What is Diegetic Sound
Though it has a fancy name, diegetic sound is a simple concept in audiovisual storytelling. The Greek word “diegesis” means the constructed world of a story, so diegetic sound is sound that exists in the story that our characters can hear. When the Indiana Jones theme plays over Indy’s heroics? That’s non-diegetic; Indy can’t hear it. When the teens in Perks of Being a Wallflower drive down the highway listening to David Bowie? That’s diegetic. They’re listening to Bowie at the same time as the audience is.
Diegetic sound can be recorded on the day of filming – like most dialogue typically is – or it may be added after the fact. Foley sound effects, recorded by foley artists using physical props, are often used to achieve crisp audio of sounds characters hear in-world, like footsteps or loud crashes.
Music that characters listen to is usually added after production, especially if it’s supposed to be bumping over loudspeakers at a noisy event. Sound mixers ensure the dialogue can be heard above the din.
Building the audio landscape of any media project can be unexpectedly complex in post-production, and potentially very expensive. That’s why many creators work with licensing offerings from media companies like Universal Production Music. Whether you’re creating a slick advertisement, exciting story-driven podcast, or dazzling action epic for the big screen, you’re going to need quality, layered sounds to build a world that feels alive for your audience. Register to access a library of high-quality tracks and push your creative boundaries.
How the sounds of a story shift its tone
There are no rules about how much diegetic and non-diegetic sound a story needs to have. Due to technological constraints, the earliest movies had only non-diegetic sound. The plucky piano tune that played over a woman getting tied to the train tracks wasn’t supposed to be audible to our damsel in distress or her captors. It was purely to stoke the audience’s excitement.
As filmmakers started making “talkies” that synced dialogue and other sounds with characters and events on-screen, audiences’ understanding of sound became more nuanced. Viewers understood score and mood music to be different from the music a band is playing at a party scene, or what a character is choosing to listen to on the radio. There was now a broader gap between the subject of narratives – the characters, their actions, and their world – and the subjective framing of narratives – the filmmakers’ choices of music and sound with dramatic flair.
Before you discover the right sound for your next production, think carefully about the mood and tone you’re looking to achieve.
Diegesis case study: The Office vs. Arrested Development
Some modern storytelling trends emphasize realism to a degree that there is barely any non-diegetic sound. In the sitcom The Office, for example, there is almost no non-diegetic music, save for the credits sequence and occasional background music in the final moments of an episode. The show is meant to mimic a documentary, with all its footage captured in the moment as our characters go about their daily lives.
In direct opposition to this approach is the stylized sitcom Arrested Development. Ron Howard’s dry, omniscient narration is not meant to be heard by the characters, and in addition to typical non-diegetic background music, the show often uses short audio motifs to punctuate recurring jokes. This stylized approach creates a zany world appropriate for the show’s intricate jokes, as opposed to The Office’s realistic, situational humor.
Whatever your artistic perspective, discover the right sounds for your next story with our curated audio libraries.
Diegetic sound can still be creative
Just because characters can hear diegetic sound doesn’t mean it must be strictly utilitarian. Diegetic sound is part of creating layered, artistic meaning in a piece of media. Take, for example, “elevator music.” The bland, pleasant music that plays in public places can fade into the background to create a more realistic atmosphere, but creative sound mixing and editing can also play it up for comedic or emotional effect.
Picture a blood-splattered hero, having defeated a hallway of foes, being forced to stand in a steely elevator against grating, cheery music. Or a woman who’s just learned of her cancer diagnosis hearing the blood rushing through her ears slowly overwhelm the calming music of the hospital waiting room.
If you’re looking to recreate realistic public environments, discover elevator music you can add to your story.
The environment can also spark great emotion in characters and narratives. Characters are at the mercy of the weather just like everybody else, and creating a panoramic feeling of the elements they’re facing makes for a more tangible scene.