Skip navigation

UNIT 2: Classifying film music - diegetic and non diegetic music

Music for films can be classified in various ways. In Unit 2 and Unit 3 we will be looking at two of them:

1) Unit 2: Film music can be classified as diegetic or non diegetic

- Within diegetic music we will be talking about musicals.

2) Unit 3: Film music can also be classified according to its origin: there are original scoreswhich have been composed on purpose for the film, and there is non-original film music, when directors use music that already existed. 

- Within non-original film music we will make a special mention of the use of classical music in films. 

EXTRA READING ACTIVITY

EXTRA READING: READ THIS ARTICLE WHICH TALKS GENERALLY ABOUT FILM SCORES

film score (also sometimes called background score background musicfilm soundtrackfilm music, or incidental music) is original music written specifically to accompany a film for the actors. The score forms part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes pre-existing music, dialogue and sound effects, and comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to enhance the dramatic narrative and the emotional impact of the scene in question. Scores are written by one or more composers, under the guidance of, or in collaboration with, the film's director or producer and are then usually performed by an ensemble of musicians – most often comprising an orchestra or band, instrumental soloists, and choir or vocalists – known as playback singers and recorded by a sound engineer.

Film scores encompass an enormous variety of styles of music, depending on the nature of the films they accompany. The majority of scores are orchestral works rooted in Western classical music, but many scores are also influenced by jazz, rock, pop, blues, new-age and ambient music, and a wide range of ethnic and world music styles. Since the 1950s, a growing number of scores have also included electronic elements as part of the score, and many scores written today feature a hybrid of orchestral and electronic instruments.

Since the invention of digital technology and audio sampling, many modern films have been able to rely on digital samples to imitate the sound of live instruments, and many scores are created and performed wholly by the composers themselves, by using music composition software.

Songs are usually not considered part of the film's score, although songs do also form part of the film's soundtrack.  Although some songs, especially in musicals, are based on thematic ideas from the score (or vice versa), scores usually do not have lyrics, except for when sung by choirs or soloists as part of a cue. Similarly, pop songs which are "needle dropped" into a specific scene in film for added emphasis are not considered part of the score, although occasionally the score's composer will write an original pop song based on their themes, such as James Horner's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, written for Celine Dion. [1]

WEBGRAFÍA 

[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Film score," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Film_score&oldid=900978137(accessed June 15, 2019).

Here is a video that presents the idea of diegetic and non diegetic music (and sound in general) in films. Watch it and if you find it difficult to understand (the narrator speaks quite fast!) you can read the typescript below and then watch it again. You could even read the typescript out loud to your friend, to practice your pronunciation. 

Dr. Matt Lawson Diegetic and non-diegetic film music and sound Licencia YouTube

Read the text of this video

If you found this video hard to understand (it is quite fast!), practice a bit of pronunciation and a bit of listening by reading the text to your partner. 

Diegetic music is music which exists inside the film world, or diegesis. The term diegetic can be applied to sound in general and not just music: for example, characters talking to each other or a car door slamming in a particular scene could be considered diegetic sound, because the sounds are found within the film world.

An example of diegetic music can be found in “Back to the Future”, where Marty McFly performs Johnny Be Good on stage.

Non diegetic music is musical sound whose source is not located in the film world. Traditional film underscores usually fit into this category.

For example, in “Jaws”, the famous leitmotif (see episode 1 of this series) is heard only by the audience*. As comical as it would be, there is not an orchestra chasing the shark around the ocean performing the famous two-note theme!

 (From the video "60 Second Guide to Diegetic and Non Diegetic Music", by Dr.Matt Lawson) 

* You can hear this theme in a video included in the introduction of this project, in the part titled “Just an idea to begin with”.