Terminology Flashcards
What is active audience?
The theory that media audiences engage or interact with media products
What is audience positioning?
The technique used to persuade the audience to interpret a media product in a particular way
What is BBFC?
British Board Film Classification - responsible for deciding the age classification and censorship of all films and video content released in the Uk
What is CGI?
Computer generated images - such as Audrey Hepburn in the galaxy advert
What is conglomerate?
A media conglomerate is a large corporation that owns a large number of media companies
What is connotation?
Meaning of a sign or media product that are made by cultural association - often the deeper or underlying meanings
What is conventions?
Established rules or shared understandings used in the creation of media products. Conventions are more likely to be taken for granted as ‘the way we do things’ rather than formally written down
What is convergence?
The coming together of technologies and institutions to create a new product or media experience
What is denotation?
The literal or surface meaning of a sign or media product
Encoding/ Decoding
This model of communication claims that media products contain various messages that are made (encoded) using various codes and conventions. The ways in which audiences make sense of (decode) these messages depend on the social context of the audience member. The decoded message may not be the same as the encoded message
Enigma
A narrative device in the form of a mystery or puzzle that is not immediately resolved. An enigma is a way of hooking the audience in to the story
Essentialism
The belief that men and women are fundamentally different in terms of their skills, preferences and behaviour
Horizontal integration
Companies who acquire other companies operating in the same sector
Hybrid
A genre that combines two or more pre-existing genres to create a new category
Masthead
A publication’s name or title in a distinctive form usually placed at the top of the front page or cover page
Merger
A combination of two media companies into one – usually to gain more power and influence in the market
Mise-en-scene
All the elements chosen by producers to make up the content of images, including codes such as location, lighting, non-verbal communication (NVC), props, accessories, etc. are often referred to as the mise en scène. It is a French term meaning ‘put in this scene’ which emphasises the idea that elements are included deliberately to communicate specific meanings
Narrative
The way in which a story or a sequence of events is put together. Narrative organises chains of events telling us why, when and where things are happening. A simple narrative structure is equilibrium, disruption, recognition of disruption, attempts to restore equilibrium, new equilibrium
Niche audience
A relatively small segment of an audience with specific tastes and interests
Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication/codes (NVC) are all those that do not include spoken or written language. Clothing, facial expression and body movement are examples of NVC
Passive audience
Passive audience theories stress the power of the media to directly influence the ways in which audiences think or behave
PEGI
Pan European Game Information – the organisation that judges what the age ratings should be for games. Produces guidance for consumers (mainly aimed at parents) so that they can decide if a game is suitable
Preferred reading
The interpretation of a media text that the producers intended the audience to have
Pressure group
An organised group of people which tries to influence government policy in a particular area or in support of a particular course
Private sector
This comprises all those companies which are not owned or controlled by the state but which are run for profit
Public sector
Companies that are owned or controlled by the state. The BBC is an example of a media organisation in the public sector
Qualitative research
Qualitative research is used to explore and gain an understanding of audience opinions and motivations
Quantitative research
Quantitative research is the collection of numerical data and statistics
Serif and sans serif
A serif is a small decorative line added to the letters of certain typefaces. Sans means without so sans serif typefaces don’t have these features
Skyline
A line of text, with or without a coloured strip background, that runs across the top edge of a magazine page, poster or other printed product. It contains important information to appeal to the audience
Strapline
A cross-column subheading, usually found in newspapers, magazines and websites, that emphasises part of an article or advert
Synergy
Where two or more media products are linked for commercial purposes, eg a film and a video game based on the film
