Media Studies - Key Terminology

Anchorage

Words that go along with the image

Binary opposite

The complete opposite

Censorship

Control over the content of a media text

What does CGI stand for?

Computer Generated Imagery

Code

Things that can be broken down to create meaning

Connotation

Words or ideas that are associated with a word or its meaning

Convention

The stereotypical way of doing something

Convergence

Merging of internet content/how it is accessed etc (you can access music, news, social media on your phone for example)

Demographic

Group of people

Denotation

The literal surface meaning

Editorial

An article that gives the opinion of the editors

What is an editorial also known as?

Leading article

Enigma

A question that is not immediately answered therefore draws the audience into a text

Gatekeeping

To have control over the information that is given to audiences, which therefore may influence their opinion

Genre

A way of categorising media according to its form, style, and content

Globalisation

Universal integration of media through the multicultural exchange of ideas

Institution

Formal organisation

Intertextuality

When one media text is influenced by another/makes a direct reference to it

Neologism

Describe a new trend, idea, or gadget

News values

Categorising news stories based on their newsworthiness

What does POV stand for?

Point of view

Dominant reading

How the producer whats the audience to interpret a media text

Oppositional reading

When the audience rejects the dominant reading and interprets the media text how they want to

Negotiated reading

Where the audience accepts some of the producers intended interpretations, but makes up some of their own too

Realism

Making something like it is in real life

Self-regulation

When the company makes sure that the media is appropriate for release rather than the government

Representation

The way media present things like gender, sexuality, age etc

Stereotype

Preconceived ideas about a group or a person

Or how something is usually shown

Conglomerate

A company that owns a lot of small companies

Independent film

Film that isn’t made by a big conglomerate, and usually targets nicher audiences

Vertical integration

When a company owns all stages of production, distribution, and exhibition

Tent pole production

A movie that is made to make a lot of money to finance other projects

Franchise

Collection of related films that share the same fictional universe

Mainstream film

Film made by a large conglomerate

Production

Everything involved in making the film

Distribution

How the film gets to the audience

Consumption

How the audience responds to the film

Viral marketing

When the public markets the media product through word of mouth

Public relations (PR)

Managing the spread of information between a business and the public

Surveillance

The media product helps the audience gain information about the world around them

Diversification

Media becoming more diverse or varified

Active audience

Audience that interacts with the media product/creates interpretations

Archetype

Original in which copies are based

Agenda setting

Theory that the media has a role in telling politicians and the public what they should think

Blockbuster

Film produced by Hollywood studios

Synergy

Combined impact of multiple media products

Multiplex Cinema

A large cinema chain that has multiple screens in one building

Viral Marketing

When the public shares videos and posts which promote the film

Ensemble Cast

A cast that is made up of a wide range of actors that have equal importance in the narrative

Production Values

Overall quality of the movie

Parent Company

One of the Big 5

Subsidiary

A company that is owned by another company

Vertical Integration

When a company owns all stages of production

Horizontal Integration

When a company owns lots of companies at one stage of production

Franchise

Collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe

Sequel

Film that continues the story of a previous one

Prequel

A film that contains events that take place before those of another film in the same universe

Counter Programming

Breaking standards

Critical success

Gets good reviews

Commercial success

Makes a lot of money

Iconography

Pattern of signs we associate with a certain genre

Hybridity

Something that combines with different things e.g: The Lego Movie combined the genres action and adventure

Intertitle

Text used between shots in a trailer

Diegetic Sound

Sound that can be heard by the characters and audience

Non-diegetic Sound

Sound that can be heard by the audience but not the characters