Non-Diegetic > The sound elements that the characters can't hear but the audience can. (Background music) Diegetic > The sound elements the characters and audience can hear. (Car alarm, gun fire) Dialogue > The speech/communication the characters have. Sound Effect > Artificially made to add to the content of films, television shows, animation, video games, music, or other media. Music > Background music is used to create and add to the emotion, mood and atmosphere. Atmosphere > Also known as the ambience, consists of the sounds of a given location or space. Tone > The tone can be the way the dialogue is said or the tone of the mood and atmosphere. Mood > This is the emotional tone of the film, which can be seen through all sound elements of music, dialogue and sound effects. 'The music was low and builds up, creating a dark and tense mood,' Portray A Feeling > Sound elements can portray feelings, such a feeling of danger, for example, a crescendo in the non-diegetic sound or an intense layering of diegetic sound.
P1: TITLE - UNDERSTANDING HOW SOUND ELEMENTS ARE USED
Film
In the beginning of the clip it started off with low drum beats which was non-diegetic this connotes that the atmosphere is intense like something big is going to happen. It makes the audience also feel like something is going to happen, the background music also has some high pitch tones, making the audience feel like what the characters are doing is a huge feet. The clip also includes some diegetic sound effects of vehicles going by really fast and loud engine sounds, connoting to the audience that perhaps a car chase is going on. Diegetic sound effects of guns are also heard in the clip, connoting to the audience that there will or is going to be a gun fight, this is confirmed with the diegetic dialogue of the woman saying "reload the gun'. There is also a feeling of danger when the gun sequence is going on, this is shown when a woman's voice is heard when she says "I can't reload it". The tone of her voice had panic and fear in it, making the audience feel that there is danger and that the characters could possibly get caught. The diegetic sound of the wind could've been wild track when the crew were shooting, it is more likely that the wind sound effect was recorded and added during the post production phase.
Animation
This is a very good animation and the sound elements are vital in portraying this story. There is no dialogue in this and the story is told primarily by the sound effects and music. All the music is Non-Diegetic as it helps the audience understand how the characters feel such as when the ginger boy is looking at the other boy from behind the tree the music is slow like that boy is seeing the other boy and is a trance which clearly connotes that he is in love with him. The music changes when the characters are happy, sad, embarrassed etc. The sound effects are all diegetic such as the heartbeat, the doors opening and closing, the footsteps and all the noises the heart makes.
TV
The first thing we hear is the incidental music which is fairly calm therefore it sets a relaxed atmosphere. The voice over helps the audience paint a picture of what the show may be about as it is the opening scene so the audience might need a little help capturing the narrative of the show. As the narrator says the dialogue "you start seeing the shadows underneath" the incidental music changes, it adds in a chime sound that adds a eeriness to the music. Almost halfway through the opening scene, an unexpected piece of music joins in which connotes that maybe something unexpected will happen. There is an emphasis on a diegetic sound effect as Cheryl steps out of the car. This is to emphasise her presence as well as the colour of her shoe in the visuals which is red, which connotes danger in this case. The diegetic sound of the thunder connotes that something has gone wrong which could also be foreshadowing events later on in the show. The incidental music changes to a more darker, creepier tone, using drum sounds adds to the scariness of the scene as well as letting the visuals dwell on what is happening/happened. The dialogue from Hermione as she walks towards her new apartment when she states "Its the only piece of property in my name and not your fathers" connotes that they do not have a good relationship with the father and that he may be a something the show may explore later on in the series.
Radio/Audio Drama
The first piece of sound from BBC radio drama that you hear is the diegetic sound effects of someone dialling a phone before the phone rings. The phone is answered with dialogue. “Emergency… Which service do you require?". A female replies with "Police" and her tone sounds worried, which gives of a tense mood. This tone continues when the women reports to the police "There's somebody in my house," which is accompanied with subtle and suspenseful non-diegetic background music, with the dialogue. Before the women answered, there was sound of a car going past which informs the listeners of the location that the women is in, the listeners may think that the women is near a road. As the women explaining what is hopping as she is in the car the music grows louder and her voice sounds as if she is panicked, these two aspects of the sound create a suspenseful atmosphere. Music and sound effects are heavily used due to being a radio drama, the fact that there are no visuals means that sound is very emphasised within this piece so all actions have to be heard or described by a character through dialogue.
Adverts
The advert starts with the diegetic sound effect of a car driving off, this helps bring the audiences attention to the empty house. The use of silence within the advert is used well as it dwells on the house to signify how empty it is. Incidental music is introduced quite slowly almost like a romantic song. However the diegetic sound of the door opening interrupts the music which the audience something that is not wanted is coming in. The change in music connotes that something has changed within the advert along with the music being more upbeat and fun, which adds to the new blankets within the advert being introduced as well. The diegetic sound of the car pulling up again along with the music still being heard slightly makes the audience believe something is up and that they need to move quickly to avoid being seen. The sound effect of the record being scratched connotes there is a sudden change in atmosphere and they need to fix everything. The whoosh sound effect of the blankets finding places to go connotes they are moving quickly before the humans see them.
Computer Games
For the first two minutes of WW2 Zombies intro, there is a lot of dialogue between characters that informs the players about the mission, as well as understanding character motives. At 2:15, the dialogue is interrupted by a diegetic sound effect of a monstrous, unseen growl which is where feeling of danger is first portrayed. Then there is silence for around 10 seconds and the use of this silence keeps the players on their toes as you don't know what is going to happen next.