Sound Types used in TV & Film Productions

Different Types of Sound in TV & Film

Sound - Everything that can be heard in a scene

• Dialogue - Words spoken by characters in a scene. An example of this would be in 'Pirates of The Caribbean' when Will & Jack interact during a sword fight.
• Voiceover - An omniscient narrator or a character heard talking in a scene. An example of this would be how David Attenborough narrates 'Planet Earth II'.
• Music - This is used to heighten the emotion and drama of a scene. An example of this would be that a sinister tune is played at each entry of Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies, which helps to create tension around his character.
• Sound Effects - A recorded sound other than dialogue or music which is added to the soundtrack to enhance the tension. Examples of this could a ringing phone or a gunshot, which is used in the film, 'No Country For Old Men'.

• Diegetic Sound - A sound that has a physical origin in the film world. An example of this would be dialogue.
• Non-Diegetic Sound - A sound that has no direct origin in the film world. An example of this would be a soundtrack.
• Contrapuntal Sound - A sound that contrasts what we see on screen. An example of this would be in 'Finding Dory', when Dory drives a truck over the edge of a cliff and "What A Wonderful World" is played.
• Parallel Sound - A sound that matches the mood or tone of the sequence. An example of this would be in 'Love Actually' when Mark is rejected by Juliet and 'Here With Me' plays, which is a song with a melancholy, sad tone.
• Pleonastic Sound - A sound that is used to heighten the emotion or meaning in a scene. An example of this would be in 'Skyfall' when James Bond chases a villain on a train and music is used throughout this scene to create tension.