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Media and Information Literacy

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

Module Number - 6 Subject Teacher:

AUDIO AND MOTION MEDIA AND INFORMATION

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

a. describe the different dimensions of audio and motion media and information;
b. comprehend how audio and motion information and media are formally and informally
produced, organized, and disseminated;
c. evaluate the reliability and validity of audio and motion media and information; and,
d. practice ethical and responsible use and creation of audio and motion media and information;

Everyday Sounds: Test how well you can recognize common everyday sound. Your teacher will play
an audio recording of everyday sounds then try to guess the sound.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4O43i9dNi4

I. AUDIO MEDIA AND INFORMATION

A. What is sound?
In physics, sound is a type of energy made by vibrations. These vibrations travel as waves, and when
they reach our ears, they’re interpreted by our brains as sound. A sound wave can come to our ears in
different ways—and at different speeds—which influences what we hear.

We hear sounds every day. These sounds are referred to as audio when they reach the human ear.
Audio are also the transmitted, recorded, or reproduced sound. In multimedia, audio is integrated in
other forms of media such as text, video, images, etc. to create a more immersive and engaging
experience. Audio These media communications that use audio as a medium are called audio media.
Some examples of audio media are:

• Podcasts
• Radio
• Audiobooks
• Music
• Sound Effects

Audio plays a crucial role in making multimedia content more informational, emotional, and relevant
to the audience. For example, adding background music to a scene or a video game heightens
mood while voice overs on advertisement or e-learning videos guides the audience in processing
information, and sound effects add realism to a movie.

B. An Overview of the Audio Media History

1. Early Analog Technologies (1877-1940s):
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 Media and Information Literacy
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

Module Number - 6 Subject Teacher:

• Phonograph (1877): Invented by Thomas Edison, it marked the first time sound could be
recorded and played back.
• Graphophone (1879): Improved the Phonograph with advancements by Alexander Graham
Bell and Charles Sumner Tainter.
• Gramophone (1887): Emile Berliner introduced the first record player, changing the future of
music consumption.
• Magnetic Tape (Late 1920s-1940s): Revolutionized audio recording and editing, allowing for
more sophisticated production.
2. The Golden Age of Analog (1930s-1960s):
• The rise of Record Players and Cassette Tapes made audio more accessible and portable,
leading to the popularization of music.
3. Shift to Digital Recording (1970s-Present):
• Digital Technologies emerged, improving sound quality, ease of editing, and storage,
ultimately shifting audio recording toward digital formats.

C. Audio File Formats

Audio codecs are programs that compress data for transmission and decompress that data on the
receiving end. Their speed is measured in thousands of bits processed per second, known as
“bitrate” or “kbps,” and this number varies even within a single format. Generally, a lower bitrate
means a smaller file, but that also means more data (sound) is lost in compression.

Other important factors are sample rate and bit depth. The sample rate is the number of samples (of
signal amplitude or “sound”) per second. Bit depth refers to the number of bits per sample — the
higher this number, the fuller (and potentially louder) the sound.

1. Lossy formats.
Lossy audio formats lose data in the transmission. They don’t decompress back to their original file
size, so they end up smaller, and some sound waves are lost. Artists and engineers who send
audio files back and forth prefer not to use lossy formats, because the files degrade every time
they’re exported.

• MP3
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III) is the most popular of the lossy formats. MP3 files work on most
devices, and the files can be as small as one-tenth the size of lossless files. MP3 is
recommended for music or voice storage but falls short for recording and mixing.
• AAC
Advanced Audio Coding, or AAC files (also known as MPEG-4 AAC), take up very little space
and are good for streaming, especially over mobile devices. Requiring less than 1 MB per
minute of music and sounding better than MP3 at the same bitrate, the AAC format is used
by iTunes/Apple Music, YouTube, and Android.
• Ogg Vorbis
Ogg Vorbis is the free, open-source audio codec that Spotify uses. It’s great for streaming,
but the compression results in some data loss. Experts consider it a more efficient format than
MP3, with better sound at the same bitrate.

