Component 1 Section A

Media A-level

Semiotics

The study of signs, it examines how symbolic, written and technical signs construct

Denotation

This is the surface image/object or what you are actually looking at. This is sometimes referred to as the signifier

Connotation

What an image/object/text evokes or what you are actually looking at. This is sometimes referred to as the signifier

Polysemic

Means multiple meanings. Many texts you analyse will have polysemic meanings (more than one)

Text

Anything that can be 'read' or interpreted for meaning. This includes films, images, advertisements, songs, and written words.

Textual analysis

A method used to interpret and evaluate the meaning of a media text which can be a film, media piece, or written work, by analysing its structure, the creator’s intentions, and its cultural context, revealing how meaning is constructed and how authorship influences the message

Diegesis

Story world—everything that exists within the narrative of a film, TV show, music video, or other media text

Diegetic elements

Things the characters can see or hear, like dialogue, sounds from objects, or music playing in the scene.

Non-diegetic elements

Things added for the audience, like background music, voiceovers, or captions, stuff the characters aren’t aware of.