The Importance of Sound Editing

         As important as visual edits are in any film, there is one thing that helps bring it all together – the soundtrack. Sometimes what helps make a scene memorable or really emotional is the music within the scene. Apart from the obviously important diegetic sound designed for both audience and characters to hear, non-diegetic sound, designed only for the audience plays a unique role in the scene.

Whether you are a fan or not, you will most likely recognize the theme for Star Wars. As a true testament of how important non-diegetic sound is in a film, there was a study conducted in which two set of people saw the film: one group saw it with the soundtrack, the other without it. The group that saw the film with soundtrack gave it great reviews, while those that saw it without the soundtrack did not give the film much praise. With out the sound the other types of sound become more apparent and do not give it the emotional push that a scene requires.

         If we look at the following video of the final scene in Star Wars, the non-diegetic sound really helps bring the conclusion together as our heroes celebrate their win.

If we watch the same scene without the non-diegetic sound, the scene almost becomes something entirely different.

The first thing you notice is the awkwardness of the character’s silence and smiles. The room tone is clearly heard making the sound almost uncomfortable. Chewbacca’s growl also sounds different and instead of strong and proud, it sounds almost as if he were in pain. The laughter between the characters resonates through the cut and gives it an insincere feel to it. The final portion where the troops clap also sounds empty, with no real emotion behind it.

By comparing the same scene with and without music, you can clearly see the importance of sound in editing, in this case the importance of non-diegetic sound. The right score has the ability to bring emotion and give life to a cut as evident in this particular scene from Star Wars. Although most films have a specific sound editor, it is important to remember that the right combination of video and audio edits is what can turn a mediocre cut into an outstanding cut.