Film sound is carefully designed and added during post-production to emphasize important elements and set the atmosphere. There are two main types of sound: diegetic, which exists within the world of the film, and non-diegetic, which comes from outside the film like music or added effects. Sound can also be synchronous, matching the visuals to reinforce a scene, or asynchronous using effects that don't match. Elements like voiceovers, theme music, and silence are also used to guide the narrative, set the tone, and provoke audience reactions.

1. Sound
Film sound is as important and as carefully controlled as the visual elements of a
text. Although sound is often recorded on set, most film sound is added in post-
production
Film sound will be mixed very carefully to ensure that important sounds are
emphasised and that the correct atmosphere for a sequence is maintained
Selective sound is: is used to emphasise key sound elements within a sequence
Ambient sound is: is used to create a particular atmosphere or a sense of place
Other elements of sound design to look out for:
 Sound bridges – the use of sound to help transitions between sequences to
pass more fluidly
 Sound effects – used to create a sense of realism or to create some
psychological impact or effect
Sound can be either:
 Diegetic – that is, it exists within the world of the film or
 Non-diegetic – that is, it emerges from outside the world of the film, eg film
soundtracks
Diegetic Sound Non-Diegetic Sound
-Sound that is supposed to be there from
that scene
-voices of characters
-Sounds made by objects in the story
-Music from instruments in story space
-Sound that is originated from the films
world
-The sound can be on screen or off
screen depending on whatever its source
is inside or outside the screen.
-The sound that directors and editors put
in afterwards.
-Sound effects that are added for
dramatic effect
-Musical score/Soundtrack
-From a source outside the story space
-Also narrative talking
-Certain sounds are from the story world
while others are represented as coming
from outside the space of the story
events.

2. Film sound can be either:
 Synchronous – This is when a sound effect is matched with another
technical event or action-this reinforces the scene
 Asynchronous – This is when a sound originates from outside of the diegetic
reality of the film; musical soundtrack.
 Contrapuntal – Noise or sound effect which doesn’t match the visuals, often
juxtaposed to create alternative meaning.
Other elements of sound design to look out for:
 Voiceovers – This is the ‘voice’ of a character. This voice often guides or
informs the external audience nut can be used to push them in wrong
narrative direction.
 Theme music –This is the music that introduces, develops throughout and
ends the film. It often indicates the ‘personality’ and mode of address of the
movie
 Musical Score – Used to create atmosphere, to link shots or sequences, to
help create the narrative or to offer information about characters.
 Silence – Film/TV are very rarely completely silent, but this effect is to
provoke a reaction from the audience