Diegetic
This is also known as actual sound and means sound that is relevant to the film you are watching for example:
- Voices of the characters
- Sounds made by objects in the story
- Music that could be played on or off screen for example the radio, an instrument or television
Diegetic just means that it is sound you would naturally hear but with an added benefit of music to set the mood in the film. The diegetic sound can be either on or off the screen depending on what is going on in or out of the screen frame for example someone loading a gun behind someone but you don’t see the gun.
Non-diegetic
This is also known as commentary sound. This means sound that isn’t really seen on screen and may not be relevant to the area of the film for example:
- Narrator’s commentary
- Sound effects which is added for the dramatic effect
- Mood music i.e. thriller film scary music.
Ambient
This can also is known as background noise, which is what ambient sound is. It is normally recorded background noise; which could be for example outside noise, a coffee shop, business office ECT…
SFX
This stands for three different types of effects these are special effects (visual animations), stage effects (lighting and big stage screens) and sound effects a good example of what a sound effect is; is that the sound effect is commonly used to create a dramatic feel to a scene this can be seen in things like a slow motion bullet noise.
Mood
What mood has the sound made you feel for example happy, sad, nervous, tense, scared …
Tone
This can mainly be how smooth the sound is for example is it loud, quite, fast or slow.
Genre
This is mainly the label or category that the movie is put into such as horror, thriller, romance, comedy and so on.
Theme
This can vary with the theme music played at the beginning of a program for example Eastenders, Emerdale, Family Guy, the Simpsons… or the character’s in a film for example batman, superman, Indiana jones and so on.
Music
This would be the music that would mostly likely been created by an orchestra and the composer to set the moods in the film/television program.
Voiceover
This is a recorded voice that is placed over the film. It doesn’t always have to be someone included in the shot but sometimes it can be.
Musical score
This normally depends on the film but this is known as music sheets. They would have been used for example if the film was a musical or if the music in the film is created by a music writer it would then have been written out and copied to give to a composer and the orchestra
Synchronous sound
This is sound that is synchronized or matches what is being seen on screen. For example if someone is playing an instrument the sound is projected or made louder.
Asynchronous sound
This is the sound of something that we can’t see on the screen for example a loading gun from someone who’s hiding.
Contrapuntal
This can mean general movement of a character in a film. Where two sounds would complement each other.
Silence
Literally just main no sound you can often find this in thriller sometimes before a jumpy scene or when there is something important in a film.
Selective sound
This basically mains the producers have had more control on the sound management. For instance when you end up watching the film you will hear what post production wants you to hear. It’s also easily indicated by background sounds like cafes or restaurants for example the character could be listening a conversation slightly.
Sound bridges
This is a sound that can be used to ease the transitions between shots in a scene.
