Media Glossary Action The part of a scene which is not dialogue. Aesthetics In media studies refers to an interest in the formal characteristics of a text and how they are used to address a reader, e.g. the framing and use of lighting in an image.
Alternative A non-mainstream text or approach to production. Anchoring/anchorage Refers to written text, e.g. a caption, used to pin down a specific reading of an image in an effort to avoid ambiguity or potentially disruptive multiple meanings. Words are used to direct the reader to a particular meaning referred to as the dominant or preferred reading. Animation Film technique that gives the appearance of movement to either drawings, magazine cut-outs or inanimate objects such as plasticine figures by filming them a frame at a time in various positions. The illusion of movement is created when the film is projected at the standard speed of 24 frames per second. Pixilation is the animation of living things, where their movement appears to be magical. Archetype A character who is the universal representation of human behaviour or experience. Assemble edit An edit mode that erases all signal tracks and replaces them with new video, audio and control tracks. This mode is useful for dubbing a tape, making
a compilation tape composed of a series of finished segments which require no further editing, and recording a control track ready for insert editing. Audiences This area of media studies emphasises the importance of how socially formed readers engage with the media — how they make meaning from texts. Media audiences (the group or individual, known or unknown, to whom media texts are addressed and media messages communicated and which are often partly constructed by media industries) describe all members of modern societies who consume or interact with media products. They learn media languages, operate categories and make judgments about representations, and can be discussed in terms of reception (passive/active), numbers (ratings, circulation) or types (demographics — age, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, ethnicity, geographic location — and psychographics — categories of people related to their values and beliefs). A study of audience involves discussing the range and variety of audience responses, measurements of actual audiences, and the issues of taste, appropriateness, how audiences behave and interpret media texts, codes of practice, censorship and legislation that relate to them. It also encourages interrogation of assumptions about media effects that are commonly found in public discourse about the media.
Back lighting A style of lighting in which light comes from behind objects or people being filmed, producing a halo-like effect around the subject. Sometimes referred to as Rembrandt lighting. Blue screen/chroma key Electronic special effect that eliminates a selected colour, usually blue or green, from a video image and replaces it with the image from another source, e.g. to simulate Superman flying over skyscrapers etc. Often used to add a separately produced background to a studio shot. Boom operator The crew member who holds the microphone over the talent for the best pickup of voices on location. Budget The estimate of the costs of people, equipment and facilities needed for a production. Cable television 1. Transmission of television broadcast for home receiving by cable rather than by broadcast airwaves. 2. Subscription TV system that provides programming, for a set monthly payment, that is not available on free television.
Camera angle The position of the camera in relation to the subject during filming. A high angle shot looks down on the subject it shows; a low angle shot looks up at its subject; a straight-on angle or eye level angle will be on a level with its subject; and a dutch angle tilts off the vertical axis to either side diagonally. Camera movement Any movement of the camera during filming. The camera may move horizontally (a pan shot) or vertically (a tilt shot) on the axis of its tripod. It may move on tracks like a railway line while it is shooting alongside the action (a tracking shot) or it may move through space on a mobile hydraulic support (a crane shot). And it may be attached to a tripod or cart with small wheels, which moves toward and away from the subject (a dolly shot). Campaign 1. The marketing plan, which combines research, publicity and advertising to maximise returns. 2. The advertising strategy designed to promote a product or service. It may involve cross-media marketing and include print advertising, TV commercial, radio promotion etc. Caption Title or descriptive text placed under or near an image, e.g. under a cartoon or photograph.
