A recurring musical cue associated with a character, place, or theme is called a:

• A. Diegetic sound
• B. Foley
• C. Non-diegetic sound
• D. Sound motif

Answer: (D)

When music keeps returning in association with a character, place, or idea, it serves as a sound motif. This repeated musical cue helps the audience recognize and track that element across scenes, tying moments together even as the setting or actions change. It can appear in various forms— altered tempo, key, or orchestration—yet its connection to the character or theme stays clear, signaling presence, memory, or emotional tone. This is different from diegetic sound, which exists within the story world for the characters to hear, or non-diegetic sound, which is the score heard by the audience but not by the characters. It’s also not about Foley, which is the production work of creating live sound effects. Therefore, the described concept is a sound motif.