Sound Design & Theory
Diegetic Sound – A noise which has a source on-screen. They are noises which have not been edited in, for example dialogue between characters or footsteps.
https://youtu.be/Xis71dIt5Nc - Unstoppables (video taken down)
This scene in the film Untouchables portrays the use of diegetic sound effectively. The character Driss is shown to be playing music from his iPod. This sound can be heard by the audience and by the characters in the film, as we see them all dancing along to it (reacting).
Non-Diegetic Sound – A noise which does not have a source on-screen, they have been added in. For example, music, voiceover and sound effects.
https://youtu.be/1YGfrGKK9Mo - Titanic
The music in this scene from the film Titanic is non diegetic, because it is added for the main purpose of making the scene more dramatic and atmospheric for the audience. The characters do not react to it, so we can clearly see it's non diegetic, as they cannot hear it.
Volume – How loud and quiet the sound is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYnPGS9Ev8w Psycho – The Shower Scene
The sound starts calm and soft, then suddenly when the person/murderer comes in with a knife she screams and the volume is much louder.
Rhythm – Refers to how elements are repeated or how they change and develop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCfWHqrYUqo – Jaws Theme Song 1960
The Jaws Theme song create an intense upbeat rhythm which is clearly heard in the song.
Fidelity – When the sound matches the source.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv9JOVkR5PQ – Dead Poets Society
The sound of the teacher whistling matches the source (the teacher) and the same with the footsteps.
Synchronous Sound – Sound that is matched to certain movements occurring in the scene e.g. when footsteps correspond to feet walking
https://youtu.be/2hHj97Chf9w - Clip
In this example, synchronous sound is clearly used as the actions presented to us are accompanied with sound which completely matches the actions.
Asynchronous Sound - Sounds that match the action being performed however is not precisely synchronised.
https://youtu.be/Mhp5SpTxQw8 Hitchcock The 39 Steps
In this clip from Hitchcock’s The 39 steps, asynchronous sound is used when we see a women screaming which then cuts to a steam train coming out of a tunnel
Parallel Sound – Are sounds that match a scene, e.g. a happy scene will have happy music and laughter.
https://youtu.be/kYiIsoMVQCY - Untouchables
This clip from the film Untouchables uses parallel sound: the music playing is added to enhance and emphasise the mood of the scene. The mood of the scene is dark and sad, as we see the characters trying to escape this darkness, trying to become free and leave their worries behind. It allows the audience to feel more deeply for the characters due to their current situation.
Contrapuntal Sound – Are sounds that do not match the scene, e.g. happy scene will have sinister music.
https://youtu.be/oeVhxSSPsac - Reservoir Dogs
his example is from the film Reservoir Dogs. Though the scene contains blood and gore and danger, the music played is upbeat and happy, normally associated with joy and happy things. The pairing of this song (stuck in the middle with you- Stealers Wheel), with the storyline is unusual, which could make the audience feel quite uneasy and tense, wondering what might happen next.
Clear explanations showing sound understanding.
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