This document provides an overview of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in film. It defines diegetic sound as any sound that characters in the film can hear from within the film's world, such as dialogue, sound effects, and ambient noise. Non-diegetic sound includes any sounds added by the editor that characters cannot hear, like music and narration. Examples are provided of different types of diegetic sound, like external diegetic sound that the audience can hear but not see. The document also discusses how sound designers can use music that is parallel or contrasting to the visuals. Students are assigned tasks analyzing the uses of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in the opening scene of Sin City.

1. SOUNDTRACK
FOR FILM
LESSON 1:
SOUND & DIEGESIS

2. WHAT IS “DIEGESIS”?
It is the world of the film, it's own unique reality.

3. DIEGETIC SOUND vs. NON-DIEGETIC SOUND
We can categorise sounds in film into 2 distinct
categories, based on who can hear them:
1. diegetic sound, or
2. non-diegetic sound.
So, what’s the difference?

4. DIEGETIC SOUND
Is sound that characters in the film can hear because
it’s sound that comes from the films world.
What examples can you think of?
● Sound effects (car doors slamming, gunshots)
● Foley (steps, spot noise)
● Dialogue (characters talking)
● Ambient / Atmosphere noise (eg. the sound of a
busy city street)

5. NON-DIEGETIC SOUND _
Is sound that characters in the film world cannot hear because it is sound that
the editor adds in for effect
What examples can you think of?
● Music
● Voiceover / Narration

6. Sometimes it can be tricky to tell the
difference.
A simple rule: if the characters can hear
it, it’s diegetic sound.
Lets watch a scene then talk about the
diegetic and non-diegetic sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eojyvvSIKOU

7. What diegetic sounds were in the scene?

8. What non-diegetic sounds were in the scene?

9. Atmosphere / Ambient
Ambient sound, or atmosphere, is the general sounds of a location. Every
different location will sound different.
What different sounds do we expect to hear on a suburban city street?
1. Cars & traffic
2. People talking & walking
3. Birds & nature (depending on inner city, versus suburb)

10. External diegetic sound
Sound that happens in the world of the film but which the audience can’t see
on screen is called ‘external diegetic sound’.
What effect did it have on you, when Mr Blonde was cutting off the cops
ear, and we could hear it but not see it?

11. Internal Diegetic sound
What do we think internal diegetic sound might be?
It is sound that only the character can hear, because it is inside their mind /
consciousness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prpp236oydk
Why has the film-maker included the internal diegetic sound in this scene?
What does it give us?

12. Contrapuntal vs. parallel
Some sounds complement and work with the films visuals (PARALLEL
SOUNDS), whereas some sounds contrast, or juxtapose, them
(CONTRAPUNTAL).
As sound designers we need to think carefully about whether we pick music
that matches the tone, mood and subtext of our scene, or not.
How did the sound designer use it in the scene from Reservoir Dogs?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE1g2cPn1PQ parallel or contrapuntal?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2kFBRX9kRIk Contrapuntal, or parallel?

13. Task 1 _
Watch the opening scene from Sin City and categorise the different sounds:
1. Diegetic sound
2. Non-diegetic sound
3. Internal, or external diegetic sound
4. How silence is used
5. Whether the music is parallel sound, or contrapuntal
6. Atmosphere & ambient noises
7. Sound effects used in the scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV1436VsnZY

14. Task 2 _
Analyse how:
1. Sounds have been used to create a realistic sense of time & place
2. Sounds have been used to set the scenes mood, and change the
mood
3. Sounds have been used to emphasis key moments in the story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV1436VsnZY