Diegetic and Non-diegetic Sound
Diegetic
Diegetic
in sound is when music is being played from a device within the action of the
film so that the characters in the film can hear the music that is playing. An
example of diegetic sound is during the Avengers you can hear Shoot to Thrill
by ACDC being played through the PA system in the jet. The reason people behind
the music chose to do this is because in Iron man 2 the same song is used as
iron man flies into a crowd of fans, so hear the music has been used as a sound motif (theme)
for Iron man. So the use of it being diegetic is so that we and the characters
know that Iron man is coming because the music, being his theme tells us he’s
coming. This also the first time we see iron man in the film so again as it is
his theme and the character is a bit of
an attention is why it would be appropriate to play is theme dietetically in
the film. This is effective to the
viewer because it is a familiar to that relates to the much loved characters
which makes the viewer excited when hearing the music diegetically through the
planes PA system building the anticipation before we see him. Also I believe
the use of this hard rock song in the movie is appropriate because everybody
assumes that a heavy metal rock song should appear in an action movie which Is
what the avengers is. It wouldn't sound right if Shoot to Thrill was heard digetically through a gramophone on a period drama like Downton Abbey.
In soaps they use music to set an atmosphere, for an example
in EastEnders the radio will be played diegetic so that the characters in the café
for an example can in the music. This sets the scene for the actors to make it
more realistic that they are in a café. For soaps, they also use modern songs from
the charts to be played on the radio. Like in this example I have found on
YouTube, behind the main action of Max talking to Tiffany in the café you can
hear Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance in the background. The reason for this is so that
it can create the café atmosphere of having modern music as well as letting the
audience know that this soap has been set in the present day. The fact that the actors can hear the music is
profitable because it sets the scene for the actors so that they can play a
realistic role of having the correct set and setting atmosphere. The use of
modern chart music here is appropriate because it fits with the soap opera
images however if they were to use an example such as Toccata and Fugue in D
Minor, BWV 565 by J.S. Bach it wouldn’t fit with the set because playing a
haunting classical piece through the radio like this wouldn’t seem natural so
the acting on the screen wouldn’t seem like a real life conversation in your
average café and it would just seem wrong to put this piece of music with the images on the screen. Plus the eeriness of the organ would seem inappropriate to use in this scene. Also the music hasn't been chosen to relate to the emotions of the scene like in a movie would because if this scene wasn't in a soap then they would probably have a slow sad piece of music in the background and it wouldn't be diegetic to the actors, but because it is a soap opera the aim is realism which is why Lady Gaga is being played on a radio like it's a natural moment.
you wouldn't expect this in a soap, especially if it is being played diegetically.
Another example of diegetic sound is the Cantina Band in Star Wars episode IV New Hope. During a art of the film we see Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi go in search to find Han Solo. whilst in the bar there is a band of Aliens in the background who play the Cantina Song. having the band with in the action is what makes the sound diegetic. the music being used in this is similar to the reason Lady Gaga has been used in EastEnders like i had previously spoken about.the alien band are playing a repetitive tune which seems surreal and unusual sounding. this is why it can be used in Star Wars because the film is a Sci-fi so it would seem logical to have an alien sounding piece of music being played by alien musicians in a sci-fi film. However if this piece of music was played in EastEnders like the Lady Gaga tune it would have the same effect as the Bache tune it would be inappropriate and seem out of place which is why you wouldn't use it. With the star wars piece and the Eastender example they are both similar but different, they both use the diegetic music in the same way to create the atmosphere for the images. both examples are set in a bar/ cafe/ restaurant environment and both have the music casually in the background. however the reason the pieces of music cannot be used in both examples are because they fit to their purposes and the environment. Eastenders is a modern day soap opera so it is practical to have today's top 40 chart playing in the background of a modern day restaurant, it is also the same with Star Wars because it is set in a futuristic bar in a sci-fi movie you would expect to hear some alien sounding music to fit with the images of the aliens in the bar and the alien musicians. even though both piece of music work well in their own examples they cannot be used in the others because it would look and sound wrong and out of place and it would be a terrible example of anempathetic sound.
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