Diegetic Source Music & Non-diegetic Underscore: Dramatic Effects on a Romantic Scene

Abstract: The diegetic and non-diegetic functions that exist when dealing with music for film can affect the way that viewers perceive scenes and characters. It is therefore important to be well informed about what effect these two functions can have on the viewers as a sound designer. This study tested if audiences could perceive a difference between diegetic source music and non-diegetic underscore. The participants rated how romantic, happy, sad, scary & intimate they perceived a scene in a romantic setting to be. It was found that the two functions had major differences in how the scene was interpreted by the participants. The non-diegetic version was seen as looking back at something or looking at someone’s memory, while the diegetic version was seen as something happening in the present in front of the participant. The diegetic version ended up being perceived as scarier, while the non-diegetic version was perceived as happier. This study suggests that when creating the illusion of watching something from the past like a memory, it would be beneficial to use non-diegetic music rather than diegetic music.