Close-up A close-up view of the subject, featuring details isolated from their surroundings. Typically only the head and shoulders of an actor are seen. Character The role or persona played by an actor/actress in dramatised performance. Cinema A darkened space for screening and group viewing of films; a useful word to avoid confusion with 'live' theatre. Classification codes Codes or ratings that represent a set of conditions or a standard recognisable by audiences, that are generated by regulatory bodies like the Office of Film and Literature Classification and the Australian Broadcasting Authority, e.g. G = General viewing, RC = Refused Classification (and thus banned from importation into and viewing in Australia). Codes Codes are systems of signs governed by conventions that are known both to the producer and the audience. They are sets of conventions fixed in a predictable pattern of usage, e.g. photographic technical codes consist of the techniques used by the photographer to create the image: the focus, composition, exposure etc. The symbolic codes
involve the representational content of the photograph, e.g. objects, setting, colour and body language. And the written codes refer to connotated meaning ascribed to the words that accompany the photograph or writing that incidentally but significantly appears in the photograph. Cultural codes are meanings derived from cultural differences. Collage A technique where images are cut and paste and put together in new ways to create new meanings. Commercial media Media that are driven by profit-making strategies and desires. Communication There are broadly two types of definition of communication. The first sees it as a process bywhich A sends a message to B upon whom it has an effect. The second sees it as a negotiation and exchange of meaning, in which messages are conveyed or an understanding occurs. Construct/ construction Used to emphasise that media texts are 'made' and not simply 'taken from the real world'. The processes, including selection, by which media representations are assembled and presented. Constructed meaning
In the audience context, this is the personal understanding of dramatic/artistic intentions and actions and their social and personal significance, selected and organised from the aural, oral and visual symbols of a media text. Context A set of interrelated conditions or surrounding discourses (e.g. social, economic, political, historical, commercial and non-commercial, production) that influence the text and give meaning to the reception of thoughts, ideas, or concepts. Contextual analysis A type of criticism that evaluates a media text within the context in which it was created (production) or viewed (reception). Continuity The appearance of a continuous temporal flow of events in a film. Editing for continuity means to cut smoothly and unobtrusively between shots that condense time. Also refers to the monitoring of script coverage and ensuring that shot details (costume, make-up, props, furnishings, time and place) are maintained accurately between shots and shoots.
Conventions The agreed, established ways in which elements of a media text can be made to refer to, symbolise, or summarise particular meaning or sets of ideas. The 'unwritten rules' or dominant understandings in the production of mainstream media texts. Crane shot A shot taken from a mechanical 'arm' on which the camera and operator can be raised and lowered and manoeuvred through space. Credits Also known astitles; a list of crew, cast and any holders of copyright or contributors to the production. Title sequences are the brief credits placed at the start of a media text while the end credits provide extensive acknowledgments and attention to detail. Critical analysis A means of analysing and evaluating media texts. Includes textual analysis and contextual analysis. Crop/cropping Cutting parts from an image to re-frame its content. Cut In editing, a transition between shots in which the last frame of one shot is immediately followed by the first frame of the next shot.
Cutaway A shot that shows visually what an interview subject or on-camera host is describing. Cutaway shots replace and alternate with shots of the speaker's face. Decode/deconstruct Reading the codes of a media text to unravel its meanings and explore how and why it has been constructed. Analysing all the components, such as the colour, background, lighting, people and clothing in a media text. Dissolve A transition between recorded moving images in which the image from one camera fades to black while another fades up from black. At midpoint both pictures briefly appear on the screen together. Demographics Characteristics of a population including age, interests, and income level, which are often used by the media to study their audiences or determine a target audience or niche market. A predetermined identification of a specific audience group in a specific timeslot. ~ Design brief Document that specifically sets out the elements for planning of media production. Can be a set of specifications or can also be used to 'sell' an approach to making a product.
Dialogue Lip synchronous verbal exchange between two or more characters in a scene. Digital Based on numerical information, distinguished from analogue information systems. Refers to any system for recording and reading information in computerbased numerical codes, rather than in older 'analogue' systems where information is directly stored on film or tape and copies are of lower quality than originals. Distribution The dispersal of media products — the middle section of the chain of production-distribution-exhibition in the film industry. The distributor buys then re-sells or rents a film property. Film distribution companies crucially deal with publicity and marketing of films, booking with the cinemas and arranging for prints of the film to be struck. They also collect money from the cinemas and pay it to the producers. For example, Miramax or Village Roadshow. Documentary A nonfiction text usually shot on location, using nonactors and actual events as they unfold rather than scripted stories. Documentary forms seek to represent versions of reality and so are characterised by relatively 'high modality' (see modality). Dolly
A device with wheels on which a camera and tripod can be mounted for smooth motion shots. Also an inand-out movement of the camera . Drama A story based on fact or fiction performed by actors. Dubbing Adding sound to a text after the images have been assembled or edited. Can also refer to inserting dialogue, e.g. for a foreign film, after it has been produced. Editing The process of connecting one shot to another to create sequences or scenes in film and video. Usually described according to rhythm or pace (i.e. the varying lengths of the shots in the sequence) and type of transition (e.g. cut, fade, dissolve or mix, wipe). A montage sequence is a series of shots which summarise an action or build a mood, rather than playing it out in the equivalent of real time (see montage). In a digital medium it refers to the electronic cutting and pasting of images and sounds to create the final text. Edit decision list A complete, detailed list of the shots to be used in a final production in order, the type of edits to be performed, start and end times, approximate length, and the roll of which each shot is located.
