Sound techniques

Sound techniques

Sound has a very effective purpose in films to create a certain atmosphere or to create a desired mood. Each sound included has a specific effect which is usually taken for granted by the audience as the most effective sounds tend to go unnoticed. The sound used has the ability to change the entire way the audience interprets a scene and therefore it is extremely important to critically choose the right sounds that compliment the scene being shown. As a film maker, sound is a key tool required to control the way your audience to feels. 

Diegetic sound
In film, diegetic sound is the sound you are able to hear in the world you are watching. The source of the sound will be visible on screen such as:

• a door closing
• voices of characters
• sound of objects within the film

The digits sound can either be on-screen of off-screen depending on weather the source of the sound in in the frame or outside the frame. The purpose of diegetic sound is to create a sense of realism for the audience for the to become aware about what is happening. 
An example of where diegetic sound is used is in the train fight scene in Spectre. This scene is embedded with a lot of diegetic sound to make the action taking place seem more realistic for the audience. It emphasises the gun shots and the sound of them punching and throwing each other about to exaggerate the intensity of the fight. We hear the sound of glass shattering, gun shots, punching, grunting, doors opening and these are all examples of diegetic sound. You are able to view the scene mentioned below: 

Non-Diegetic

Non diegetic sound is the sound added in post production. It is sound which its source is not visible within the scene. It is used to create a particular effect such as a soundtrack or voiceover as this techniques can create what the audience should be feeling. Without this sound, the scene would undoubtedly be rather confusing or boring as no effect will be given to support the visuals. Example of non-digeic sounds are:

• Sound effects added for tension
• Background music 
• Narrators voice

An example of where non-diegetic sound is used effectively is in the famous jaws scene.  The famous jaws music is an iconic piece that we instantly link to the scene of a shark attack. The simple two note piece effectively builds up tension and makes the audience aware of a danger that is occurring in the scene. An example of this famous Jaws sound is inserted below: