Bodmin College GCSE Media Hub: TERMINOLOGY

Glossary

The terms below are listed in the OCR GCSE Media Studies specification as ones which learners are ‘expected to know … and how to comment on their use’ (pp. 62–4 of the specification). These are followed by a list of other useful terms with which learners should be familiar.

Audio/visual

Camerawork

· establishing shots (long shots at the start of a scene establishing location and tone)

· low angle shots (looking up at the subject, e.g. ‘worm’s eye view’)

· high angle shots (looking down on the subject)

· canted angle shots (or ‘Dutch tilt’ – camera tilted to one side to create diagonals)

· aerial shots (‘bird’s eye view’ from above the subject)

· elaborate camera movement such as:

tracks (camera moves towards, away from or sideways alongside the subject)
steadicam (smooth hand-held camera movement, may flow around a scene)
crane shots (camera rises into the air, descends or swoops across a scene)

· hand-held camera (often creates juddering, urgent camerawork like a documentary)

· point-of-view shots (camera sees what a character sees, not over-the-shoulder shots)

· shallow focus and focus pulls (shallow focus means that one part of the shot is in focus and another isn’t; a focus pull will change which part of the shot is in focus).

Editing

· shot/reverse shot (a cut between two characters showing both sides of an action including two characters, e.g. cutting from an over-the-shoulder shot of one character talking to an over-the-shoulder shot of the other character replying, reacting or listening)

· juxtaposition (creating extra meaning by placing one image next to another)

· non-continuity editing (e.g. deliberate jump cuts, where the subject jumps position in the frame in cutting from one shot to the next, usually due to the two shots being from the same angle)

· crosscutting (or ‘parallel action’ – cutting from one action in one location to another action in another location)

· fast-paced editing (short shots edited together rapidly)

· less common transitions: dissolve, wipe, fade

· post-production effects (e.g. visual effects added after filming).

Soundtrack

· music

· diegetic/non-diegetic sound (sound from within/from outside the fictional world; characters can ‘hear’ diegetic sound)

· sound effects (e.g. Foley effects added after filming – footsteps, weather sounds, gun shots, car engines and so on)

· sound bridge (where sound effects, music or recordings of ambient sound from one scene continue to the following one even though there is a cut to a different location; also used when the sound from the next scene is heard before we see the scene

· voiceover.

Mise-en-scène

· lighting, especially low-key lighting (low-key, or chiaroscuro, lighting creates dark shadows and extremes of light and shade)

· location/set

· costume and make-up

· props

· casting and performance style (the significance of casting may be explored by mentally replacing the actor with a different one; the performance style should be naturalistic in realistic dramas, for example)

· blocking (the composition of elements within the shot, especially the actors).

Print

Layout

· house style (repeated patterns of layout through a product)

· symmetrical and asymmetrical (balanced or unbalanced layout)

· use of columns and boxes

· ratio of copy (words), photography and space

· headline (heading at the top of a page or article)

· caption (a title or explanation of a photo or illustration)

· strapline (a subsidiary heading or caption)

· standfirst (brief summary of an article after the headline).

Typography

· serif and sans-serif typefaces (serif typefaces have ornaments or ‘serifs’, sans-serif don’t)

· specialist typefaces (unusual typefaces)

· font size/italics/bold.

Language

· formal and informal register (language used to communicate impersonally and objectively; language used to communicate a shared relationship)

· direct mode of address (language addressing the person, e.g. by using the word ‘you’)

· puns, colloquialisms, slang.

Image

· graphics

· camerawork and mise-en-scène in photography

· depth of field (e.g. a shallow depth of field gives shallow focus)

· digital manipulation (e.g. photoshopping)

· cropping (removing parts of an image to improve composition or change meaning).

Colour

· house style (repeated use of the same colours throughout a publication)

· colour saturation (the intensity of a colour)

· choice of colour.

Online, social and participatory

Layout

· homepage (the start page on a website)

· navigation bar (a series of buttons or images with links to other pages of the website)

· tabs (markers for additional web pages that have been opened)

· house style (elements of layout repeated throughout a website).

Functionality

· roll-over (an element that changes when a cursor is rolled over it)

· pop-up (a smaller window that pops up onscreen)

· scrolling marquee (a scrolling area of text)

· links/hyperlinks (text or image that gives access to another text or image)

· embedded video/animations (video or animation in the web page)

· RSS feed (provides subscribers with new content from frequently updated websites)

· blog (a regularly updated informational or discussion website)

· interactivity (opportunities for audience feedback or user-generated content).

