Ultimate Media Studies Study Guide (You Da Pass This Exam)

Actant

a participant in documentary productions as compared to an actor who is a participant in a fictional work.

Active media consumption

the process of choosing and interacting with media in a deliberate and engaged way.

Analysis

the close examination and interpretation of the details or parts of something.

Antagonist

a character who opposes the protagonist.

Anti-racist

actively challenging racial prejudice and discrimination at both an individual and institutional level.

Asynchronous sound

does not match what we see on screen.

Baseline assessment

an assessment of what knowledge, understanding, and/or skills students possess at the beginning of a course or unit of study.

Binary opposition

two things that are related but opposite in meaning.

Binge watching

watching multiple episodes of a TV show in succession. This practice is typically facilitated by streaming and on-demand services such as Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

Blog hub

a blog post or web page to which all student blogs can be hyperlinked for ease of access.

Bricolage

a text produced from a range of available materials.

Catfishing

trying to fool someone (usually online) by taking on an identity other than your own.

Collective identity

a person’s cognitive, ethical and emotional connection with a community that could also inform an aspect of personal identity.

Consumption

the process of using or receiving something from another source.

Continuity systems

a system of editing where time and space are consistent, and events occur in chronological order.

Counter stereotype

representation of a social group, individual, event, region or nation which challenges the initial and culturally accepted stereotype.

Cross-media convergence

the collaboration of different media forms to achieve a goal.

Crowdfunding

projects are pitched on web-based platforms, and individuals and groups pledge money to support the project.

Cultural homogenisation

the process of a culture becoming less unique and more like other cultures.

Diegesis

the story or fictional world that characters inhabit.

Diegetic sound

sound within the diegesis, which the characters can hear.

Distribution

the process of making a product available for consumption.

Dominant group

the group in society which has the most influence and power.

Dominant ideology

a commonly held belief within a specific society or culture.

DSLR

digital single lens reflex camera.

Embed

insert data and code from one digital document into another. This allows content from the embedded document to be used without leaving the original document.

Enigma code

a question or mystery presented in the narrative.

Episodic

a series of instalments in which a series or story is divided.

Fake news

false stories or inaccurate or misleading information that is presented as news.

Flashback

time is disrupted by cutting to a scene set earlier than the main story.

Flashforward

time is disrupted by cutting to a scene in the future.

Foley

the artificial production of usually ambient sounds that are added to a soundtrack in post-production.

Gantt chart

a type of bar chart used to organise project schedules.

Gatekeeper

the editorial function of media companies, especially relevant to the news industry. The ‘gatekeeper’ decides what is published/communicated and what is not.

Genre

the categorisation or grouping of texts based upon common stylistic and thematic traits.

Genre hybridity

mixing genres together.

Globalisation

the spread of products, culture and ideas across the world.

Grassroots journalism

news content created by the general public.

Horizontal integration

a media company acquiring, taking over or merging with firms at the same level.

Hyperreality

a reality created by media representations rather than our own experiences.

Iconography

images that mean or represent something specific.

Ideological position

the social, cultural and economic beliefs that an individual may hold.

Ideology

beliefs and ideas.

Institutional bias

the practices by an institution that favour or disadvantage particular social groups.

Institutions

large national or global corporations that are related to media development and/or distribution.

Intertextual reference

when a media text makes a reference to other media texts.

Irony

what is presented in a text seems to mean one thing but in fact has the opposite meaning.

Liberal

celebrating individualism and being open to new and progressive ideas.

Linear narrative

a story provided in chronological order.

Long-form TV drama

high production value and increasingly filmic TV shows that typically span over six to ten episodes.

Macro analysis

analysing how technical elements and content work together to develop larger statements about representation and themes.

Marketing

the process of promoting or selling a product.

Media conglomerate

a global institution that owns multiple companies that operate across different areas of the mass media industries.

Media form

the specific medium used to communicate meaning.

Media language

how a media text uses technical elements, forms and conventions to convey meaning to an audience.

Media platform

the method of distribution for a media form – digital, online or physical.

Media text

any media product (such as a film, TV show, song, photograph, meme, website) that conveys meaning.

Mediation

the editing of media texts before they reach an audience.

Medium

the means of communicating a media text, such as a book, TV or cinema.

Meme

a culturally determined behaviour, idea or style passed from person to person either through contact or via the internet.

Micro analysis

analysing the production of meaning through the use of the technical elements

Micro-narrative

literally, a small story.

Narrative

the structure and development of a story.

Narrative conflict

a struggle between two things that need to be resolved or overcome for the story to progress.

Narrative resolution

the ending of a story which results in conflict being resolved.

Narrative themes

ideas and topics explored throughout the narrative.

Non-continuity systems

a system of editing where time and space is disrupted.

Non-diegetic sound

sound outside the diegesis, which the characters cannot hear.

Non-linear narrative

a story where time is disrupted.

Parody

a text that mocks the style of another media text by imitating individual elements of it or its entirety.

Passive media consumption

the use of media with little to no intention of engagement.

Pastiche

a text that celebrates the style of another media text by imitating individual elements of it or its entirety.

Plot

the events that happen in a story.

Preferred/dominant reading

the way media producers want the audience to interpret the text. This type of reading is culturally dependent.

Premise

the overarching meaning behind a story.

Primary research

research and collection of data that you carry out yourself, for example a survey, questionnaire, focus groups.

Production

the process of making a media product.

Prosumer

an audience who not only consumes media products but also produces and distributes them.

Protagonist

the main character with whom the audience are encouraged to identify.

QR code

Quick Response (QR) codes are small squares of pixelated information which can contain unique data. Most smartphones can scan QR codes to access the information they contain.

Regulation

the monitoring and control of the output of media institutions.

Representation

the portrayal of an individual, place or event.

Rhetoric

the art of employing effective or persuasive speaking or writing.

Rule of thirds

a way of composing visual images.

Secondary research

research into the work of others, for example, academic theory, collations of viewing figures, readership profiles.

Selective construction

deliberately choosing some aspects of representation and leaving out others.

Self-referentiality/Self-reflexivity

when a media text makes a reference to itself.

Semiotic analysis

the study of signs (anything can be a sign in a media text, for example a word, an image, a colour).

Soundscape

different sound recordings mixed together to create a multi-layered soundtrack.

Spin-off

a new text, often produced in a new medium, based on a successful original.

Stereotype

a simplified representation of individuals and groups of people which relies on exaggerated characteristics and traits. Stereotypes can lead to generalised views of social groups and can help shape the way we make sense of the world.

Story/narrative arc

a linear story that unfolds in chronological order and runs through the media text.

Streaming service

an online entertainment provider. Examples include Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, Youtube and Disney Plus.

Super-app

an application developed for mobile phones that provides a range of different functions designed to replace other apps.

Synchronous sound

sound that matches what we see on screen.

Synergy

two or more media companies working together. In relation to media production, this is where two or more media texts work together for effect. This is most common in promotional campaigns.

Synoptic

an overview, drawing upon all of the material studied throughout a course.

Technical elements

the micro elements of media creation

Technological convergence

the merging and integration of two or more independent technologies to one device. For example, a smartphone is a convergent device.

Torrent site

a site that provides files which can be downloaded by users. Torrenting is legal but downloading materials that have been protected by copyright is illegal and is piracy.