Electronic media Means of communication characterised by the use of converged information and communication technology including (but not limited to) computers, multimedia, CD-ROM, MIDI, virtual reality, broadband television, internet, video streaming. Exhibition The presentation of media products. An exhibitor is most often an organisation responsible for showing films or video. Film exhibitors control cinemas and film screenings. For example, Birch Carroll and Coyle or Hoyts Greater Union. Experimental An independent film that emphasises self-expression rather than commercial success. Frequently challenge or experiment with the traditional form and technique, hence they are also called avant-garde or underground or alternative films. Extreme close-up Also known as XCU; a very close view of the subject featuring minute details, typically only the eyes or mouth of an actor. Extreme long shot Also known as XLS; a panoramic view of the scene/location, filmed from a great distance. Its
intention is to make a human subject appear overwhelmed or isolated by the environment, especially when combine with a high angle. Fill light A bounced or reflected light used mainly to eliminate shadows caused by direct light or to fill in less-thanflattering details on a person's face. Flip book A means of constructing the illusion of movement by drawing a picture on several pages of a small book. Each image is slightly different as in animation, so that when the corners of the book are flipped the pictures will appear to be moving. Foley track/artist The construction or approximation of sound effects using sources other than those represented on screen. The Foley artist is the person responsible for sourcing and making these sounds. Format The type or structure of presentation favoured by broadcast media's scheduling requirements and timeslot demographics, e.g. a telemovie, or radio serial. Framing The visual composition of a shot within the outside edges of a screen image.
FX Abbreviation for 'effects', as in sound effects and special effects. Generic conventions Those conventions that are the same for a particular genre of category of media text. Genre A way of describing the grouping or categorisation of television programs, videos and films, e.g. news, action, westerns etc. It is a term most comfortably used in cinema to describe similar texts. In television, it is more common to speak about formats, like the gameshow or the chatshow. The texts within these categories employ similar themes, plots, narrative conventions, character types, and iconography. It is also important to bear in mind the role of the audience when studying genre. Audiences both enjoy the repetition of what is familiar but also expect to see something new. Graphics All material that is not copy, e.g. a flow chart or diagram, an icon. Home page Think of a home page as the starting point of a website. Like the table of contents of a book or magazine, the home page usually provides an overview of what you'll find at the website. A site can have one page, many pages or a few long ones,
depending on how it's designed. If there isn't a lot of information, the home page may be the only page. Hypertext A way of connecting texts, pictures, film and sound in a non-linear manner by electronic links that exist only online. It offers users multiple pathways through a web of information. Icon/iconography Refers to single visual elements of a shot that resonate beyond their literal meaning or representation. Iconography refers to a whole system of icons with the same range of reference. Ideology/ideological Complex term relating to ideas and understanding about the social world and how these ideas are related to the distribution of power in society. Also about how dominant or familiar ideas and values are posed as 'natural'. In-camera editing Selectively starting and stopping the camera for each shot to achieve a continuous sequence of footage and to avoid the postproduction editing phase.