2. Lossless formats.
These files decompress back to their original size, keeping sound quality intact. Audio
professionals want all of the original sound waves, so they prefer lossless. These files can be several
times larger than MP3s. Lossless bitrates depend on the volume and density of the music, rather
than the quality of the audio.

• FLAC
Free Lossless Audio Codec offers lossless compression, and it’s free and open-source.
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 Media and Information Literacy
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

Module Number - 6 Subject Teacher:

• ALAC
Apple’s Lossless Audio Codec allows for lossless compression, but it works only on Apple
devices.

3. Uncompressed formats.
These files remain the same size from origin to destination.

• WAV
WAV (Waveform Audio File) retains all the original data, which makes it the ideal format for
sound engineers. “WAV has greater dynamic range and greater bit depth,” creative
producer and sound mixer Lo Boutillette says of her preferred format. “It’s the highest
quality,” Berry agrees. “It can be 24-bit, 32-bit, all the way up to 192kHz sample rate and
even higher these days.” If you’re collaborating and sending files back and forth, WAV holds
its time code. This can be especially useful for video projects in which exact synchronization is
important.
• AIFF
Originally created by Apple, AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) files are like WAV files in
that they retain all of the original sound and take up more space than MP3s. They can play
on Macs and PCs, but they don’t hold time codes, so they’re not as useful for editing and
mixing.
• DSD
Direct Stream Digital is an uncompressed, high-resolution audio format. These files encode
sound using pulse-density modulation. They are very large, with a sample rate as much as 64
times that of a regular audio CD, so they require top-of-the-line audio systems.
• PCM
Pulse-Code Modulation, used for CDs and DVDs, captures analog waveforms and turns them
into digital bits. Until DSD, this was thought to be the closest you could get to capturing
complete analog audio quality.

If you’re listening to spoken word recordings or you’re a casual listener who is not particular with
unoptimized music files, you can go with a compressed format and save space in your music library.
If you have more educated ears and expensive audio equipment, you may want lossless
compression for its combined space-saving and fidelity. If you’re recording or manipulating audio or
setting it to video, always go with lossless or uncompressed (Best Audio Format File Types | Adobe,
n.d.)

D. Elements of Sound Design: Diegetic and Nondiegetic Sound (BBC Maestro, 2023)

One media where sound makes a critical impact is motion media, particularly film. A big part of the
cinema experience is also all about the sound and music. But there are some key types of sounds
that you need to know about as you venture into the film world: diegetic sound and non-diegetic
sound.

1. What is diegetic sound?

Diegetic sound in film refers to any sound that comes from within the world of the film, either on-
screen or off-screen. It could be, for example, a phone ringing in another room or a character
putting on a record and dancing around their living room.

Diegetic sound is sometimes known as ‘actual sound’ and the term comes from the Greek word
diegesis, which translates as ‘to narrate’.

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 Media and Information Literacy
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

Module Number - 6 Subject Teacher:

a. Why is diegetic sound used?

• Diegetic sound helps viewers to understand the story and what’s happening on screen. From
dialogue between the characters on screen to ambient noise as they’re walking down the
street, diegetic sound reflects real life. It would feel unnatural if there were no background
noise in a film, so diegetic sounds simply help to immerse viewers in the world that the
characters inhabit.

• It’s easy to remember the action that plays out on scene when thinking about your favorite
films, but it’s sound and vision together that create the magic of the movies. As Edgar Wright
puts it in his BBC Maestro course on Filmmaking:

“One of the unfortunate aspects about sound design is that because it’s not an element the
audience can visibly see on the screen, I think a lot of the genius of a great sound design
goes unappreciated. But you have to realise that sound is just as important a tool in your
filmmaking arsenal, as anything you put up on screen. Film is, at its core, sight and sound
intertwined.”

• Diegetic sound is heard by both the audience and the characters, unlike non-diegetic sound
which is used purely for the audience’s benefit – and both types of sound combined can
create a more atmospheric film.

b. Examples of diegetic sound

There are many different examples of diegetic noise that you’ll hear throughout a film, but the
main ones include:

• Dialogue: Any time characters speak to one another, it’s within the world of the film, so it’s
diegetic sound. Some voiceovers may also be classed as diegetic sound, if they come from
a character narrating their thoughts, for example.

