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Sound
BY HANNAH COOPER-WOOLLEY
Diegetic Sound
Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by
the action of the film:
◦ voices of characters
◦ sounds made by objects in the story
◦ music represented as coming from instruments in the story space ( = source music)
Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world
Digetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is
within the frame or outside the frame.
Another term for diegetic sound is actual sound
http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm
- Date accessed 14/01/16
Non-Diegetic Sound
Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action:
◦ narrator's commentary
◦ sound effects which is added for the dramatic effect
◦ mood music
Non-diegetic sound is represented as coming from the a source outside story space.
The distinction between diegetic or non-diegetic sound depends on our understanding of the
conventions of film viewing and listening. We know of that certain sounds are represented as coming
from the story world, while others are represented as coming from outside the space of the story events.
A play with diegetic and non-diegetic conventions can be used to create ambiguity (horror), or to
surprise the audience (comedy).
Another term for non-diegetic sound is commentary sound.
http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm
- Date accessed 14/01/16
Off Screen Sound

“Sound that is part of a scene but originating from a source outside of the
visible frame.” - http://www.eicar-international.com/definition-screensound.html - Date accessed 14/01/16

Off screen sound occurs when the actors and audience hear a sound that
is taking place in the same scene but not in the same frame. An example
of this is if an actor who is not currently in frame calls out or says something
to an actor that is in frame.

Therefore the audience would be able to hear the sound but not be able
to see its origin.
Voice Over
“Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a
production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (nondiegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or
other presentations. The voice-over is read from a script and may be spoken
by someone who appears elsewhere in the production or by a specialist
voice talent. It is usually pre-recorded and placed over the top of a film or
video and commonly used in documentaries or news reports to explain
information. It may also be read live for events such as award presentations.”
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice-over
-
Date accessed 14/01/16
Inner Monologue or Thought Voice
“Internal monologue, also known as inner voice, internal speech, or verbal
stream of consciousness is thinking in words.”
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_monologue
Date accessed – 14/01/16
Internal monologue or thought voice is when we can hear what the
character on screen is thinking. This type of sound is used to convey what a
particular character is feeling or thinking to the audience and not to the other
characters.
Ambient Sound
In filmmaking, ambience (also known as atmosphere, atmos, or background) consists of the sounds of a given
location or space. It is the opposite of "silence." This term is often confused with presence.
Every location has distinct and subtle sounds created by its environment. These sound sources can include wildlife,
wind, music, rain, running water, thunder, rustling leaves, distant traffic, aircraft and machinery noise, the sound of
distant human movement and speech, creaks from thermal contraction, air conditioning and plumbing noises,
fan and motor noises, and harmonics of mains power.
Reverberation will further distort these already faint sounds, often beyond recognition, by introducing complex
patterns of peaks and nulls in their frequency spectrum, and blurring their temporal characteristics. Finally, sound
absorption can cause high frequencies to be rolled off, dulling the sound further.
Ambience is normally recorded in stereo by the sound department during the production stage of filmmaking. It is
used to provide a movie location with sonic space and normally occupies a separate track in the sound edit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambience_(sound_recording)
- Date accessed 14/01/16
SFX or Special Sound Effects
Sound effects (or audio effects) are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound
processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live
performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In motion picture and
television production, a sound effect is a sound recorded and presented to make a specific
storytelling or creative point without the use of dialogue or music. The term often refers to a
process applied to a recording, without necessarily referring to the recording itself. In
professional motion picture and television production, dialogue, music, and sound effects
recordings are treated as separate elements. Dialogue and music recordings are never
referred to as sound effects, even though the processes applied to such as reverberation or
flanging effects, often are called "sound effects".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_effect
- Date accessed 14/01/16
‘Contextual analysis of sound
component in a film scene’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFKh6cYmQ4M
Date accessed 14/02/16
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Firework scene
Throughout the entirety of the scene there is very little dialog, whispers can be heard in the beginning but the first
actually line of dialog can be heard at 1:07 when the Weasley twins enter. They are the only two characters in the
whole scene that we can hear dialog from.
A lot of ambient background noise can be heard in the start of this scene, as in the beginning there is no music
playing. The scene opens with near silence as all that can be heard is the breath of the students and the SFX sounds of
the students quills writing on parchment. Along with the subtle whispers, footsteps and the creaking of the large door,
this scene beings very serious and dramatic. Loud banging can be heard off screen; an example of non diegetic
sound in the scene.
At 1:07 the Weasley twins enter and the scene dramatically changes, upbeat music begins to play and Sound effects
begin to play as fireworks are set off within the hall. The sudden change in sounds used is enough to completely
change the atmosphere of the scene. Students can be heard cheering as the fireworks turn into a dragon that roars
and erupts into a load fiery explosion, this then causes screams for some of the character in the scene. The use of
sound effects in the scene bring its to life, the fireworks bring such emotion into the scene and with every ‘crackle’,
‘pop’ or ‘bang’ that they make create the magical atmosphere that brings life to the Harry Potter franchise.