Subject Specific Vocabulary A-C

Question 1

ABC figures

Answer 1

The Audit Bureau of Circulations is responsible for measuring the reach of different media across a range of platforms.

Question 2

Aberrant reading

Answer 2

A reading of a product which does not recognise the preferred meaning but produces instead a deviant or unanticipated reading.

Question 3

Action code

Answer 3

A narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action eg a gun fight.

Question 4

Active audience

Answer 4

The theory that media audiences do not just consume a text passively, they actively engage with it because of personal and social contexts.

Question 5

Agenda setting

Answer 5

The importance ascribed to news stories by news media. Those deemed most important will take prominence in coverage.

Question 6

Anchorage

Answer 6

The text (copy) that fixes (anchors) an image and its meaning. 
[/topic/body/title {"- topic/title "}) Antagonist (title] In a plot, the character whose function is to disrupt the protagonist – often, but not always, a villain.

Question 7

Anthology series

Answer 7

A series that is a collection of free-standing episodes – each episode features a completely different set of characters and storyline.

Question 8

Artificial Intelligence

Answer 8

The branch of computer science which focuses on the capacity of machines to simulate human behaviour.

Question 9

Archetype

Answer 9

A universal type of character found in various media texts, eg anti-hero, hero.

Question 10

Audience

Answer 10

The people who are intended to see, hear, consume a media text.

Question 11

Audience positioning

Answer 11

Each media text that is constructed to position its intended audience in a particular place and to respond in a certain way to it.

Question 12

Audience surrogate

Answer 12

A character in a text that stands in for the audience. They may think and act as the audience might in the same situation.

Question 13

Audio streaming

Answer 13

Listeners can click on a link to play a radio programme instantly. It is used to increase the global reach of radio programmes so that people can access radio content from abroad.

Question 14

Augmented reality

Answer 14

Computer-generated content overlaid on a real-world environment, commonly used in video games.

Question 15

Avatar

Answer 15

In gaming this is the player’s representation of themselves within the game.

Question 16

BARB

Answer 16

Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board – the organisation that measures and collects television viewing data in the UK.

Question 17

BBFC

Answer 17

British Board of Film Classification – responsible for deciding the age classification and censorship of all films and video content released in the UK.

Question 18

Big Close Up (BCU)

Answer 18

An extreme close up camera shot, usually focusing on the face or close detail of the body.

Question 19

Binary opposition

Answer 19

The contrast between two ideas or concepts, such as good/evil, male/female. Usually the contrast causes conflict that drives the narrative.

Question 20

Brand

Answer 20

A type of product that is manufactured and marketed under a particular name, logo and design.

Question 21

Brand identity

Answer 21

The image that a brand projects and the associations the audience then make with the brand.

Question 22

Bricolage

Answer 22

When signs or artefacts are borrowed from different styles or genres to create something new.

Question 23

Broadsheet

Answer 23

This is a larger newspaper that focuses on more serious news for example, The Guardian.

Question 24

By-line

Answer 24

The printed line of text in a newspaper/magazine that names the writer of an article.

Question 25

Call to action

Answer 25

An instruction aimed at the audience with the hope to provoke an immediate response – can take the form of ‘subscribe now’, for example. Often used in advertising and marketing.

Question 26

Canted angle

Answer 26

A shot filmed from a slanted angle. Also known as ‘Dutch tilt’ or oblique angle.

Question 27

Censorship

Answer 27

The controls and regulations that exist about media content. Censorship powers can be held by governments or regulatory bodies.

Question 28

CGI

Answer 28

Computer-generated imagery is the application of computer graphics to printed or moving image media. The term CGI commonly refers to 3D computer graphics used for special effects in film sequences.

Question 29

Circular narrative

Answer 29

Where the narrative starts at the end and then explores the action up to that point. Circular narratives are often only understood clearly by the audience at the end of a film.

Question 30

Circulation

Answer 30

The number of copies of a media product that are distributed, this includes subscriptions. Circulation audits are provided by the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC). A rating given to a film, DVD or video game which informs the audience the suitability for different ages of audience according to the criteria of violence, sexual content and inappropriate language.

Question 31

Close up (CU)

Answer 31

A common camera shot that tightly focuses on a person or object.

Question 32

Code

Answer 32

Codes are the systems of signs that are used to create meaning in media texts. Codes can be both symbolic and technical.

Question 33

Colloquialism

Answer 33

An informal expression, often used in casual conversation as opposed to writing. May be used to establish an informal communication with an audience.

Question 34

Colour palette

Answer 34

The suite of colours that are used in the creation of media texts, such as websites and magazines, to reflect a brand and appeal to its audience.

Question 35

Commercial broadcasting

Answer 35

Privately owned media broadcasting of television and radio programming.

Question 36

Concentration of ownership

Answer 36

Refers to the number of organisations or individuals who control ownership of the media. Fewer stakeholders holding increasing shares.

Question 37

Conglomerate

Answer 37

A media conglomerate is a large corporation that owns a large number of media companies, such as television, radio, internet, publishing – giving the conglomerate control in the market.

Question 38

Connotation

Answer 38

The way meaning is created, or the deeper meaning, in a media text.

Question 39

Constructed reality

Answer 39

A type of TV series where people talk naturally but are placed in pre-arranged situations by the producers.

Question 40

Copy

Answer 40

The written material, as opposed to images, that features in a media text.

Question 41

Countertype

Answer 41

A positive stereotype that reinforces the positive qualities of a person/type of person.

Question 42

Cover lines

Answer 42

The written text that features on the cover of a magazine, they usually give a preview of the content inside.

Question 43

Cover price

Answer 43

The price printed on the cover of a printed media text.

Question 44

Cross platform marketing

Answer 44

When one form is advertised on another media platform.

Question 45

Crane shot

Answer 45

A camera shot that is taken from above the ground high on a crane (also known as a jib).

Question 46

Cross-head

Answer 46

Words used as a title or sub-heading to break up text in a newspaper or magazine.

Question 47

Cross cut

Answer 47

An editing technique used to establish that action is occurring at the same time.

Question 48

CRPG

Answer 48

Computer role-playing game.

Question 49

Cultural capital/competence

Answer 49

The knowledge, experience, taste and skills an audience possess which shapes their choice and interpretation of media products. It is related to social class and other divisions such as education and career. A simple editing technique. One shot ends and another begins, with no transitions or effects added.