Independent/media A media text produced outside of the commercial industry or a media worker not under contract to a studio or large production house/production houses, community TV or radio. Industry practices/strategies The workplace processes and specific ways of doing things in a media industry, e.g. the production/promotion/delivery/exhibition techniques used by the multimedia industry. Infotainment A new term for the blend of information and entertainment into a hybrid format such as lifestyle television programs. Insert editing An edit mode that erases and replaces any combination of tracks except the control track. Eg. this mode allows you to record just one audio track, record two audio tracks but not the visual, record a visual track without affecting the audio tracks, and record a visual and an audio track while leaving the other audio track alone. Institutions Refer to the social, cultural and political relations associated with the individuals, groups and industries that employ particular practices to produce, distribute and market, and exhibit media texts for a wide range
of purposes and contexts. It includes the concrete, i.e. the individuals, community groups or corporate organisations involved in media production, marketing, distribution, exhibition, and regulation, and the abstract, i.e. the values and norms of media producers. Media institutions are characterised by the social, cultural and political structure within which the media operate. Media texts are produced by people, some by individuals and some by groups, and while power and profit motives of commercial producers will have an impact on the media texts produced, they can never ultimately control how audiences receive and make sense of those texts. Nor can they always completely control the processes of production. A central understanding is that media texts can originate in a range of different ways and that there are many variables that affect the final shape and status of a text, accounting for the differences between texts. This involves learning about production roles, professional practices and values, institutional histories, hierarchies, ethos and limitations, sources of finance, systems of circulation, broadcasting policy, censorship, and regulation of ownership and control. Interactive Able to be affected or changed by something the user does, e.g. a computer program through which a user can trigger or respond to text, graphics, pictures and sound.
Intertextuality Aspects of a media text that can only be understood by reference to another text Juxtaposition/ing In print media, it refers to two disparate images placed adjacently to create a new message different in meaning from either image by itself. In screen media, this is taken a step furtherwhere contrasting sound and image is used to develop tension and irony between what isseen and what is heard. Key light The main or primary light falling on an subject. Languages The codes (visual, non-verbal, auditory and written) that are shared between media producers and audiences to make sense of what they see, hear and experience. They refer to the specific ordered and structured ways in which meaning is produced in media texts. Everything in a media text has meaning, which is a cultural construction. Over time, every medium has developed its own 'language' through which its meanings are constructed. Conventions and codes have evolved and are employed to construct specific categories of media texts (e.g. forms, genres and formats). Audiences' knowledge of these categories often leads to expectations about certain conventions and codes in particular media texts and are thus easily recognised and interpreted.
Understanding the cultural meanings communicated by the various selections and combinations from widely diverse sign systems, which may include images, sounds and words in media texts, enables people to make sense of their world. Semiology or semiotics, the study of signs or of the social production of meaning by sign systems, has become an important way of analysing media languages in media texts. The language of the media also works in a complex mix of modes, which can reinforce the viewpoint and carry systems of values, or ideologies. Then studying media languages also becomes a study of power and ideology. Lens A ground or moulded piece of transparent glass or plastic through which light rays are focused to create an image on film, e.g. standard lens approximates the human eye's perspective of the world; a telephoto lens enlarges details of the image from a distance; a wide-angle lens captures a very broad view; and a zoom lens enables travelling between these different ranges while filming. Long shot A shot that shows a full view of a subject within its setting, typically the entire body and much of the surroundings.
Mainstream That area of media production in which dominant cultural and industrial values operate. Marketing The process of presenting a product to its target audience. Media/medium 1. The strand of The Arts key learning area which involves students in creating with selections and combinations of words, sounds and images (still and moving) encompassing the media forms of film, photography, graphic design, commercial art, copy writing, multimedia, lighting design, web page design, sound track, performance art, poster design etc. 2. Channels (or the vehicle) by which information can be communicated to people, including television, radio, newspaper, magazines, film, video, internet, email, fax, letter, postcards, billboards, posters, brochures etc. Media form The shape the media text takes that is recognised easily by audiences, such as daily newspaper, television program, film and radio program. Each medium contains various forms. For example, the print medium contains the forms of newspaper, poster, leaflet, newsletter, magazine and pamphlet.
Media genre The media can be organised into genres — types of stories or programs, which are recognisable through repeated use of common and identifiable elements e.g. music, characters, storyline, costuming, setting and technical features. Hollywood's success haslargely been created by the employment of a genre approach to filmmaking. In the news and current affairs genre, audiences are provided with a sense of security knowing about their place in the world on a daily basis. Media text/s This term is used in several ways, originating from media and cultural studies. On one level, a film or a video can be referred to as a text. On another level, texts can be discussed in terms of their reception, for example an 'open text' is one with many different meanings depending on time, place and the class or occupation of the reader. Medium shot Also known as MS; a relatively close shot that shows part of the subject, typically from the thighs up. Is often used as a relationship shot so that two people in the shot can be referred to as a two shot or 2/S.
