Ultimate Guide to Diegetic vs Non-Diegetic Sound — Definitions, Examples, & How to Break the Rules
235,890
Published 2022-11-07
What is Diegetic Sound? ►► bit.ly/wi-nd
Tarantino's Sounds of Violence ►► bit.ly/qt-sv
Build Suspense with Sound ►► bit.ly/sd-dv
Sound Design in Dune ►► bit.ly/du-de
StudioBinder Blog ►► bit.ly/sb-bl
─────────────────────
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Diegetic Sound
00:51 - Origin of Diegetic Sound
02:04 - Types of Sound in Film
03:05 - Diegetic Sound
06:31 - Non-Diegetic Sound
09:40 - Trans-Diegetic Sound
13:01 - Creative Exceptions
16:33 - Takeaways
─────────────────────
Special thanks to:
FRIBOURG FILM ORCHESTRA & CHORUS ►► bit.ly/or-av
─────────────────────
DIEGETIC VS NON-DIEGETIC SOUND EXPLAINED
Film sound comes in two basic types — diegetic vs non-diegetic. Each has a role in the cinematic experience, and in this video, we’re going to explain everything. Including the definitions of each type, their most common and not-so-common applications, and how filmmakers can use the soundtrack to tell better stories.
We always say that we “watch” movies, but have you ever really “listened” to a movie? There is quite a lot of storytelling happening on the soundtrack, but we usually take it for granted. Naturally, our eyes do the heavy lifting as they process all that visual information, but film sound is actually an unsung hero in the overall experience.
WHAT IS DIEGETIC SOUND
To understand diegetic vs non-diegetic sound in film, we first have to understand what “diegesis” means. The concept of diegesis goes all the way back to the Ancient Greeks and it refers to “the act of narrating a story,” including the details the narrator adds or leaves out. In film, this essentially means “the world of the film and everything in it.” And when it comes to film sound, if the characters can hear it, it’s diegetic; otherwise, it’s non-diegetic.
But which is which and why does it matter? Let’s continue with a breakdown of diegetic sound.
DIEGETIC SOUND IN FILM
Again, if the characters can hear it, it’s diegetic sound — even if they only hear it in their head. This is called internal diegetic sound and includes thoughts, narration, music, etc. We can also divide diegetic sound into two subcategories: on-screen and off-screen. This refers to the source of the sound. When we hear birds in a forest scene but can’t see them, it’s still considered diegetic.
NON-DIEGETIC SOUND IN FILM
On the other hand, non-diegetic sound is everything the characters cannot hear. This includes sound effects, some forms of narration, and, the most common element, the musical score. But sometimes sound can actually switch between diegetic vs non-diegetic, which is called trans-diegetic sound. This often helps to blur the line between fantasy and reality.
There are countless ways to use film sound to lure us into or shock us out of the cinematic experience. Now that you know the basics of diegetic vs non-diegetic sound, it’s your turn to make us truly listen to a movie.
#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking
─────────────────────
♬ SONGS USED:
"Club Foot Clavipes (Instrumental)" - Isaac Joel
"Mercury" - Alon Ohana
"Jake's First Flight" - James Horner
"Yes I Am (Instrumental)" - Zach Sorgen
"Wistful (Instrumental)" - Falls
"Glass" - Claudio Laucci
"Something's Different" - Danny Elfman
"Oscillating Form" - Charlie Ryan
"Hey Jude" - The Mutato Muzika Orchestra
"Overture (From The Hateful Eight Soundtrack)" - Ennio Morricone
"Hedwig's Theme" - John Williams
"Murph" - Hans Zimmer
"Married Life" - Michael Giacchino
"Waterfall Fight" - Ludwig Göransson
"Way Out There (Main Title)" - Carter Burwell
"The Way We Get By (Instrumental)" - Spoon
"X Gon' Give It To Ya" - DMX
"Dead Already" - Thomas Newman
"Prelude" - Bernard Herrmann
"Last But Not Least (Instrumental)" - Chelsea McGough
"The End" - The Doors
Music by Artlist ► utm.io/umJx
Music by Artgrid ► utm.io/umJy
Music by Soundstripe ► bit.ly/2IXwomF
Music by MusicBed ► bit.ly/2Fnz9Zq
─────────────────────
SUBSCRIBE to StudioBinder’s YouTube channel! ►► bit.ly/2hksYO0
Looking for a production management solution for your film? Try StudioBinder for FREE today: studiobinder.com/pricing
— Join us on Social Media! —
Instagram ►► www.instagram.com/studiobinder
Facebook ►► www.facebook.com/studiobinderapp
Twitter ►► www.twitter.com/studiobinder
All Comments (21)
-
-
It is unbelievable that this channel is absolutely free!!!
-
I'm not a movie maker, but I am really enjoying this programme, which I only discovered a couple of days ago. Thank you
-
I want to live in a world narrated by Studio Binder's voice! <3
-
The funny thing is, I actually did listen to a lot of movies when I was a child. My brother and I got half an our of TV time a day, so we spent hours in the living room listening to movies with the monitor turned off. We had a bloody good time and got to know the movies very well on an interesting level.
-
Studiobinder knows how to impact and engage audiences to new filmmakers. I love to say thank you for educating us about being filmmaker and cinematographer which allowed us to gain knowledge and enjoy what we love.
-
Even though I knew the basic distinction between Diegetic and Non-diegetic, this video was still extremely helpful for some of the finer details Even then, I would still watch this video if I knew everything as it is just super entertaining to watch and is really well presented
-
It's incredible how many movies you guys pull great examples from, how do you find all these great examples? Does your staff just have lot of combined movie knowledge? haha. Your videos continue to get better and better!
-
This channel is painfully underrated. I learn so much every time I watch their videos
-
This channel has increased my ability to experience movies, and increased my love of movies. Thank you!
-
The guide is perfect, but the chosen references blow my mind! - as always! Make me want to re-watch all those movies once again. And there are some that I never watched, and I find that I need to. As a video editor, the sound is my secret weapon. This team is just incredible. Long life StudioBinder! Luv you!
-
Another class production. And my favourite narrator is back! Never stop making these videos.
-
I don't know how you do it, guys...I always finish your videos feeling like I've been watching a movie. A "based on true facts - doc/drama movie". I'm now totally amazed, inspired, perplexed, etc.... By the way, the narrator's voice on these is gold.
-
This channel really gives me a deeper appreciation of film and storytelling in general 😊
-
Thank you for covering this topic for the community 🙏🏼. Greatly appreciated, and eye opening 🙌🏼
-
its amazing how sound is used to show the audience the characters mood and the setting of the movie without any words at all its a true art
-
I wasn't expecting anything less. Brilliant, as usual.
-
Love the video! Around 11:42 when you mention the opening sequence in Big Lebowski - I would like to add that the non diegetic music seamlessly transforms into the music being playing in the grocery store as The Dude is introduced sniffing a milk carton he’s considering purchasing. I’ve always loved that detail.
-
This is some of the content that makes YT worth even wading into. Well done.
-
thank you very much! love those detail examples! i hadn't noticed those Coen's gimmicks before haha smart! sound department really an unsung hero!
