The Difference Between Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Sound
Fallen Angels
If you’ve never heard of the term “diegetic”, its very existence in film is likely something you may have not been as aware about as you will be in the next few minutes. Once you learn about diegetic sound, you can never unlearn it. Sounds in films will be crystal clear from here on out: diegetic or non-diegetic. Why is it important to even learn what this is? Well, it’s a technical term that will have you wondering not just why particular songs are used, but why they are used in this way. Today’s lesson is very short, but it can make a huge difference in how you listen to a film.
Diegetic means something that exists within the narrative world. The easiest way to understand this is by stepping back and asking if the character(s) on screen can experience a particular element. If they can, this element is diegetic. If not, then it’s non-diegetic. Diegesis is used to help create a fuller world for a character to take part in. Non-diegesis is for us viewers at home to enjoy. In order for this to make more sense, let us break up sound and music as diegetic and non-diegetic.
Diegetic Sound
Diegetic sound is any audible noise found within a scene’s actual world. You can hear birds chirping in a tree nearby, someone talking on screen, static from a television, or wind outside. Whatever noises that come from the actual scene itself are diegetic sounds. If a character has a dialogue with another, this is all diegetic. Chances are many of these “natural” sounds are created by Foley artists or other sound designers, but they are made to seem as though they are coming from within the scene.
A great example is any moment in Roma, which forgoes the conventional use of a score. With detailed sound editing and mixing, a scene like the one below comes to life. The background chatter, dogs barking, and wind all resonate from the surroundings of this rooftop scene. Once you start to see a leak, the droplet sounds become a part of the audible palette. Everything you hear in this scene comes from what you can see is present: two people talking, a busy neighbourhood, and a persistent leak.
Non-Diegetic Sound
Non-diegetic sound are noises that are clearly placed on top of a scene. If someone pulls out a dollar bill and you hear a “cha-ching” sound without a cash register in a scene, that’s non-diegetic. That’s clearly a sound put in by a filmmaker to emphasize the symbolic nature of that dollar bill. Non-diegetic sounds can be used to exaggerate what you see on screen, and give sequences surreal qualities. Non-diegetic sounds can also be a bit more simple in nature, including a voice over narration, tossed-in sound effects during montages that don’t come from any of the shots, and other similar situations.
In this boxing scene from Raging Bull, the sounds of what appear to be whirlwinds, sirens, and other eerie noises are tossed in to heighten what appears to be a massive beating. Combined with the interesting camera techniques here, you get a real sense of how badly the opposing fighter is losing, despite none of these elements being realistic at all. Compare these noises to the announcer, the crowds cheers and the hits landing, and you can tell that these sounds clearly aren’t coming from this world. They have been placed on top for artistic purpouses.
The following scene features sports related violence and blood. Reader discretion is advised.
Diegetic Music
Music functions the same way, but on a more noticeable level. Diegetic music is exactly what it sounds like by now: music that comes from within a scene. Someone puts on an album on their record player. The scene takes place at a concert. You hear a radio with music in a car zip past you. You have to see (or have a sense of) a blatant audio source in the scene for music to be diegetic; can you pinpoint where it is coming from in a real sense within the shot? Sometimes, a diegetic song can overtake a scene and/or the following scene, and thus it will become non-diegetic. That functions as a great audible transition.
Below is an example from Blow Up, where the lead character stumbles upon a concert featuring The Yardbirds. One of the guitarists (Jeff Beck) is mad over his amplifier messing up (could be a connection issue), and you hear his guitar cut out or distort. The rest of the song keeps going, as the band doesn’t stop while Beck breaks his own guitar out of frustration. Once the main character leaves the venue (with the sound of the concert getting softer and softer as he leaves), you don’t hear the song finish at all once he is outside, since we likely couldn’t hear the band from here realistically. Of course, the song is placed into the film and the band didn’t record this live while shooting, but it’s edited in a way that we clearly know the song is coming from the musicians on stage.
Non-Diegetic Music
This is when the music of a scene is played on top of what we can see, and is not coming from any possible source within the scene. The music usually overtakes most (or all) sounds anyway, so it’s obvious that it is added in for artistic reasons. Most film scores are non-diegetic, because there aren’t traveling orchestras accompanying the characters on screen. Popular songs or musical cues put into a scene for our benefit also count. This is far more common than diegetic music (unless, again, you see a character performing or putting music on).
You might think the music is only coming from Jackie Brown’s car in this sequence from the film of the same name, but the song follows her. This means when she leaves the car, we leap forward in time with each cut, and we appear in the mall. There is absolutely no chance that “Street Life” was playing on some otherworldly speakers for the entire world to hear; even if they did, the scene jumps in time, and the song doesn’t, so it’s clearly placed on top of everything we see. This creates musical accompaniment.
Some filmmakers favour realism, and reject the ways non-diegesis. Others promote non-diegetic sounds and songs, because of what endless possibilities the medium of cinema can provide with these opportunities. On Monday, I will go into what makes popular and original songs in films work well when used right. These will include both diegetic and non-diegetic examples.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.