Sound work

Sound in TV and film

Film and TV sound has to be mixed very carefully to ensure that important sounds are emphasised and that the correct atmosphere for a sequence is maintained.

Selective sound

Selective sound is used to emphasise key sound elements within a sequence.

Ambient sound

Ambient sound or ambient audio means the background sounds which are present in a scene or location. Common ambient sounds include wind, water, birds, crowds, office noises, traffic, etc.

Sound bridges

Refers to an outgoing sound (either dialogue or sound effects) in one scene that continues over into a new image or shot

Sound effects

Sound effects are artificially created or enhanced to emphasize artistic or other content of films and television shows.

Theme music

Theme music shows the personality of a film. It introduces and develops throughout film.

Musical scores

Musical scores are original pieces of music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects.

Silence

A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue

Diegetic sound

Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the films world.

Non-diegetic sound

Non-diegetic sound comes from a source outside the story space.

Voice over

A ‘voice over’ is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic).

Synchronous sound

Synchronous Sounds are those sounds, which are synchronized or matched with what is viewed.

Asynchronous sound

Asynchronous sound is sound that is suitable for the action but is not precisely linked to it.

Contrapuntal 

Contrapuntal sound is sound that we hear that we wouldn’t associate with what’s on screen.

Mood

Mood determines what type of will be played as it depends on the emotional atmosphere. 

SFX

SFX is an illusion that is used in TV and film that simulates the sound in a story (sound effects).

Genre

Genres are different categories that different sound are put into.