Mise en scĂŠne French term from the theatre, which literally means 'what's put in the scene'. In the cinema it refers to the elements and the arrangement of everything physical in a camera shot, including the set, props, actors, the use of colour and light, and the way these elements are composed or choreographed. In textual analysis, it refers to how we read the actions of the creative personnel in a film crew who visualise a script. Modality A term coined to unpack the notion of 'realism'. Refers to how close to reality the producer intends a particular text to be. Thus animation films have 'low modality' while observational documentary filmmakers persuade us that they are capturing a version of reality that has 'high modality'. Modality markers include whether there is music on the soundtrack, whether the editing is stylised, or shots are long and static. Montage a) Narrative montage: Editing that constructs a story with images by arranging shots in carefully sequenced order. b) Intellectual montage: A technique of film editing intended to convey an abstract concept by juxtaposing concrete images that suggest it. Where several shots are juxtaposed or particularly superimposed to form a single image.
b) Russian montage: Employs dynamic cutting techniques to evoke strong emotional, and even physical, reactions to images. A method of filmmaking in which a single idea is expressed by the combining of different and often contrasting elements. c) Hollywood montage: A collection of visual images in different locations; small scenes without dialogue and usually musically underscored. It is used to denote the passing of time or place, perhaps a character moving from childhood to adulthood or the development of a relationship over time, or an action sequence. Morph/ing Morphing is an image processing technique used for the metamorphosis or transforming from one image to another. The idea is to get a sequence of intermediate images which when put together with the original images will represent the change from one image to the other. Used predominantly in multimedia applications and digital video. Multi-layered sound Also known as multitrack; the recording of more than one sound track onto one tape . Multimedia A form of text that combines such elements as sound, text, photographs, and moving images. Referring to several traditionally separate media being used together, e.g. sound, image and text on computers.
Myths Traditional stories through which societies reinforce and explore their beliefs about themselves. They are explanations of our place in the world. Narration The process of telling a story; the selection and organisation of the events for a particular audience. Narrator An off-camera speaker who tells the story or provides commentary. Narrowcast An alternative to 'broadcast', in which a particular text or whole channel is targeted at a narrow niche audience. Niche market/ing The idea that there are very small but highly profitable markets which could support specialist advertising-led media products. Navigation tools The visual access points and links to provide a user with ways of moving within and between the different parts of a software program.
Noddy shot A shot that is filmed separately to the interview sequence, which shows the interviewee or the interviewer nodding, as though listening intently to the other person. A 'smiley' is also filmed showing a person smiling. These shots are cut into the interview sequence to add emotional realism and interest. Online publishing conventions The protocols, target audience considerations and graphic design features that maximise the impact of a web text. For example, most use a traditional magazine format. At the top of the page is a masthead or banner graphic, then a list of items, such as articles, often with a brief description. The items in the list usually link to other pages on the website, or to other sites. Ideally, file sizes should be small enough to download in 15 seconds or less (recent studies indicate that 8 seconds is the optimum time). Paparazzi Photographers who specialise in photographing famous people and generally attempting to catch them in domestic or private situations. Parallel editing/intercutting A technique used to show two stories occurring simultaneously, where the editor cuts from one set of actions to another and back again. Pan
A left-to-right or right-to-left movement of a camera on a fixed mounting. Pickup pattern The size and direction of the field within which a microphone can pick up sounds. Pitch The presentation of an idea or proposal to a potential client or funding body. Point of view Also known asp.o.v. shot; taken from the position of the character where the camera performs in the place of the character. Such shots are often followed by a reverse angle shot that shows what he or she is supposed to be looking at. Also called a subjective camera or first-person shot. Post production All activities that occur between the end of production and the delivery of the product. This includes but is not limited to editing, creating audio and visual effects, mixing, titling, mixing and remixing sound tracks, dubbing etc. Pre-production All planning tasks pertaining to the production that occur before the shooting of footage. This might include, but is not limited to, storyboarding, budgeting,
casting, location scouting, equipment acquisition, and scripting. Press release A notice provided to media companies designed to promote as newsworthy a given event, place or person. Production All parts of the construction of the media text between filming and editing. Production roles Refers to the numerous creative roles that are involved in making a media text, e.g. in film: producer, director, cinematographer or director of photography, editor, sound mixer, foley mixer, composer. Programming Radio and television stations work out what programs they need to produce and screen. Proposal A brief description of the intended audience, a synopsis of the concept, estimated length, approach and cost, developed from the treatment and script.
