IMPORTANT TERMS TO REMEMBER IN MEDIA
Juxtapose:
It is a way of showing contrast of one or two shots. (rich, poor),(old, young).
Diegesis:
The film world.
The kuleshov effect( the soviet montage theory):
Cutting frames to make the scenes dramatic.
Versimilitude:
Maintaining the reality of a shot.
Ellipsis:
Movement and action unnecessary to the telling of a story removed later on in editing.
- shortening of time
- passage of time:
- jump cut
- dip to black
- time lapse
- clock fast
- change in face height (aging)
- time cards (20 mins later) {a good example of time cards can be taken from spongebob}
Enigma code:( hermeneutic code )
It is a code which intrigues the audience, which is later to be solved in the narrative. It was written by Roland Barthes.
Connotations:
Hidden meaning. For example red means danger, love etc.
Conventional:
Something that is seen to be "normal". So a conventional female character would be quite weak, girly and may be a mother or a housewife.
Unconventional:
Something which is seen to be "normal". For example an unconventional female character might be powerful, the boss of a company.
Media language:
Simply means the combination of technical elements such as camera movements, camera shots, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.
Protagonist:
The leading character in the show.
Antagonist:
The leading villain in the show.
Stereotype:
An overly exaggerated representation of a type of person that is normally negative. For example a stereotype of a black teenager in media is them wearing a hoodie, carrying a knife, criminal etc.
Realist/ Realism:
A style of tv shows/film which attempts to be "realistic" as possible. For example, "Shameless is considered a realist programme
Racism:
Actions, behavior, feelings or words which seem to discriminate against people because of their skin color or language. This is normally because the person who is racist believes that there is a difference between people who have different skin colors to be superior than the other
Sexism:
Actions, behavior, feelings or words which seem to discriminate against people because of their gender, This is normally because the person who is being sexist believes there is difference between the two genders and that one gender is better than the other.
Xenophobia:
Actions, behavior, feelings or words which seem to discriminate against people because of their country of origin. This is normally because the person who is being Xenophobic believes there is a difference between the countries and that one country is better than the other.
Homophobia:
Actions, behavior, feelings or words which seem to discriminate against people because of their sexuality. This is normally because the person who is being homophobic believes there is a difference between sexualities and thinks that one sexuality is better than the other.
Positioning:
How the audience are encouraged to interpret a particular situation. For example, the audience are positioned to sympathize with the female character.
Male Gaze:
A theory by Laura Mulvey which suggests that all media products encourages the characters and audience to "leer" at and "look" at women, For example, the camera angle looking down a female subject's cleavage encourages the audience to take a 'male gaze' over the female character.
Patriarchy:
A type of society where men are dominant over women. Many women believe we live in a patriarchal society where women are forced to be weaker and subservient.
Dominant Ideology:
A set of beliefs that are widely accepted as being the most normal, or the most accurate. For example, the dominant ideology of men is that they are strong, brave and work to provide money for their families.
Binary opposites:
Two contrasting characters or scenes that are seen in one show, that are clearly meant to be total opposites. For example there may be a sweeet innocent girl who is scared and weak, paired against an evil powerful man. They would classified as binary opposite characters. Binary opposites could be concepts such as good/evil, light/dark, male/female, old/young.
Archetype:
A character that is easily recognizable in majority of the stories. Examples include a hero, villain, princess, the loyal friend, the damsel in distress etc.
Agenda:
A plan or belief system within a group, normally hidden from others. For example there is a belief that Hitler's Nazi party had a racist agenda