Component 1

Question 1

What are the four aspects to theoretical framework?

Answer 1

Media Language -> Forms codes, conventions and techniques
Audience -> How media forms target , reach and address
Representation -> How the media portrays events, issues, individuals and social groups
Media Industries -> How they process production, distribution + circulation affect media forms.

Question 2

What is Semiotics?

Answer 2

The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.

Question 3

What is a signifier?

Answer 3

Physical forms of a sign, eg a sound, word or image that create communication.

Question 4

What is the signified?

Answer 4

A concept that a signifier refers to

Question 5

What is an icon?

Answer 5

Physical resemblance to signified

Question 6

What is a symbol?

Answer 6

Does not represent signifier that is being represented.

Question 7

What is an index?

Answer 7

The physical connection between signifier and signified. The signifier cannot exist without physical presence of signified.

Question 8

What is a denotation?

Answer 8

Literal meaning of a word

Question 9

What is a Connotation?

Answer 9

Various social overtones, cultural implications, or emotional meanings associated with a sign.

Question 10

What is a myth?

Answer 10

Connotation of a sign that is so widely used it becomes accepted.

Question 11

What does polysemic mean?

Answer 11

Different meanings to different people.

Question 12

What are the four codes?

Answer 12

Visual Codes (Colours, setting, clothing props)
Audio Codes (Sound effects, music, accents)
Technical Codes (Camera angles, shot types, focus etc)
Language ( What is written, what is said)

Question 13

What is meant by conventions?

Answer 13

The specific way in which codes are used in a media text in order to create a certain feel or style.

Question 14

What is meant by narratology?

Answer 14

The idea that all narratives share a basic structure that involves a movement from one state of equilibrium to another.

Question 15

What’s Todrov’s theory?

Answer 15

Equilibrium
Disruption
Recognition
Repair
Reinstatement of equilibrium

Question 16

What is an Enigma Code?

Answer 16

Mystery within a text. Clues are dropped but no clear answers are given, this makes the audience want to know more.

Question 17

What is the proairetic (action) code?

Answer 17

Contains sequential elements of action in the text. These elements add suspense to the text.

Question 18

What is Structuralism and who came up with it?

Answer 18

Claude Levi-Strauss.
There are universal patterns to human thought and culture.

Question 19

What are binary oppositions?

Answer 19

All human thought works by thinking through binaries, or oppositions.
Eg: Man and woman
Death and Life
Raw and Cooked
Morning and Night

Question 20

Steve Neale genre theory

Answer 20

The idea that genres may be dominated by repetition, but are also marked by difference, variation and change

Question 21

What is Representation?

Answer 21

The media selects elements (issues, events, people etc) from the real world and represents them to us to create a certain view of reality.

Question 22

What is mediation?

Answer 22

Mediation is the process by which an institution comes to represent events based on their ideological perspective. When viewing a text think about mediation + how they’re constructed: have they shown both sides? Are they stereotyping people? Is it fair in representation?

Question 23

What is ideology?

Answer 23

A body of ideas or set of beliefs that underpins a process and leads to social relations. These are beliefs held by groups within society, and the prevalent ones are those help by the ruling groups.

Question 24

What is Levi-Strauss’ theory?

Answer 24

Binary oppositions - Majority of narratives in media contain opposing main characters.

Question 25

What is Barthes’ theory?

Answer 25

Exploration of myths and how signs that are regularly reinforced across media forms take on the role of a myth and become accepted as natural, when in fact they are a social construct .

Question 26

What is Halls theory about representation?

Answer 26

The idea that representation is the production of meaning through language, with language defined in its broadest sense as a system of signs

The idea that the relationship between concepts and signs is governed by codes

The idea that stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits

The idea that stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’ (e.g.
through ethnocentrism).

Question 27

What is Gilroy’s theory?

Answer 27

Postcolonialism

Question 28

What is Gilroy’s theory on post colonialism?

Answer 28

The idea that we an still see the effects of colonialism in the media today, he believes ethnic minorities are still/often shown as weak, powerless, dehumanized, or “other”. Seen as not as powerful, successful or good as white/western people.