What is Diegetic Sound? & How to Leverage It in Film
Examples of diegetic sound
To help you better understand what diegetic sound is, here are a couple examples of the phenomenon that you’re sure to be familiar with:
- Dialogue between characters in the film
- Music playing in the film itself (not the soundtrack, but if the character turns on the radio or goes to a concert, then they can hear the sound)
- Background noise such as birds chirping nearby or a police siren driving by in the world of the film
Diegetic vs. non-diegetic sound
In contrast to diegetic or “actual” sound, non-diegetic sound (sometimes also called “complementary sound”) is sound that is added after the initial footage is filmed and that the characters in the movie can’t hear. This includes voiceover narration of the story as well as the soundtrack/musical score of the film (not music playing in the movie—this is an important distinction).
How to use diegetic sound in your own film
Intentionally blend a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sound
One truly effective way that you can use diegetic sound yourself is to thoughtfully incorporate a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sound as you edit your film. For instance, in their article on the subject, Adobe suggests that you “try playing music in your opening credits (non-diegetic) and then transition into a character humming the same tune (diegetic)” because it “gently eases your audience into your story.”
Emphasize diegetic over non-diegetic sound for an immersive atmosphere
Another way to leverage diegetic sound in film is to emphasize diegetic over non-diegetic sound. As described in an article from No Film School, renowned filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (best known for movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and A Clockwork Orange) demonstrated a distinct “favoritism of diegetic over non-diegetic sounds” that “was essential in building the atmosphere for nearly every one of his films.”
This really helped to create suspension of disbelief in the audience and allowed them to immerse themselves in his films while watching. To better understand the effect of this editing choice, check out this video from Candice Drouet’s 1,000,000 Frames series, which clearly illustrates Kubrick’s preferential use of diegetic sound.
Looking for a location to film? Try Peerspace!
If you’re researching diegetic sound and how to use it in film, you’re probably a filmmaker yourself, and you may be in search of a place to film. And the saying is “location, location, location” for a reason! The place where you film is one of the most important aspects of making your final product a success.
If that’s true for you, we’d strongly recommend Peerspace as a way to find spaces in which to film. It’s the internet’s largest marketplace for hourly space rentals of all kinds, from event venue rentals to photo and video studio locations, and just about everything in between. Peerspace offers a selection of thousands of distinctive spaces across hundreds of cities in the US, Canada, the UK, and more.
