is diegetic sound?
Diegetic sound is part of the film world. The term diegetic comes from film techniques, sound and also design. Diegetic sounds are those sounds that are on screen and can best recognized that that's where the sound is coming from. Diegetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. The source can be onscreen or off screen, sometimes it can go from on screen to off screen but we'll still know it's diegetic sound because we've seen where the sound is coming from, however, it can also be whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film, for example; characters voices, sounds made by objects in the story, music that is being played from a musical instrument.
What is non-Diegetic
Non-dietetic sound is the opposite of what, diegetic sound is, with non-diegetic sound is neither visible or has been implied to presence in the film. Non-diegetic sound can be either something like; a narrators voice, mood music or sound effects that have been added for effects. The distinction between the two different kinds of sound depends on our understanding of the conventions of film viewing and listening.A great example of a film that uses diegetic and non-diegetic sound is Star Wars; in A New Hope, the very first sequence actually contains some examples of diegetic sound; for example we have characters voice, the footsteps of the characters, the breaking in off Princess Leia's ship in the command of Darth Vader, the stormtroopers laser sounds from their weapons and more. Even in this very first sequence, we are presented with a different array of uses of Diegetic sound. However, it also has the mood music that has been placed over the top of the film; this is pretty self explanatory, it has been placed on top of the film so that there is a mood created.
Another great example that uses non-diegetic sound, this is The Shining. Just like Star Wars, in the very beginning, mood music is being used. While location shots are being taken, there is this mysterious and sinister like music being played over the top. As the shots go on the tone of the music gets deeper and the mood from the audience gets darker. The music in the opening scene is so astonishing purely because the music completely fraternises the audience before the film has begun. The Shining sounds that are used as for the mood are completely amazing and it has to be one of my favourite film soundtracks.
Moods and Meaning
Star Wars;
The mood that is given off in this scene is intensity, because even in the very first few seconds (minus the amazing title sequence) we have an fight scene and a small explosion, this creates the mood of excitement and anticipation to see what is going to happen! The lasers, the door explosion and the sound of the footsteps on the floor suggest to the audience that they are going to be watching a fantasy, action film. The footsteps that are heard are especially particular because it shows to a first time viewer that the footsteps don't sound like your normal footsteps, the floor of the rebel alliances base tells the audience that this isn't going to be happening in a normal, familiar place.
The Shining
The Shining is known for it's weird use of music and rightly so, in the start credits it's already foreshadowing the genre of the film for first time viewer. It is extremely weird and sends a shiver down your spine even before the film has begun. The mood this soundtrack is giving off is that, this film isn't going to be ordinary, and plain, it will be crazy, mind blowing and also a little confusing, the sound track will make you whole body tremble. The Shining is one of my favourite soundtracks in the film as; when first viewing this film immediately, the soundtrack intrigued me and completely hooked me in. The whole meaning of the soundtrack in The Shining, is to give the audience a sense of excitment but it also makes the audience feel uneasy, the sound could be seen as quite distressing due to the fact that is extremely strange and just unexplainable. The soundtrack in the shining is one of the main elements. The soundtrack they have used just hits the spot for the feel of the intensely crazy film. Another part of the soundtrack that is recognized in the film are the titles of the days of the week, they appear unexpectedly but when they do they catch you off guard. The music that is used for the weekday titles is fast, short like a bullet shot, and that's the kind of shock that has been created in these moments.
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition, can be complicated and hard to full understand but in a simple way, it's two opposing elements that are combined together in order to create a whole new meaning. The purpose doing this is that, the audience get the new, unusual feeling towards the film. A good film that springs into mind when thinking about juxtaposition is; Edward Scissorhands, purely because Edward is a characters symbolism of juxtaposition. Edward, is dressed in all black clothing, he has messy hair, scissors for hands, scars on his face and pale white skin like a frozen body on a winters day. When we first meet Edward, we assume he is this scary dangerous character, but we later find out, he is a sweet, misunderstood, confused man. However, this isn't really a surprise that Edwards character is a juxtaposition symbolism as Edward Scissorhands was create by the one and only weird man himself, Tim Burton. The juxtaposition is in the soundtrack when meeting Edward, with have this very light, magical music playing while this strange looking, even scary person is arriving from the corner of the shadows, this creates a weird feeling for the audience as the audience don't know how to react to a scary looking man, walking out to peaceful, magical music.
Foley Sound
What is Foley sound? Foley sound is when sound effects are added to the final product of a film in post production. Foley sound effects can include things such as; foot steps, door opening, doors closing, punches, glass breaking etc. Foley is usually created by the Foley artist. Ideally the Foley artist stands on a Foley staging area, with a array of props and surfaces. The Foley artist can see a screen so that they can get their timings correctly. Without Foley sound a film would sound extremely empty and hollow. The technique was named after Jack Foley, who established the basic technique that is still used to this very day.
An example of a film that uses a lot of Foley sound would again, be Star wars, with it being a fantasy genre with, lots of different creations and spaceships. For example; we have the characters; like Chewie, his voice was constructed out of different animal sounds create this one sound for Chewie. R2-D2 was constructed out of 50% electronically and the rest blending of water pipes,whistles and vocalizations. The laser blasts used by the imperial stormtroopers were constructed by a hammer on an antenna tower guy wire. Last example; The sound of the Imperial Walkers were created by modifying the sounds of a machinists punch press and a mixture of bicycle chains being dropped on the floor to add a bit more complexity.
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