sound

Diagetic sound - Sound recorded during filming, eg. speech or footsteps.

Non-diagetic sound - Sound added during editing, eg. a sound track.

This is the clip from Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train' where Miriam is strangled, this is also the scene on which my strangling scene is based on. The sound track in this scene is the music from the funfair from a distance and in my opinion it makes the scene even more disturbing and creepy. The sound from this clip also includes some diagetic sound which is the speech of the different characters.

The murder scene from 'The Man Who Wasn't There' uses non-diagetic sound to add to the drama and tension of the scene. I really like the way that the sound tracks are used in this scene because at the beginning there is some very low quiet music that builds up as the situation worsens, then as Ed Crane kills Big Dave the music stops and there is silence which adds again to the drama and realisation of what Crane has done. Finally as Crane realises his hands are clean and he could get away with murder, some much happier piano music starts up slowly. I also really like the diagetic sound in this scene such as the clock ticking in the background at the end when Big Dave has died.

I have included this clip to show the use of diagetic sound. This scene from John Huston's 'The Maltese Falcon' is set in a busy hotel lobby and includes the sounds of other people talking, footsteps, phones ringing. The volumes of different sound must be carefully controlled so that they are loud enough to hear but they don't overpower the speech which we are supposed to hear.