Media Dictionary

Binary Oppositions - The contrast between two mutually exclusive concepts or things that creates conflict and drives a narrative e.g. good/evil, day/night, male/female, presence/absence, old/young

Diegetic/Non-Diegetic - Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world, Non-diegetic sound is represented as coming from a source outside story space, eg. soundtrack music.

Hegemonic - Hegemony is the political, economic, ideological or cultural power influenced by a dominant group over other groups. In the media it’s used encourage people to consent to status quo meaning power structures.

Ideology - It is a set of ideas or beliefs which are held to be acceptable by the creators of a media text. For example, a text might be described as having a feminist ideology, meaning it promotes the idea that women are the equal of men and should not be discriminated against on the grounds of gender.

Intertextuality - The influence that media texts have on each other. Sometimes this is the result of direct cross-references (e.g. music mash ups) or indirect (the way gossip news items regulate the way we view a star's performance).

Representation - The way in which the media "re-presents" the world around us in the form of signs and codes for audiences to read.

Iconography - Iconography is used within film studies to describe the visual language of cinema, particularly within the field of genre criticism, for example, in a Western, dusty lonely roads, saloon bars, cowboy hats and horses.

Preferred Reading - The meaning of a text which the producers intended.

Archetype - A universal type or model of character that is found in many different texts, e.g. ingenue, anti-hero, wise old woman, hero-as-lover, hero-as-warrior, shadow trickster, mentor, loyal friend, temptress.

Stereotype - Stereotypes are negative (usually) representations of people that rely on preconceived ideas about the group that person is perceived as belonging to. It is assumed that an individual shares personal characteristics with other members of that group eg blondes are all stupid, accountants are all boring.

Verisimilitude - is described as the quality of appearing tobe true or depicting reality. In storytelling, theaudience contributes to the experience bytheir "willing suspension of disbelief". Themore the story resembles reality even in smalldetails the easier it is for the audience toengage. Realism and plausibility

areespecially important ingredients in analternate reality game. Something that merelyseems to be true or real.

High Key Lighting - High-key lighting means an overall brighter picture.

Low Key Lighting - Low-key lighting means an overall darker picture.

Contrapuntal Sound - When we hear sound that we wouldn’t associate with the events on screen, for example if we were to be watching children playing on the beach we wouldn’t usually where the fast pacing music to accompany it as the two styles do not go together.

Ambient Sound - Means the background sounds which are present in a scene or location. Common ambient sounds include wind, water, birds, crowds, office noises, traffic, etc.

Foley - The reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass.

Ellipsis - A term that refers to periods of time that have been left out of the narrative. The ellipsis is marked by an editing transitions which, while it leaves out a section of the action, none the less signifies that something has been elided.

Prop’s Character Theory - Vladimir Propp, was a Russian critic, he noticed that often many Folk tales were similar in a variety areas. He identified a theory about characters and actions as narrative functions and they provide a structure for the text. The typical characters he found were: The Hero – a character that seeks something. The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest. The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties. The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message. The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims. The Helper – who aids the hero. The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots. Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort.

Todorov’s Narrative Theory - Izetan Todorov was a Bulgarian structuralist linguist publishing influential work on narrative from the 1960s. Todorov suggested that conventional narratives are structured in five stages: A state of equilibrium at the outset. A disruption of the equilibrium by some action. Recognition that there has been a disruption. An attempt to repair the disruption. A reinstatement of the equilibrium.

Restricted Narrative – The information that is withheld from the audience.

Omniscient Narrative - The voice in which a story is written that is outside the story and that knows everything about the characters and events in the story.

Linear Narrative - Linear narratives follow a straight line, starting at the beginning, moving to the middle and proceeding to the end of the story.

Above The Line Costs - Costs incurred during the production of an advertising commercial that are associated with the creative side of it. These costs include those incurred for actors, music and photography.

Below The Line Costs - In general, an advertising strategy in which a product is promoted in mediums other than radio, television, billboards, print, film and the internet. Types of below the line advertising commonly include direct mail campaigns, trade shows and catalogs; this advertising type tends to be less expensive and more focused.

Diegesis - The denotative material of film narrative, it includes, not only the narration itself, but also the fictional space and time dimension implied by the narrative.

Enigma Code - A question in a text that is not immediately answered and creates interest for the audience – a puzzle that the audience has to solve.

Continuity Editing - A system of cutting used to maintain continuous and clear narrative action by following a set of rules.

High Concept Film - A type of artistic work that can be easily pitched with a succinctly stated premise.

Juxtaposition - The placement of two or more utterly distinct concepts in direct proximity to one another. When done deliberately, juxtaposition is a valid tool used to create effect.

Key Light - The first and usually most important light that a photographer, cinematographer, lighting cameraman, or other scene composer will use in a lighting setup.

Master Shot - A long take of an entire scene, generally a relatively long shot that facilitates the assembly of component closer shots and details. The editor can always fall back on the master shot: consequently, it is alo called a cover shot.

Parallel Editing - A technique whereby cutting occurs between two or more related actions occurring at the same time in two separate locations or different points in time. D. W. Griffith is often cited for his use of this technique.

Reaction Shot - A term used in motion picture film production, cinematography and video production referring to a basic unit of film grammar. It is a shot which cuts away from the main scene in order to show the reaction of a character to it.

Polysemic - The way that all images may be interpreted in a variety of different ways. By extension, this can apply to other forms of text. The more anchorage a text is given, the less open it is to polysemy.

Synergy - the use of one product to promote another one. Common in large franchises such as Doctor Who, The Simpsons and Harry Potter.

Convergence - the combination of several media technologies into one medium. For example, current mobile ‘phones can do all sorts of things beside simply telephoning people – they can send texts, or play

music, or take photographs, etc. The ultimate example is probably the Internet – practically every form of traditional media has an online equivalent.

Horizontal Integration - This is where a production company expands into other areas of one industry. This means that the company can develop in a particular area of production or they can buy out another company that deals with these areas.

Vertical Integration - This is when the production company has the ownership of the means of production, distribution and exhibition of the film by the same company, because of this they receive all of the profit.

180 Degree Rule - It’s a basic rule that means that two characters should always have the same left and right relationship to each other. When a camera crosses the ‘axis’ connecting to two subjects it is called ‘crossing the line’.

Rule Of Thirds - A concept in video and film production in which the frame is divided into into nine imaginary sections, as illustrated on the right. This creates reference points which act as guides for framing the image.

Codes - A sign which must be decoded to create meaning. Codes can be very obvious or hidden, and can be created by camera techniques, visual images, spoken words, connotations of signs, etc. Decoding a text in a manner that differs from the manner the producer of that text intended it to be decoded produces an aberrant reading.

Conglomerate - A large media organisation with worldwide influence and interest in broad areas, consisting of many smaller organisations. EMI Group and Time Warner are examples of conglomerates.

Connotation - Meaning created through association. For example, fig leaves have connotations of modesty, horns have connotations of demons and the colour red has connotations of passion and rage.

Cultural Imperialism - The domination of one culture over another. Cultural imperialism can take the form of a general attitude or an active, formal and deliberate policy, including military action. Economic or technological factors may also play a role. We might say: the cultural products ofthe first world "invade" the third-worldand "conquer" local culture.

Effects Model – It is how media can affect society and how society affects the media.

Hypodermic Model – It is a theory implies that the mass media has a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences.