What does Diegetic Sound mean?
Diegetic Sound refers to any sound in a film or television production that originates from a source within the story world — meaning the characters in the scene can hear it too. Examples include dialogue, a radio playing in a room, a car horn, footsteps, or a band performing at a party. Diegetic sound contributes to the realism of a scene and helps establish the environment. It is contrasted with non-diegetic sound, such as a film score or voiceover narration, which exists only for the audience and cannot be heard by the characters.
Example:The music playing from the character’s phone was diegetic sound — both the character and the audience could hear it, and the actor’s performance responded to the song as if it were actually playing on set.
Example: The director asked the sound mixer to record the ambient diegetic sound of the busy restaurant — the clinking glasses, background conversations, and kitchen noise — to use as a natural soundscape beneath the dialogue.
Did you know?
The distinction between diegetic and non-diegetic sound is one of the foundational concepts in film theory, developed by narratologist Gérard Genette and later applied to film by scholars in the 1970s. The terms come from the Greek word ‘diegesis,’ meaning ‘narrative’ or ‘the act of telling a story.’
You can also find “Diegetic Sound” and related terms in this category: Editing and Post-Production.
