Sound Terminology

Accent – the way a person pronounces their words. Their accent can often tell you where someone is from, how educated they are, what class they fall in to

Ambient sound - The natural sounds of the location eg water noises near a river, cows mooing in a farm, cars beeping their horns in the street etc. They tell us what kind of place we are in and if we see how characters react to these sounds it tells us a lot. Noisy cars, horns, people, traffic represent a region as being busy and urban and not very homely.

Asynchronous sound –Where the sound is either out of sync with the visuals or is unrelated to the visuals. Sound that is just out of sync would make the viewer feel disorientated and would make the characters and scene seem strange.

Contrapuntal sound –This is where sound or music has a different mood / atmosphere to what we are seeing on screen. For example during this clip we see a gangster getting ready to torture a tied up man but we hear a happy, fun sounding song. This helps us to see what the gangster's mind set is like.

For a second example, in the Godfather film, we see scary scenes of a man murdering people in cold blood, but hear the friendly, calm sounds of a priest christening a baby. This contrast emphasises the loss of innocent life.

Dialogue – the words the characters say. What do the characters actually say? Do they reveal their beliefs, or their attitudes? How do they say it? If someone’s voice sounds nervous and wobbly it tells us a lot about their character. If they speak softly it implies they are weak or emotional. If they have a deep booming voice it makes them seem more masculine. Don’t forget accents as they tell us where someone is from and emphasise their differences from others. Pay attention to slang, swearing, sophisticated and simple language etc

Diegetic Sound: sound that you could hear if YOU were one of the characters inside the scene. This include words the characters say, background noises like traffic, weather and crowd noise and even music IF it is heard by the characters eg at a club, on a television etc Diegetic sound can set the mood of the piece, tell us how a character is feeling, and help the viewer to see a scene as realistic etc.

Direct address (also known as Breaking the 4^th Wall) – Where the character talks to the audience directly. Don’t confuse this with a point of view shot. It is very unusual and breaks the reality for the audience, but also helps us to see that character as an equal, a friend, as someone to sympathise with. Often seen in shows like Scrubs and Malcolm in the Middle.

Dynamic Range – Describes the volume of the music. A low dynamic range will be quite quiet, and often signifies calmness, peace etc. A high dynamic range will be loud and often shocking, scary or dramatic.

Non Diegetic Sound – Other sound that the characters in the scene could not hear. For example, a musical soundtrack, a voice over etc. Non diegetic music sets the scene and time period as well as atmosphere. A voice over allows the audience to hear someone’s thoughts and empathise with them. Different instruments have different effects. Violins can be both romantic and frightening, saxophones sound sultry and sexy, drums can seem military-like and woodwind instruments seem sad. The violins in this opening sequence from Psycho are said to represent the violent stabbings that go on in the film and set the atmosphere as tense and thriller like.

Pitch – Low pitch described a sound / music that is deep and low (eg Thunder) and often sounds menacing or threatening. High pitch describes a sound that is higher and lighter (eg a phone ringing) and is often more light-hearted.

Rhythm – Describes the beat of the music, whether it is fast or slow. Sound or music with a fast rhythm is often used to increase a sense of urgency or threat. Sound or music with a slow rhythm is often used to depict calmness and peace. Sound or music with an irregular rhythm is used to confuse the audience and make them feel uncomfortable.

Score: Describes any non-diegetic music in a scene. Think about the beat and instruments used. For example a high energy dance track with loud crashing tones will emphasise someone’s youth.. a girly soft piano music might help us to see a woman as stereotypically delicate and feminine.

Sound bridge – a portion of sound that covers a cut, normally to link two scenes together. For example if you were to see a woman talking about how much she missed her boyfriend, and her voice continued as a sound bridge on top of the shot of him, even if just for a few seconds, it emphasises that he is the man she is talking about. Sound bridges are often also used to try and mask cuts from the audience, making it seem more realistic.

Sound motif – Hard to spot in a short clip. But this is a sound which normally represents or accompanies a certain character. For example the Da DA of the shark in the film jaws. We associate that music with them.

Sound Effects – A sound accompanying an action. For example in the film Psycho, short sharp violin noises accompany each stab of the knife during the famous shower scene. This emphasises the violence of each stabbing motion and makes it more dramatic.

Soundtrack: Describes ALL the sound in a scene including music, ambient sounds, sound effects, dialogue etc..

Synchronous sound - synchronous sound is sound that is in sync with the visuals and was filmed at the same time. Synchronous sound creates a feeling of reality for the audience

Tone Of Voice – Describes the way a person’s voice sounds. For example, firm, dismissive, patronising, nervous, apologetic, aggressive. Their tone will tell you a lot about their feelings.

Voice over: A piece of speech played over a scene, showing us the inner feelings of a character or explaining the story via a narrator. It allows the audience to see inside the head of a character, helping us to empathise with them.