Typography

· branding (use of particular typefaces to represent the brand)

· specialist typefaces (unusual typefaces)

· font size/italics/bold.

Language

· formal and informal register (language used to communicate impersonally and objectively; language used to communicate a shared relationship)

· direct mode of address (language addressing the person, e.g. by using the word ‘you’).

Image

· graphics

· camerawork and mise-en-scène in photography

· depth of field (e.g. a shallow depth of field gives shallow focus)

· digital manipulation (e.g. photoshopping)

· cropping (removing parts of an image to improve composition or change meaning).

Colour

· house style (repeated use of the same colours throughout a website)

· choice of colour.

Other useful terms with which students should be familiar

· active/passive audiences: as a starting point, a useful explanation of the debates around audience reception theory can be found on BBC Bitesize at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zg24frd/revision/3

The concept of active audiences also includes users of online, social and participatory media

· anti-stereotype: a portrayal of a member of a social group, place, event or issue which goes against the generally accepted stereotype

· blockbuster: a film that is expected to have mass appeal and to be a big commercial success

· causality: cause and effect as part of the narrative structure

· codes and conventions: shared elements of a media product which are repeated so often that they become familiar

· conglomerate: a large (often multinational) business organisation which owns a number of different companies

· connotation: additional meanings and associations which can be interpreted from the detailed analysis of media products

· contexts: the social, cultural, historical and political context in which media products are produced and consumed

· convergence: the merging of previously separate media forms in one entity; for example, we use smartphones to take photographs, go online, watch films and television, stream music, etc.

· demographics: a method of categorising audiences according to factual elements such as their job, income or status

· denotation: a description of what we see or hear in a media product

· diversification: when institutions branch out into other industries to limit risk

· enigma: a mystery which is presented to an audience and which helps to maintain their interest in the narrative

· genre: a category of media products which share codes and conventions and/or style, such as crime drama

· globalisation: the process by which institutions increasingly operate on a worldwide scale

· hybrid: a media product which combines a number of different genres

· ideology: a set of (usually shared) values and beliefs

· interactivity: where media products are created by or encourage the participation of the audience

· intertextuality: references to other media products which are expected to be recognised by the audience

· mass/niche audiences: large number of media users/media users with a special interest or of a specific demographic

· media platform: the way in which media content is delivered, such as smartphone, tablet, DVD, television, etc.

· media product: a text that has been designed to be consumed/used by an audience

· mediation: the process of interpreting, constructing and editing in order to represent a person, place, event or issue

· mode of address: the way in which a media product addresses or ‘speaks’ to its audience

· narrative: the way in which the story (factual or fictional) is told to the audience

· patriarchy: male dominance in society, supported by institutions

· product placement: when a product is advertised to the audience by being placed in a scene in a film or TV programme

· prosumer: the audience member who helps to create the media product through interactivity and participation (from a combination of consumer and producer)

· psychographics: a method of categorising audiences according to their values, attitudes and lifestyles

· quality newspapers: newspapers which cover mostly ‘hard’ or serious news stories, such as politics, business, foreign affairs. Quality newspapers in the UK are: The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, The Independent, the Financial Times. These newspapers used to be referred to as ‘broadsheets’ until their formats were changed to ‘compact’, ‘tabloid’ or ‘Berliner’

· Reithian: this refers to Lord Reith, first Director General of the BBC, who developed the first principles of public service broadcasting; in particular, that broadcasting should inform, educate and entertain

· stereotype: an over-simplified portrayal of a member of a social group, place, event or issue, which is based on assumptions

· synergy: where institutions work together to promote a product, to the benefit of both parties

· theoretical framework: media language, media representations, media industries, media audiences

· uses and gratifications theory: a useful explanation for learners of Blumler and Katz’s theory can be found on BBC Bitesize at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zg24frd/revision/3

· values: a set of ideas and beliefs held by an individual, a group or the whole of society

· vertical integration: where a single company (or merged companies) controls both the production and the supply of a product

GENERAL LITERACY

As with every other subject, your literacy is part of the marks at GCSE. For ALL your work, you will need to check your spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Remember, the following should always have CAPITAL LETTERS: