Diegetic Sound in Music Videos

Diegetic sound is sound whose source is visible on screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film. This is quite rare in music videos as their purpose is to provide visuals to compliment a song, the focus is on the song,  not additional sound. However, we have chosen to include diegetic sound at the end of our music video after the song finishes. Below are examples of existing music videos that contain diegetic sound:

Devlin feat. Ed Sheeran - All Along the Watchtower:



This music video contains both an into and outro where there is an absence of music. Diegetic sound can be heard throughout, with the song seemingly being a secondary element. The blend of music and diegetic sound has enhanced the narrative and helped to create the tense and dramatic atmosphere. I especially like the outro as the music fades, the quiet diegetic sound contrasting the hectic, loud video, this is an idea that we want to incorporate into our music video. We want the calm sounds at the end of the video to contrast the disorientated, crazed character seen throughout.


Arctic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?:



This music video, again, has both an intro and outro that help to set the scene and make the narrative clearer. Diegetic sound can be heard throughout, such as voices and cars, both of which help to capture the atmosphere of the location. Interestingly, there is a brief pause in the middle of the music video where the song stops. I found this intriguing as it suddenly takes the viewer out of the song, the abruptness mirroring the artist's current mood. Whilst I like this pause, I don't think that it would work well within our music video as we want to build the tension and confusion throughout for the fast paced climactic end, a pause would only dissipate any tension.

Gabrielle Aplin - Please Don't Say You Love Me

I was intrigued by the use of diegetic sound within Gabrielle Aplin's 'Please Don't Say You Love Me'. The start and end of the music video do not feature the song, instead the audience can hear the diegetic sound. This helps to set the scene at the beginning of the video and helps to make the narrative clearer as the audience is able to focus more on the events that take place instead of the song.

Our finished storyboard includes a section after the song ends where the protagonist will be seen exiting the maze and diegetic sound will be heard. I really like this idea as it think diegetic sound adds an element of realism to a music video, this could enhance our narrative as the sudden shift from the song to diegetic sound could symbolise the character crashing back to reality, out of her 'hypnotised' state. After watching 'Please Don't Say You Love Me', I think that it may also be interesting to add diegetic sound at the start of the music video before the song begins to play.