Why is Diegetic and Non-Diegetic important in a film?

Diegetic sound is sound which occurs naturally in the scene, for example, conversations between characters and fight scenes. Diegetic sound helps in order to replicate the situation for the viewer and it also makes them feel as though they are actually there. An example of the use of diegetic sound is during the fight scenes in Captain America Winter Soldier. The diegetic sound is the people landing punches and grunting throughout the fight.


Non-Diegetic sound is a from of sound which has been edited into the film by the producer, for example, the narrator or patriotic music in the background of an action scene. The reason that non-diegetic is used is to make situations more dramatic with the use of sound effects. Usually, these sound effects get used in horror movies in order to create suspense.

Often, you will find that the producer will toy with diegetic and non-diegetic at the same time to create suspense. For example, when there is no non-diegetic sound in a horror movie, it creates a sense of eeriness.