Media Terminology 1: Essential Words and Phrases

Copy: In print-based media, copy is the written text which accompanies the graphics or photographs, especially in an advertisement or newspaper. Effective copy is very important, even in very visually-orientated advertising media.

Cut: Sudden change of shot from one viewpoint or location to another. On television cuts occur on average about every 7 or 8 seconds. Cutting may: change the scene; compress time; vary the point of view; or build up an image or idea.

Diegetic sound: Any voice, musical passage, or sound effect presented as originating from a source within the film's world is diegetic. So if someone in EastEnders turns on the radio, or if an ambulance drives into Albert Square with its siren blaring, that's diegetic sound. If the characters can hear the sound, it's diegetic!

Non-diegetic sound: Any voice, musical passage or sound effect that comes from outside the world of the movies; like background music, for instance. If the characters can't hear the sound, it's non-diegetic!

Genre - this is the classification of any media text into a category or type, e.g. news, horror, documentary, soap opera, docu-soap, science-fiction, lifestyle etc. Genres tend to have identifiable codes and conventions which have developed over time and for which audiences may have developed particular expectations.

Generic Conventions: Those recognisable and repeated elements in a film or other media text, which help to identify the genre.

Sub-genres: a sub-category of a main genre. (Like 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is a Period drama, but it can be further categorised by the sub-genere of 'pirate film'.

Mise-en-scène - literally everything that is "put in the scene", or frame, to be photographed or in a given 'shot' of a film. This may include location, actors, costumes, make-up, gesture, extras, props, lighting, shot composition/framing, use of colour, contrast and filter, and sometimes also includes camera angle, movement and sound. Lighting is often included within mise-en-scène.

Narrative: Narrative is slightly different to story/plot. A narrative is the way the story or plot is told, by whom and in what order. Flashbacks or flash forwards may be used as narrative devices. The simplest narrative structure is: equilibrium, disequilibrium and restoration of the status quo.

Representation - the process of making meaning in still or moving images and words/sounds. In its simplest form, it means to present or show someone or something in a particular way. In advertising, for instance, women are often represented as young; slim; white; conventionally attractive; and primarily interested in men; home or family.

Slogan: In advertising, a Slogan should be simple, repetitive and have one-selling

idea. (Think of Beanz, Meanz, Heinz.) Slogans also often mention the product name and identify its unique selling point. (USP)

Stereotype: A stereotype is an over-simplified representation of an individual or group of people based on pre-conceived ideas. It is assumed that individuals in a given group share certain characteristics (or stereotypical) qualities. The term is often used in a negative sense. Stereotypes are common in the world of television and advertising drama, where they are often used as a form of dramatic shorthand.

Typography: Typography is the art and technique of selecting and arranging type styles/fonts (such as serif and non-serif) for print-based media texts. The two primary functions of typography are the presentation of text in a manner that is not only easy to read but also visually engaging. The latter function of typography may be expressed through colour and the atmosphere or feel of the printed material.

Verisimilitude: The appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true. In Media terms, it's the way in which the 'world' on the television screen or in the magazine advertisement is made to look like the 'real world.' So on EastEnders, we would expect to see steam coming out of a boiling kettle, or real food in Pauline's refrigerator. In magazine advertising, verisimilitude is created by using realistic props, costumes etc.

Zoom in: In zooming in the camera does not move; the lens is focussed down from a long-shot to a close-up whilst the picture is still being shown. The subject is magnified, and attention is concentrated on details previously invisible. It may be used to surprise the viewer.

Zoom out: In zooming out, the camera out reveals more of the scene (perhaps where a character is, or to whom he or she is speaking.)