BLOG QUESTION: DIEGETIC VS. NON-DIEGETIC SOUND

What is the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sound? What is an example of each that you can think of from a film?

diegetic can be used to describe sound and visual elements. anything within the narratuvevwirld that the character can interact. This includes:

- dialogue

- mise-en-scene

- in-world music/sfx

non-diegetic elements are still part of the film, but they don’t affect the world of the story. This includes:

- narration

- external graphics

- cinematic score

- added sound effects

An example of diegetic sound in film is shown in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, when the characters Sam and Patrick are dancing at their school dance. The music is playing in their world, and they’re able to react to it. An example of non-diegetic elements is shown in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World throughout the entire movie, with onomatopoeia’s written out and other external graphics to give it the comic book look.