2. Diegetic Sound
Sound that has an onscreen
source and belongs to the
world of the film
e.g.
Dialogue
Sound effects
Ambient sound
Non-diegetic Sound
Sound that does not have an
onscreen source & characters
onscreen do NOT hear it
e.g.
Theme music
Contrapuntal sound
Voice over
Sound can be divided into two main categories:
3. Audio and video are of equal
importance in terms of
creating meaning.
4. Sound can help create “meaning” by
• Enhancing the audience's emotional experience /
providing emotional focus (imagine Jaws without the
music).
• Underlining psychological refinements - the
unspoken thoughts of a character, or the unseen
implications of a situation.
• Identifying characters/character types (e.g. good Vs
evil in Star Wars).
5. Sound can help create “meaning” by
• Setting the location, e.g.
• Setting the period, e.g.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5LsCC1zNLY
• Paralleling the action and creating a more convincing
atmosphere of space and time.
• Building a sense of continuity (moving in, out and
Bridging scenes).
• Underpinning the theatrical build-up of a scene and
rounding it off with a sense of finality.
6. KEY SOUND TERMINOLOGY
• Soundtrack - the recorded sound element of a film.
• Theme music/tune - a recurrent melody in the film.
• Sound effects - sounds other than dialogue or music
made artificially (Often referred to as Foley Sound)
• Ambient sound - buzz and/or surrounding sounds.
• Dialogue - speech.
7. KEY SOUND TERMINOLOGY
• Voiceover - narration in a film not accompanied by a
synchronised image of the speaker forming the words.
• Direct address - when characters speak directly to the
camera i.e. the audience.
8. KEY SOUND TERMINOLOGY
• Sound bridges – sound that continues from one
scene to another. This helps create a smooth
transition between scenes. In this way, the sound is
said to be enhancing the continuity of the film.
• Parallel sound – sound that complements the image
track. Sound & image seem to reflect each other.
• Contrapuntal sound – sound that does not
complement or fit with the image track.
E.g. https://youtu.be/Uo1C6o3Nr24
