Non-diagetic example
There is a mix of non-diagetic and diagetic sounds through out this Buffy episode. The one that I noticed first started at 15:44, was a non-diagetic sound, which appeared as mood music. Both characters lose their voices and figure out that they cant speak. When they figure out this, you can imagine they have fear. The fear is not shown through their voices but the background music that was playing. There are a lot of instruments. A violin is playing and it sounds almost creepy. The violins are playing screechy noises and its not pleasant to the ear. Everyone is in the stage of FEAR. And the music in the background does a great job portraying that. The background music adds the aesthetics of horror. It does this by informing the audience of the fear of the specific situation.
Diagetic Example
A diagetic sound from the Buffy Episode is the basically the main part of the video. Its any two characters talking or having a conversation. It is any actual sound. The conversations between characters tell us what’s going on the in the story. When the boy and girl talk in and out of class is a diagetic sound. Buffys’ daydream in the beginning of the episode is a diagetic example. Showing Buffy walking down a dark hallway walking towards a little girl chanting shows the aesthetic horror. It shows aesthetic horror because it’s for seeing the next episode.
Mise-en-scene
I think the first scene with Buffy and riley about to kiss is an example of mise-en-scene. Where there kissing on the table, and everything around them disappears in the audience. The way this scene was edited, it influenced this scene in a big way. The elements helped express what the scenes purpose was. The Frame just closes in on them, closing out the whole rest of the environment. The background is darker and everyone disappears. The ascetic horror is a big part of the actors’ performance. Having the camera so close up and always on Buffy helps tell the story. The position of the camera sets up the mood and sense.
I agree with the example of when non-diegetic sounds you mentioned, I had considered this scene and it’s use on non-diegetic sounds but hadn’t considered the impact that specific instruments had on how the scene would be perceived. I believe the use of “screeching violins” in this scene did a good job of portraying fear even while the characters were unable to speak and give their emotions meaning. Your statement that all of the conversations when the characters had the ability to speak is accurate and you have included a good example when Buffy was walking down the hallway in her daydream, but there were also many examples in the episode of when objects were shown making specific sounds. According to Carroll ”a great deal of the horror genre is narrative…horror thrives above all as a narrative form” (278), which would imply that this episode would be less scary without the character’s narration. The scene with Buffy and Riley kissing and all the other characters disappear is a good example and use of mise-en-scene by the director who chose to change the darkness of the background but does not add to the episodes overall aesthetic of horror in this episode.
Hi, I like the example of mise-en-scene that a kiss happened in Buffy and Riley. “Fascination is not remote from art-horror, but is related to it as a probable recurring concomitant (289).” The begin of this scene is nice, Buffy enjoys in the situation, it is an art-horror scene.
I also have a little question about your diagetic example. You said that Buffys’ daydream in the beginning of the episode is a diagetic example, but I believe that it isn’t only a diagetic, it also a non-diagetic part from the Buffy Episode, because I heard the background music around this sort. Before Buffy walking towards a little girl, she talks with Riley, and the background music is soft and horror, and making Buffy’s daydream more impressed.
I think your right, the diagetic example that I brought up, it isn’t only a diagetic example. It can be as well a non-diagetic example too. There is narrative between riley and buffy, as well as background music coming in. Other then the diagetic example, I think that the use of mise-en-scene, non-diegetic sound in the buffy episode allows the viewers to forshadow the dangers that are about to appear or happen. Like you agreed with there are plenty of instrument sounds in that diagetic example I used. They are both diagetic as well as non-diagetic. But, diagetic sounds I think actually well inform more the audience of what was going to happen, it makes it more obvious and clear. It creates the curiosity. But, I also believe that sound is a major contributor to the aesthetics of horror. If you don’t have good sound, it could really put a damper on the film. If it goes well it can really enhance the aestheic of the horror. That’s why I think diagetic examples and non-diagetic examples can go together.