AS Media Studies Foundation Production: Sound & Lighting: Definitions & Effects

The effects of sound and lighting in films is key for the directing company to have the biggest effect possible on the audience. There are different sub-sections to both sound and lighting in which they are all important to consider when planning or recording the film.
One important part to consider in sound is the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. A non-diegetic sound would be sound that's used in the film however, over the top of it. An example of this would be a voice over. However, on the other hand diegetic sound is the sound within the film or story, something such as the characters voices would represent this.
However, another part of the films sound to consider would be the use of contrapuntal sound, in which the sound contrasts the mood of the film. Eg. an upbeat song used for effect in a horror film. Whereas, the opposite is parallel sound in which the music/sound is stereotypical of the type of film/story.
Ambient sound is crucial to make the scene/film as realistic and therefore, effective as possible. This includes background noises mainly, something such as the wind or birds etc. In contrast to this though there is incidental sound which is sound where it isn't primarily musical. Another section that is important to consider for effect is sound perspective where the music/sound perceives something to be either far away or near the camera. Eg. the width and depth of the sound.
One of the final effects of sound to consider is the use of sound bridge, this is where the music/sound from the previous scene overlaps into the new scene for added effect. A voice over can also be used for affect and is a piece of narration over a film or broadcast and it doesn't give a image of the speaker. This could be used to speak about the characters feelings or help the audience understand the storyline and what's occurring during the film.

Lighting also is just as important as sound and has different sub-sections just like sound. High and low key lighting is the different levels of light that there are being shown. Low key lighting would be for effect of having a more dark/mysterious scene whereas, high key would be for a brighter more upbeat scenes.
Another type of lighting is rim lighting which typically comes from behind or to the side of the subject used to show just the character and then have a darker setting around them, this could be used for more different reasons in a film. Soft/diffuse lighting can also be used for effect during a film, this is where the light is large relative to the subject and causes shadows with soft edges and doesn't cover the whole setting.
The final key effect of lighting would be spot lighting, this is typically used in plays or on stage however, can be used in films for special effect. Its where the light focuses on just one person and enters from above the character. This makes the focus shift from the whole setting to just that one character.

Here is a few examples of lighting effects;