Media Language Flashcards
Action Code
Something that happens in the narrative that tells the audience that some action will follow
Anchorage
- The words that accompany an image that contribute to the meaning associated with the image
- An image with an anchor is a closed text
Arc of transformation
- The emotional changes a character goes through in the process of a narrative
- They will ‘transform’ by the end of the story
Audio codes
How sound is used to communicate meaning - voice-over, dialogue, music, SFX etc.
Camera angles
The angle of the camera in relation to the subject
Camera shots
The type of shot and framing in relation to the subject
Connotation
The suggestive meanings attached to a sign
Denotation
The literal meaning of a sign
Diegetic sound
Sound that comes from the fictional world
Editing
The way in which the shots move from one to another (transitions)
Encoding and decoding
Media producers encode messages and meanings in products that are decoded, or interpreted by audiences
Enigma code
A narrative device which increases tension and audience interest by only releasing bits of information
Genre
Media texts can often be grouped into genres that all share similar conventions
Hypodermic needle model
Idea that the media injected an idea into the mind of an audience who are assumed to be passive and as a result will all respond in the same way
Iconography
The props, costumes, objects and backgrounds associated with a particular genre
Independent film
Film made outside of the financial and artistic control of a large mainstream film company
Intertextual
Where one media text makes referencer of aspects of another text
Media language
The specific elements of a media product that communicate meaning to audiences, such as visual codes, audio codes, technical codes, language etc.
Mise-en-scene
How the combination of images in a frame creates meaning
Non-diegetic sound
Sound that comes from outside the fictional world that characters in that world cannot hear
Privileged/Spectator position
Camera places the audiences in a superior position
Realism
A style of presentation that claims to portray ‘real life’ accurately and authentically
Sign/code
Something which communicates meaning
Visual codes
Visual aspects of the product that construct meaning
Technical codes
All the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text
