diegetic
Within the narrative
Diegetic describes sounds or music that exist within the world of a film, television show, or other narrative—sounds the characters themselves could hear.
A car radio playing in a scene is diegetic; the orchestral soundtrack swelling during a kiss is not.
The term comes from film studies but applies to any storytelling medium: The diegetic sound of rain on the windows created atmosphere without musical score.
Within a fictional universe
- fictionImagined narrative work
- narratorOne who tells events
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- plotStoryline or land parcel
setting · backstory · world-building · lore · canon · universe · timeline · exposition
Spoken exchange between parties
- ambientOf the surroundings
- footstepsSounds of walking
- soundtrackMusic accompanying visual media
- voiceoverOff-screen recorded speech
on-screen · radio · television · engine · gunshots · birdsong · heartbeat · laughter
Able to convince
- seamlessWithout visible joins
- naturalisticImitating actual appearance
- embeddedSet firmly within something
- integratedCombined into a whole
atmospheric · cohesive · authentic · plausible · consistent · grounded · experiential · absorbing
in-world
Within a fictional universe
- fictionImagined narrative work
- narratorOne who tells events
- charactersPersons in a narrative
plot · setting · backstory · world-building · lore · canon · universe · timeline · exposition · internal
dialogue
Spoken exchange between parties
- ambientOf the surroundings
- footstepsSounds of walking
- soundtrackMusic accompanying visual media
voiceover · on-screen · radio · television · engine · gunshots · birdsong · heartbeat · laughter · sirens
believable
Able to convince
- seamlessWithout visible joins
- naturalisticImitating actual appearance
- embeddedSet firmly within something
integrated · atmospheric · cohesive · authentic · plausible · consistent · grounded · experiential · absorbing · engrossing
diegeticnon-diegetic
Outside the story's world
underscore · film score · score · incidental music · background score