• Music: Diegetic music is any music played within the realm of the film. That could include our
example above, of a character putting a record on, as well as things like elevator music, or
characters singing karaoke in a bar.

• Ambient noise: Sounds like rain, explosions during an action scene, a dog barking or a horse
and carriage clip-clopping along a road are all diegetic sounds that help the audience to
understand what’s happening in the film and add extra context.

2. What is non-diegetic sound?

In contrast to diegetic sound, which is heard by both the audience and the film’s characters,
non-diegetic sound is only heard by the viewers. This type of sound and music is added in post-
production.

a. Why is non-diegetic sound used?

Whether it’s to add drama to your opening scene or get the tears flowing during a particularly
emotional scene, non-diegetic sound can be used to create tension, add drama, increase the
ambiance or create an emotional reaction in the audience.

b. Examples of non-diegetic sound

• Music. A film’s musical score is non-diegetic and added in the edit after the film’s been shot.
The score can help to set the tone of the film, set you on the edge of your seat with tension,
drive home the emotional impact of a scene, or add drama.

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 Media and Information Literacy
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

Module Number - 6 Subject Teacher:

• Narration is another commonly used non-diegetic sound in films. If a voiceover is ever used to
explain the plot or add comedic narration, it’s for the audience’s benefit only and can’t be
heard by the film’s characters – it is, therefore, non-diegetic sound.

• The final way non-diegetic sound is commonly used in films is in sound effects, where they’re
used for the viewers’ benefit, usually in an exaggerated way for comedic effect.

How to choose between diegetic and non-diegetic sound

Most films will naturally use a mixture of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound but may rely more
heavily on one than the other. It’s down to the filmmaker to choose which type of music suits a
movie best. Whatever type of sound filmmakers choose to use in their films, good sound design can
make or break a film, helping to immerse the audience deeper into the story and better tell the
characters’ experiences.

E. Music and our emotions

Music too is one medium we are at once actively and passively consuming as we emotionally
connect to the sounds and tone—we don’t think so much about the mood a song evokes as much
as how it makes us feel. Music creates mood as well as meaning. Be it within films, live orchestras,
concerts or a simple home stereo, music can be so evocative and overwhelming that it can only be
described as standing halfway between thought and phenomenon.

Skilled composers manipulate the emotion within a song by knowing what their audience’s
expectations are and controlling when those expectations will (and will not) be met (think of how
soundtrack works in movies). This successful manipulation is what elicits the chills that are part of any
moving song. More than any other stimulus, music has the ability to conjure up images and feelings
that need not necessarily be directly reflected in memory.

Knowing this will help you understand how you respond to certain media that integrates music to
trigger a reaction and action from you. Think of political jingles, television and radio advertisements
that entails you to make important decisions. Listen to what they are actually saying and do not
allow the music to deflect your attention from the real message.

II. MOTION MEDIA AND INFORMATION

A. What is Motion Media?

Motion media is a form of media that has the appearance of moving text and graphics on a
display, with a purpose of disseminating information to an audience.

Movies, along with electronic billboards, television shows, online videos, and phone gaming, are all
examples of motion media. In simpler sense, motion media are materials which used technologies in
animation and video footage to show an illusion of movement. When combined with audio, text,
and other interactive content it becomes multimedia.

B. Formats of Motion Media

1. Film- also called movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. Film as an art form is
constituted by light, illusion of movement, and the manipulation of space and time. Below are
types of films according to production:

• Short films

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 Media and Information Literacy
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

Module Number - 6 Subject Teacher:

A short film (as defined by Academy Awards) is any movie that has a runtime under 40
minutes, although in practice, a 40-minute run time is considered a rather long short film. In
general, most shorts range from 5 to 15 minutes.

They usually have smaller crews and lower budgets than features, but that’s not always the
case. A complex and well-funded short film can be just as expensive to produce as a low-
budget feature film, it all depends on the story being told and the resources available.

• Feature films

A feature film is a bit more difficult to define, as there isn’t one universally agreed-upon
minimum runtime. According to the Motion Picture Academy, any movie that has a
runtime of 40 minutes or more qualifies, but most film festivals and other authorities prefer a
minimum runtime of 75-80 minutes.

