tv drama sound terms

1. Sound

2. Diegetic
• Sound that exists within the fictional world of
the text (the diegesis).
Non-diegetic
• Sound that the audience can hear, but doesn’t
exist within the fictional world of text.

3. Sound mixing
• When the different parts of sound, music,
video etc, change volume levels.
• Artificially created or enhanced sounds.
Sound effects

4. Synchronous
• The sound that happens at the same time as
the action that creates it.
• The sound occurs at a different time to the
action that created it.
Asynchronous

5. Sound motif
• A sound effect or combination of sound
effects that are associated with a particular
character, setting, situation or idea through
the text.
• A piece of music or sound that bridges an edit
from one scene to another (used a lot in
American sitcoms).
Sound bridge

6. Dialogue
• Scripted and unscripted voices.
• A non-diegetic voice anchoring down the
meanings produced by the on screen images.
• The viewer is directly addressed. The voice
over or character looks at the audience or
th4e audience as ‘you’.
Voiceover
Direct address

7. Sound perspective
• Refers to the apparent distance of a sound.
E.g. the sound of horses hooves in the
distance will be quieter than when close.
• Recorded music accompanying and
synchronized to the images of a moving image
text.
Soundtrack: Score

8. Incidental music
• Often “background” music, and adds atmosphere
to the action. E.g. A single note.
• All sound features may share certain
characteristics – e.g. A particular rhythm.
• The background sounds which are present in a
scene or location. Comon ambient sounds include
wind, water, birds, crowds, office noises and
traffic.
Themes and stings
Ambient