Props Any inanimate objects used in filming or photography, e.g. cars, furniture, cutlery, etc. They do not include costumes. Public media Media that is independently funded from advertising revenue and whose product is not driven by the need to make a profit, Ratings The compilation of a sample of viewer preferences extended to show a pattern. Viewing and listening figures presented as a league table of successful programs. Representation Refers to both the processes and the results when something is presented, portrayed, described or shown in the media. The processes are the ways through which the subject matter entered the media. These include why it was selected, how information was gathered and how it was packaged or constructed ready for presentation. The results are the words, images, and sounds that appear in the media during the presentation of the topic. A media representation is a depiction, a likeness or a constructed media image, and it involves the ways in which the medium re-presents people, places, events and ideas through construction of meanings about the world. The understanding that media producers
convey particular meanings by making choices about which elements are represented and how they are depicted implies that media texts relate to reality in different ways and position readers differently according to the experiences they bring to the text. Thus there may be shared recognition of the world as represented through familiar or dominant images, and there may also be the possibility of alternative representations. To explore aspects such as ideology, genre, myth, stereotyping, propaganda and manipulation of bias, gender, race and ethnic minorities within the context of representation is to investigate the relationship between texts and reality, and how this is judged by audiences. Representation, therefore, is best understood through the powerful links it has with each of the other key concepts and their integration, especially with audience. Reverse shot See shot/reverse shot. Rushes The first screening of a day's work. Scene A unit of film or video composed of one shot or several interrelated shots unified by a single location, incident, or set of characters. Scheduling
Strategies adopted to place programs in radio and television schedules to most effect. Screen design The arrangement of elements within the frame described by the computer monitor when creating texts like a home page or a web site. The design elements are mostly based on the traditional magazine layout (i.e. masthead or banner graphic, list of items, index or site map, captions). However, a range of technical (e.g. monitor resolution, downloading time) and aesthetic considerations (e.g. size, shape, colour, positioning) are also important and are largely influenced by knowledge of the target audience. See online publishing conventions. Script A set of written specifications for production purposes, usually delineating the settings, action,dialogue, camera coverage, lighting and sound effects, and music. Also called a screenplay in the film industry. Semiology/semiotics A theory of film criticism that views cinema as a language, or linguistic system, that conveys meaning via signs or symbolic codes. A semiotic analysis of the Teletubbies, for example, would look at all the signs and meanings in the program as a text in order to analyse how it works and its messages.
Sequence A unit of footage composed of interrelated shots or scenes, usually leading up to a dramatic climax. An establishing sequence introduces the key elements of the scene to the audience, such as setting, character and situation. Shooting script The script that the director and the actors follow during filming. Shot A single, continuous recording of the camera from the time of starting to the time of stopping. The basic unit of meaning in a moving image text. It can be described according to its length, or duration, the way it is framed (ie. the camera distance and angle), and the arrangement of elements within it (i.e. the mise en scĂŠne). Shot/reverse shot Term for the conventional way of shooting an exchange between two characters in a film or television program. One person is typically seen from behind the shoulder of the person being spoken to (shot) and then the view is changed with the camera now placed behind the shoulder of the person seen in the first shot, to reveal the person whose shoulder had previously been presented (the reverse shot). Sign
Is any signal that communicates something to us. It is the central aspect of semiology and the nature of it can be understood in two different ways; the physical form or 'signifier' and the meaning/s evoked by it or 'signified'. Codes and conventions then govern the way in which signs are chosen and combined. Sitcom Abbreviation for 'situation comedy', referring to a genre of television programs in which everyday situations — often involving work and family — are treated humorously. Sound effects Also known as SFX; any sound other than dialogue, narration or music recorded to enhance the action of a scene, e.g. phone rings in another room off-screen. Soundscape The combination of sounds, which may include vocal and instrumental sounds to create a specific atmosphere or to accompany important moments of a scene. Sound mixing The combining of several separate soundtracks, such as music, sound effects, narration, and sound that is synchronous with the video, into a single audio track.
