Aspects of Sound To Be Used in My Project, Part 1 – Non-diegetic Sound and Ambience

 AS Level Media Studies Final Project

January 29th, 2026, Post 10

Aspects of Sound To Be Used in My Project, Part 1 – Non-diegetic Sound and Ambience:

Due to the project's 'up-close' feel in its scenes and the nature of its shots, many elements of non-diegetic sound will not be utilized. Non-diegetic sound, such as scores, will, at least in my opinion, ruin certain scenes' feeling and tones, and would not match whatsoever. Ambient sound and music will, however, be very much utilized. Some exposition of the world and nation in which the family lives in won't be explicitly stated – telling the audience exactly what the world is is a cheap trick and would make the dialogue feel 'bloated' and unrealistic. Ambient music and sounds would be a great way to bypass this limitation, as the frequency and prevalence at which certain sounds appear would give great insight into the lives of the people within the story.

(The feeling and tone suggests an unkempt and dangerous nature towards the area and the world around this. If this 'feeling' could be transmitted into sound, this would make this whole ambient sound part a lot easier.)

One ambient sound I would like to focus on within the project would be the sounds of nature – or rather the lack thereof. During the scene in which one of the family members go outside to the backyard, the area outside the yard (the skies, neighboring houses, clear space) should show signs of decay and unkemptness. The lack of nature sounds should exemplify the nature of the world around them, giving the audience exposition of the world of the story within directly stating these facts. Another 'ambient' sound that could be focused on is technology – more specifically the television within the family's house. While stretching the ambient title, I still believe it could be considered ambient noise, due to it helping set the atmosphere and help the viewer get a feel of the world. The sound coming from the television should, as stated in previous blog posts, be that of a propaganda channel ran by the regime of the nation they live in.