely required a distinctive sound . Some would argue this is not truly foley work — but rather sound design — as such " special " sounds are not performed and captured live . Rather , sounds like that of the TARDIS dematerialising originate with ordinary objects , are heavily treated and edited and saved for use as needed by the sound editor . Seen in this light , it may be correct to say that foley work in " Doctor Who " is limited to the McGann movie and the 2005 series . In the BBC Wales production of the show , each episode is meticulously combed for foley opportunities . Even minor sounds , such as the rustling of jewelry as an actor turns , is recorded on a special foley track . This is layered into the final soundtrack . " Doctor Who " now has at least two foley artists on its payrolls , Julie Ankerson and John Fewell . They , along with a foley studio recording session , were featured in the tenth episode of the fourth series of " Doctor Who Confidential " in an episode entitled , " Look Who ' s Talking " . This episode also explained that the foley studio session was saved as its own track so it could easily be temporarily removed . This makes it easier for foreign broadcasters to record a dialogue - only track , then nest the new recording back into the overall soundtrack . This reduces the time needed to dub the episode into another language , yet retains the integrity of the overall soundtrack .