DIEGETIC SOUND
NON-DIEGETIC SOUND
PARALLEL
CONTRAPUNTAL
SYNCRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS SOUND
http://klipd.com/watch/road-to-perdition/kill-sullivan-scene
Why is sound important?
Film texts are mediated. They are representations. All aspects of the text have been included for a particular reason, purpose and effect. An audience reads a moving image. Looks for clues and signposts to help process the information. Sound is a valuable way of communicating with the viewer.
It can generate emotional responses, create an atmosphere, create tension, drama, unease, vulnerability. It can make the audience feel safe, secure or generate a feeling of familiarity.
Conventions. A genre will have a style or tone, which will call for certain emotions and reactions from the audience. It might be expected by the audience. Therefore sound can generate a feeling of reality.
Different genres might use different of sounds in different ways. Musicals relying dominantly on music, singing and soundtracks for example. Horror might rely less on dialogue, instead using ambient sound effects.
Why look at sound?
Identifying the kinds of sounds will allow you to analyse a film text in more depth in your textual analysis.
You will be expected to identify what that sound is bringing to the image, to identify the purpose of using particular sounds, and more importantly, the effect it has on the audience in relation to the genre.
Film Language used to describe sound
Different kinds of sounds determine the way the audience is expected to read the film text. When analysing sound in your Textual Analysis you will be required to use specific media language.
Diegetic Sounds
Film is a two dimensional medium. Diegetic sound is any sound that occurs in the world in which the film is set. A sound is considered diegetic if it can be ‘heard’ by the characters.
It includes any sound that you would experience if you were part of the scene yourself.
Diegetic sounds are used to make the scene more lifelike, to add an element of three dimensional experience. Diegetic sounds are used to generate a feeling of reality.
Non-Diegetic Sounds
Non-diegetic is any sound that does not occur in the story space, such as a narration or musical score or soundtrack. Non-diegetic sound effects could include a harp playing as someone enters a dream for example.
Music is not automatically always non-diegetic. There may be music playing within the scene itself from a radio or someone singing for example. (Music can go from being non-diegetic to being diegetic or vise-versa for particular effect)
Non-diegetic soundtracks could be often used to generate emotions, a mood, an atmosphere or create tension or drama.
Narrations could be used as a narrative technique.
Parallel Sound
Usually the general soundscape of a scene will compliment or fit with the image we are seeing in that scene. This is usually done to add realism, and allow the audience to experience the scene as if they were there.
Happy scenes might be shown to happy upbeat music, or a dramatic scene might have a more dramatic tense musical theme.
This kind of sound (be it diegetic or non-diegetic) is referred to as parallel sound. It runs parallel to what we expect to hear.
In Casino Royale, the sounds that the audience would perhaps expect to hear in this situation, it can be described as parallel sound, as well as diegetic sound.
Contrapuntal Sound
However, in the Reservoir Dogs, the happy bouncy soundtrack contrasts with the sheer brutality of the scene. The musical score in the clip can be referred to as contrapuntal. It has purposefully been chosen because it contrasts with what we expect to hear.
Contrapuntal sound emphasises the drama by generating conflicting emotions, and subverts the expectations. Torturer dancing to an upbeat song emphasises with the audience the unhinged psychopathic personality of the character. Not the norm to behave in this way in this situation, and is therefore impacting.
Using contrapuntal sound can be quite a powerful technique.
Synchronous Sound
Synchronous sound can also be considered a sub-category of diegetic sound.
It basically describes sound effects that are matched up and occur in sync with the correct actions seen on screen. For example, a slamming noise when someone closes a door, a gunshot when someone fires a gun.
Again generates realism, expectations of the norm.
Asynchronous Sound
Sound effects which is relevant or linked to the narrative, but is not necessarily synced to the particular scene at that time.
Used as a narrative technique.
It is sometimes used to allude to impending plot device or upcoming event in the narrative, or used to explain two events at the same time.
It may be a mysterious sound that occurs off screen that the character sees and reacts to, but the audience does not see, generating curiosity, expectation, and apprehension perhaps.
It could attempt to disorientate the audience in an effort to shock or surprise them.
Ambient Sound
Ambient sound can be considered a sub-category of diegetic sound.
It refers to background sounds which are present in a scene or location. Common ambient sounds include wind, water, birds, crowds, office noises, traffic, etc.
Manipulating these kinds of sounds can create a subconscious effect within the minds of the audience.
Dialogue
Another, but very different sub-category of diegetic sound.
Dialogue can be very important to how an audience reads a text. It can be used as a narrative technique.
Dialogue can be very important in social realism films, as it can generate connotations of class, and constructs character archetypes.
Music
Adding music can change the way a viewer reads a scene.
As we have already discussed, music works on the viewer’s emotional reaction, and affects both mood and atmosphere.
The right music used in the right place can be extremely effective in enhancing the way a viewer reacts to a scene.
Music as a suspense tool...
The pace of the music can influence the drama.
For example, sharp notes and an increase in tempo can build suspense and tension.
The audience can feel apprehension and drama build, until an inevitable climax.
Using dynamic, shifting sounds
Sound in some scenes can be described using more than one technical term.
Sound might also shift from one to another over the course of the scene.
Being able to master the technique of using various kinds of sounds, for various different purposes, that shift and change for effect, will allow you to influence your audience in a very powerful way.
