Audio Codes

Audio codes are the sound elements in a media product that create meaning, impact and engagement. They include dialogue, music genre, silence, sound effects and vocal intonation.

Dialogue and vocal intonation

Dialogue is the words characters speak. It is a key part of film and television: it moves the story forward, shows relationships and gives the audience information. Actors use vocal intonation — volume, pace, pitch and emphasis — to make their lines more engaging and expressive. A character murmuring “We should go” may make the audience feel uneasy, while snapping the same words can sound angry or urgent. The words matter, but the way they are delivered changes what the audience understands about the character’s feelings.

Music and silence

A film score is music composed to accompany a film. It is written to suit the film's genre and the mood or action of the particular scene. The music genre is the style of music used, such as orchestral, pop or electronic, and it signals the mood: a fast, pounding electronic track might build excitement for a superhero rescue, while a slow, gentle piano melody might create sadness in a scene where a character reads an old letter. Silence can be just as powerful. Removing music and background noise draws the audience’s attention to a whisper or a closing door, and a pause before a sudden event adds suspense.

Sound effects

Sound effects are sounds added to make a film or television programme sound authentic, so the world feels believable. They can come from a sound library, a collection of ready-made recordings such as a phone ringing or rain, or be recorded by a Foley artist. A Foley artist creates everyday sounds in a studio to match the action on screen, such as footsteps on a school corridor or a jacket rustling as a character turns. The scene then sounds real, which keeps the audience involved in the action.

The audio choices should also suit the product's audience, purpose and context: a warm, simple score fits a pre-school animation, while sparse, tense sound suits a crime drama trailer.