IT REFERS TO THE CONTENT OF THE NARRATIVE OR THE WORLD OF FICTION PRESENTED AS THE STORY

1. DIEGETIC AND NON-DIEGETIC SOUND
PREPARED BY ANJU A
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
PAYYANUR COLLEGE

2. THE ICONIC INTRO OF THE JAMES BOND MOVIES HAS A DIEGETIC SOUND
EFFECT BECAUSE WE HEAR THE GUNSHOT AS IT HAPPENS ON THE SCREEN.

3. DIEGETIC
 Sound is called diegetic when its source is visible or implied in the
world of the film. Common diegetic sounds present in most films are:
 actors speaking to each other (dialogue)
 sounds originating from any object on the screen, like footsteps and
police sirens
 music that comes from a sound system or orchestra

4. DIEGETIC
 Diegetic [di-a-JE-tic] comes from the greek word diegesis and it means
to recount a story. Diegetic is also known as actual or literal sound.
 Diegetic sounds can further be categorized as source-
connected or source-disconnected depending on whether the
sound source is visible or implied on the screen.
 A visible source is shown on the screen, while an implied source is still
part of the film world but not shown on the screen.

5. NON-DIEGETIC
 Sound is said to be nondiegetic when its source is not present or
implied in the narrative universe. Common instances are:
 music or score, used to augment emotions
 actor’s commentary or narration
 any extra sound added for effect
 Non-diegetic is also known as commentary or nonliteral sound.

6. COMBINING DIEGETIC AND NON-DIEGETIC SOUNDS
In Rocky, the punches and crowd cheering is diegetic. Rocky’s fanrare, the musical theme, is
non-diegetic.

7. COMBINING DIEGETIC AND NON-DIEGETIC SOUNDS
 “Most often literal and nonliteral sounds are combined in the same scene.Assume
that we see a mother and her son walking along the beach.We hear their dialogue
(literal, source-connected), the pounding of the surf (literal, source-disconnected).
When their conversation turns to the recent funeral of Gradma, music comes in to
underscore the sad memories (nonliteral). Such a mixture of literal and nonliteral
sounds communicates what the event is all about and also how it feels. It “shows” the
outside and the inside of the event simultaneously.” (Zettl, page 337)
In the textbook Sight, Sound, Motion: Applied Media Aesthetics , Herbert Zettl explains: