LO3 - UNDERSTAND HOW MEANING IS CREATED IN MEDIA PRODUCTS.

Verisimilitude

How real the world of the story or narrative of a fictional media product appears to the audience.

Diegetic world

The fictional world (time and place) of the narrative.

Denotation

The literal meaning of a code, sign or generic convention of a media text or product.

Connotations

The suggested, possible meanings of any given denotation.

Mode of address

The way in which a media product speaks to or attracts its audience.

Juxtaposition

The placing of one element next to another to create a specific meaning.

Masthead

The title of a publication as it appears on the front cover, and associated design elements that make it recognizable.

Anchorage

Pinning down the meaning of a media text by use of words and sound.

Mise-en-scene

Everything within the frame of a media product, including facial expressions, color, costume, etc.

Representation

How different groups of people, ideas and ideologies are portrayed by the media.

Stereotypes

A generalized, oversimplified version of a group of people used by the media to target audiences and enable understanding of content.

Verbal Codes

Anything written or said in a media product.

Non-Verbal Codes

Color, facial expressions, proximities, height, costume, hand gestures, movement, body language in a media product.

Technical Codes

Camerawork, editing, lighting in a media product.

Audio Codes

Non-Diegetic and Diegetic sound in a media product.

Privileged / Non privileged positioning

The positioning of the audience within a media product, for example, in the Horror Genre, the audience is normally able to see the killer before he kills.

Continuity (Continuity editing)

Where shots are cut together in a clear and linear flow of uninterrupted action to maintain a continuous sense of time and space.

Cross Cutting

A technique used to give the illusion that two storylines of action are happening at the same time by rapidly cutting back and forth between them.

Jump Cut

An abrupt cut that creates a lack of continuity between shots by leaving out parts of the action.

Montage

A sequence of shots assembled in juxtaposition of one another to create an emotional impact, condense a story, or convey an idea.

Shot reverse shot

A technique that usually happens in dialogue where a character looks off-screen and the camera then cuts to where they are looking.

Contrapuntal Sound

A soundtrack that directly contrasts the mood/tone of the scene.

Parallel Sound

A type of sound that matches the tone/mood of the scene.

Tempo

Speed of the music.

Key

Minor (sadness, upset, eeriness, mystery) or Major key (Happy, joyful, Victory).

Pitch

The degree of highness or lowness of a tone.

Pleonastic Sound

Exaggerated sound used to heighten emotion or meaning in a scene.

Foley Sound

Live action sound recreated in a studio using everyday objects and surfaces.

Crescendo

Gradual increase in loudness.