1. Sound analysis – TV drama clip
The clip which I have chosen is from the popular American TV
drama, Pretty Little Liars. I have chosen this particular clip
because it uses a variety of different sound effects which
will be effective in my analysis as I can include many key
sound terminologies. The clip is set on a train where three
girls (Spencer, Emily and Hanna) find out that their friend
(Aria) is missing after receiving mysterious text messages
from the unknown ‘A’.
The beginning of the clip starts off using non-diegetic
sound which refers to the band playing music in the
background. This can also be counted as an asynchronous
sound because it provides an appropriate emotional nuance
which in this case, portrays a happy atmosphere. The fun,
upbeat music emphasizes the party atmosphere in which the
clip is set in and this therefore adds to the realism of
the clip.
During this particular scene where the band music is
being played, more non-diegetic, asynchronous sound is
included. This can be heard through the sound of the
train tracks as the train moves, also the sounds of other
people talking. This is effective as it makes the scene
look more realistic rather than acted out.
As the scene moves along, we find that the two girls
start talking to each other. This is considered to be a
dialogue because you witness both Spencer and Hanna
having a conversation with each other. This can also be
counted as diegetic sound because the sound is coming
from the two characters which are both visible in the
frame of the scene.
The asynchronous sounds of people chatting and band music
playing, carries on to the next scene where we find the
sound of the clip changing as soon as it zooms onto a
bag. The sound here is counted as non-diegetic sound
because the sound is not visible on the frame. This nondiegetic sound is added for a more dramatic effect as it
matches the mood. The sound is low key and harsh which
signifies that something bad has happened. This can also
be counted as incidental music because the sound
accompanies the action of the drama.
Shortly after, the sound of a phone starts to go off.
This may be referred to the sound terminology of

2. synchronous sound because the sound appears to match to
the certain object (which is the phone) occurring in the
scene. This is effective because it helps the audience
identify what is happening in the scene.
A sound bridge is used in the scene after as the diegetic
low-key sound carries over from the frame where you see
the two girls looking around, to when the frame suddenly
focuses on the message on the window then the sound
bridges over to the frame where the audience can see Aria
trapped inside a box.
Diegetic sound is used from where you can hear Aria
attempting to scream out for help. This is significant
because if no sound was involved, the viewer will be
unable to understand the fact that she is in danger and
is trying to get help.
The non-diegetic background music, moves on to
synchronous sound coming from the train to emphasize the
location of the scene.
More synchronous sound is used for when Emily enters the
room.
Furthermore, more dialogue is used between the three
girls while non-diegetic music is used in the background
while they talk. The intense non-diegetic sound matches
the mood of the clip.
More synchronous sound is used as you hear Aria
attempting to get out of the box. Non-diegetic sound is
continually used throughout this scene.
The clip ends with more synchronous sound coming from the
train.
In conclusion, the clip which I have chosen has included a lot
of synchronous, diegetic and non-diegetic sound. It mostly
includes music which matches the mood of the scene and
dialogues through conversations with the three girls. These
types of sound terminology are effective to use for a TV drama
because unlike in movies, you tend to find more diegetic sound
conveying the reality of the scenes rather than non-diegetic
music used in movies. The synchronous sounds used are also
used more in TV dramas in order to make the scenes more
realistic.