Diegetic And Non-Diegetic Sound In Movie Openings.

Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Sound

Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are both influential in movie openings. Both types can immerse us into the opening scene of a film and often get us hooked and wondering where the movie will take us next.


Diegetic sound is when both the people within the scene and us in the audience can hear it. An example of this is a conversation in a movie. Diegetic sound is usually used to immerse us and involve us into the movie like in Captain America: Winter Soldier where we can hear loud dramatic punches to make us feel as if we are in the scene.

On the other hand non-diegetic sound is used to act as a marker for the audience to show them when the action is about to take place. This is usually played as an actor starts immersing in conversation or the opening of a scene, such as when Captain America is about to jump from the jet. Non-Diegetic sound is used to immerse the audience into a scene and really excite them for what is being revealed.

The opening scene of Captain America: Winter Soldier can be found here.