Sound in Drama Films

A films sound can be a key element in its narrative. Sound can assist in developing characters, building an atmosphere and hint to the audience about the direction the film or a certain scene may be heading in.

Dialogue

The first and most obvious use of sound in a Drama film is dialogue. The dialogue of a Drama can be presented in more than one way; it can be used through the conversation of two or more of the characters - informing the audience of the relationship between the characters and events or emotions that the audience may be otherwise unaware of.

Dialogue can also be presented in the form of a voice over. Voice overs in Dramas are commonly used as a narrative device, and is often used by a first person narrator to communicate their perspective and emotions in regards to the sequence we are seeing on screen or to create character development for the narrator, allowing the audience to connect with them on a much more personal and emotion level. Voice overs can be crucial in revealing a characters true emotions or thoughts and can be a key in helping the audience connect better with them.

Direct address is another form of dialogue that can be utilised. Direct address - which can also be known as breaking the fourth wall - is when a character directly addresses the audience and can be seen as an alternative to a voice over. However, a direct address is less likely to be found within a drama as they are commonly used to add a comedic element to a film. 

Types of Sound

There are two key types of sound used within most films:

- Diegetic Sound

- Non-diegetic Sound

Both of these types of sound are used within the Drama genre to create verisimilitude, a sense of realism.

Diegetic sound is the use of sound that happens within the narrative, meaning that the characters within the world can hear the sounds in addition to the audience. Examples of diegetic sound include dialogue, car horns, phone notifications and footsteps. The use of diegetic sound contributes to the realism of the Drama whilst assisting in creating or developing a particular atmosphere. 

Foley's can be used to develop the diegetic sound by reproducing certain sound effects and making them more recognisable or obvious to the audience. Foley's are typically well integrated into the soundtrack and are therefore not picked up on by the audience.

Non-Diegetic sound is the use of sound effects or a soundtrack that only the audience can hear. These sound effects are usually added during the editing stage of the production.  Non-diegetic sound is typically used to communicate the mood that the audience should be feeling during a particular scene or to develop the atmosphere of the scene which can contribute to the realism of the scene.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of a drama film is traditionally used to convey certain emotions and feelings towards the audience, informing them of the way they (and possibly the characters) should be feeling during the scene or sequence.