According to Stephen Follows, a film producer, the average runtime of a feature film
between 1999 and 2018 was between 93 and 98 minutes.

Features generally have larger crews and higher budgets than shorts, but again, this all
depends on the story being told and the resources available.

• Narrative Film

A narrative film is a scripted work of fiction. Even if the story is based on true events – as is
the case with biopics – it is still considered a fictional account.

This can be anything from a Hollywood blockbuster to an experimental art film. As long as
the film is deliberately telling a story, it falls into this category.

• Documentary Film

Documentaries are films that “document” a real-life subject. They can be observational,
where the filmmakers simply observe and document what is happening such as with a
nature documentary. Or they can be more involved, where the filmmakers are interviewing
subjects and attempt to get to the heart of a story (similar to an investigative journalism
piece).

The equipment and tools used are the same for both narrative and documentary films,
however, the production elements and general workflows involved diverge quite a bit.
We’ll focus mainly on narrative work in this guide, but much of the discussion will still apply
to documentaries as well.

2. Motion media in television

• TV advertisements
• Philippine drama (teleserye, soap opera)
• Reality shows
• Games shows
• Talk shows
• Television news

3. Interactive Video- usually refers to a technique used to blend interaction and linear film or
video

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 Media and Information Literacy
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

Module Number - 6 Subject Teacher:

• Customizable videos- allow the user to adjust some variables and then play a video
customized to the user’s particular preferences. However, the user does not actually
interact with the video while it is playing (e.g. tutorial videos)

• Conversational videos- allow the user to interact with a video in a turn-based manner,
almost as though the user was having a simple conversation with the characters in the
video (e.g. videoconferencing)

• Exploratory- allows the user to move through a space or look at an object such as an
artwork from multiple angles, almost as though the user was looking at the object in real
life (e.g. virtual museums)

C. Film as a powerful cultural tool

Today, films and other visual media have become dominant modes of expression and
communication and thus entail our critical and conscious consumption of them. Just like other types
of media, film and other motion media construct meaning through storytelling, design elements and
principles, production, etc. They represent reality but not necessarily captures it organically. Movies
help us understand culture because they embody culture. They also tend to guide our behaviors. In
contemporary society, we often learn how to dress, how to talk, and even how to form relationships
from cinema. In fact, many young people create an “ideal” model of a romantic partner and
relationship from what they see in these films or television series (think of rom-coms and K-dramas). In
other words, influential models of behavior, aspect of our dreams and aspirations, come from movies.
It is then crucial that we become critical of how our motion media consumption affects our behavior,
decisions, opinions, and beliefs. Let us be smarter with our choices of what films, television shows, or
videos we include in our information diet.

Complete the exit ticket below:

To be given by your teacher

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 Media and Information Literacy
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

Module Number - 6 Subject Teacher:

BOOKS

Alagaran, J. R. Q. Media and Information Literacy: Empowering the Discerning Audiences. Quezon
City: Abiva Publishing House, Inc, 2017

Basilan, M., Dorado, J. & Garci, M. Media and Information Literacy in the 21 st Century. Manila:
Unlimited Books Library Serveices and Publishing Inc., 2021

Cantor, O.L. Media and Information Literacy. Quezon City: Vibal Group, Inc.,2016

Silverman, J. & Radar, D. The World is a Text. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall., 2009

WEB SOURCES

Best audio format file types | Adobe. (n.d.).

https://www.adobe.com/ph_en/creativecloud/video/discover/best-audio-format.html

BBC Maestro. (2023, January 12). What is the difference between diegetic sound and non | BBC
Maestro. Www.bbcmaestro.com. https://www.bbcmaestro.com/blog/diegetic-vs-non-diegetic-sound

Fun Quiz Questions. (2021, September 27). Guess the Sound Challenge | 20 common everyday sounds
that everyone should know [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4O43i9dNi4

What is sound? Sound explained. (n.d.). https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/what-is-

sound.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqbFusTIg44ljXg3XhlF83Lem616gWCFwQuFJpqiyCyygRiMbBZ