Sound is a very important and natural element of life. Sound is speech, music, voices, bumps, screeches and so much more. It is anything we hear. In media, sound is a very essential aspect that can be used to establish plot and genre. A combination of sounds is called a soundscape, this can include music, dialogue, footsteps, crashes, whistles, the sound of a cat mewing etc - all together. It is the overall sound of a environment.
However the process of creating the sound of any environment is called sound design. This is the making, creating, recording and mixing of sound you'd normally hear, in order to emphasise and accentuate it.
                                               

Another popular use of sound in media such as film is 'suspending disbelief.' which is the use of soundscape in order to make you feel as if you're in/involved in the film. This creates a sense of escapism and makes the audience forget that they're actually watching the film rather than in it, heightening their experience and making it more exciting.

                                                                                                                                         

A Film without sound ? Boring, tiring, slow paced, non intriguing. 

A Film with sound? Exciting, more energetic, more understandable, engaging.

                                                                                                                                         

TWO TYPES OF SOUND

There are two types of sound, diegetic sound and non diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is everything we hear around us, it is basically the sound in an environment. An example of diegetic sound is dialogue or the sound of footsteps. Diegetic sound in a film is the all the sounds the actors can hear as well as the audience. Non diegetic sound is the opposite, it is the sound that only the audience can hear, not the actors. This can be a theme tune or just general background music. This type of sound in edited into a film using technology. With only diegetic sound in a film, no suspense or tension is palpable. The film is very slow paced and not engaging, it does not give you an idea of how to feel and does not create a sense of escapism or excitement. With only non diegetic sounds the film does not make sense at all, it has no narrative and no sense of direction. It makes the film less enjoyable as the audience are having to work out what is happening. It is clear that both sound elements pay compliments to each other in many ways. With both non diegetic and diegetic sounds used together in a film, tension and suspense is added making the audience feel immersed and excited. It intensifies the audience's experience and makes them feel as if they're part of the film.