Special effects The wide variety of tricks and illusions used in the production of media texts, e.g. pyrotechnic and ballistic effects, use of special models, multiple exposure etc. Steadicam A special camera mounted to a body frame to allow the camera to remain very steady while the operator moves about. Stereotype A character who is an oversimplified, standardised or one-dimensional representation of a group of diverse individuals, such as a race or an ethnic group. Often used as a derogatory term for a quickly drawn or 'stock' character, and criticised as lazy or deliberate misrepresentations of people or groups. Actually stereotypes have a specific function and force in any text, which it is often useful to explore in a reasonably unprejudicial way. Storyboard Typically a series of drawings or photographs, which approximate to a sequence of moving images, a storyboard is a pictorial outline of a scene to illustrate how each shot should look onscreen and to represent the director's intention with regard to framing and composition, camera angle, lens size, length, shot transition and subject matter. There is no formula or 'best way'. It is a design or pre-
production tool designed before the shoot to assist the director, production designer and crew. Spin-off An object, product, or enterprise derived as an incidental or secondary development of a larger enterprise, such as a toy or clothing line based on characters from a film. Style 1. The repeated and salient uses of film techniques characteristic of a single film or group of films, e.g. a filmmaker's work or a national movement. 2. The artist's way of representing something. The choice and use of material, methods of work and subject matter reflect the style of an individual, a culture or an historical period. Symbol An image, object, sound or movement that stands for or represents something else and which in a dramatic story has significance beyond its literal meaning. Synopsis A one to three page brief description of the program's storyline or plot with brief notes about main characters. A scene synopsis lists all scenes with a short description of the plot movement in each one.
Target audience The very specific group of people to be addressed by a specific media text. Teaser An opening segment of a television program designed to attract an audience. Technique A method or procedure used in producing a work of art. Technologies Refers, in part, to types of equipment or hardware (e.g. video, computer, compact disc, laser, audiotape, satellite etc). It is also about methods, means and skill or software. Both are used as tools to produce meaning and to deliver to audiences. It is important to understand that any technological choice makes a difference. Media technologies can play a major role in determining not only the meaning of the text, but to whom it can be made available. Any technological choice, constraint or opportunity involves a decision about the meaning, not simply the appearance of the text. Thus there are many issues to explore when studying technology, some including implications for work, gender, status, social and cultural change, convergence, equity and access, globalisation, regulation and copyright. Textual analysis
A method of analysing a media text that considers all features of the text. Tilt An up-and-down movement of the camera on a fixed mounting. Transitions The point at which the end of one shot is joined to start of the next shot. The most common form of transition between shots is a cut. Others include a dissolve, a wipe or a fade in/out. Treatment A full narrative description of the storyline, characters, motivations, etc. that may later be developed into a script. Two shot/three shot A medium shot that includes two or three people. Often used to demonstrate relationships between characters, particularly in television texts. Video clip Also known asmusic video clip;a program made to synchronise with an already made soundtrack or song. Video streaming Streaming video is a continuous sequence of 'moving images' and accompanying sound that are sent in
compressed form over the internet and displayed by the viewer as they arrive. Streaming is accomplished by way of web browser plug-ins, which decompress and play the file in real time; a fast computer and fast connection are necessary. Viewfinder An attachment to a camera enabling the operator to determine what will be included in the picture. Virtual Something which is a representation rather than the 'real' thing, thus 'virtual reality'. Vision mixer/ing A device for selecting or combining video signals, often involving switching transmission from one camera to another or from camera to recorded footage. Voice over The words of a narrator or commentator or character spoken over and accompanying images on the screen. Vox pop A series of brief statements collected from a number of people, which are tightly edited and designed to give an indication of public opinion on a current issue or event.
Web page A web page is an electronic document written in a computer language called HTML, short for Hypertext Make up Language. Each web page has a unique address, called a URL or Uniform Resource Locater, which identifies its location on the network. A web site has one or more related web pages, depending on how it is designed. Web pages on a site are linked together through a system of hyperlinks, enabling you to jump between them by clicking on a link. On the Web, you navigate through pages of information according to your interests. Wipe A transition in which one picture appears to push the previous one off screen. Zoom A control on a camera lens that allows the operator to vary the size of the image without moving the camera.