Sound Vocabulary #6

Diegetic sound is sound that originates from the world of the video or film. Diegetic sound can originate from either onscreen or offscreen. These sounds occur in real time which is why diegetic sound is also called actual sound. Diegetic sound includes the characters voices or sounds made by objects in the story space.

Non-diegetic sound is sound that does not come from the world of the video or film. Non-diegetic sound can originate from either onscreen or offscreen. Non-diegetic sounds is also referred to as complementary sounds. Non-diegetic sound is edited into the movie during post production

Fidelity sound is how accurately a copy reproduces a sound. Fidelity sound is categorized as faithful or unfaithful sound. A sound maintains fidelity when  the sound is belonging to that of the source. A sound loses its fidelity when the sound is not believable by the audience.

Offscreen sound is sound that comes from the world of the film, however the source of it is not shown. In the beginning of the film, psycho, while the girl is being murdered, running water is heard off screen. This sound is caused by a faucet being turned on, however it is not shown on screen. The non-inclusion of the source allows the audience to be immersed in the world of the film and make them feel an ethereal presence within it.