ML revision guide

1. Denotation and Connotation


Denotation refers to the literal, explicit meaning of an image, word, or text.
Connotation refers to the additional meanings or associations that are implied or suggested beyond the literal meaning.

2. Codes

Technical codes: The methods of using camera work, lighting, sound, and editing to convey meaning.
Symbolic codes: Visual elements or symbols that represent ideas or themes (e.g., a red rose symbolising love).

Written codes: The language, typography, or text used in the media extract.

3. Narrative Structure

Refers to the way the story is organised, often using elements like linear (beginning to end) or non-linear (jumping through time) storytelling.

4. Genre

A category of media that shares similar conventions (e.g., horror, comedy, thriller). Genres help audiences know what to expect in terms of themes, styles, and structure.

5. Audience Theory

Active Audience: The audience actively interprets and interacts with media, forming their own understanding.

Passive Audience: The idea that the audience is influenced directly by the media and accepts the messages given to them.

Preferred Reading: The message that the producer intends the audience to take.

Oppositional Reading: When the audience interprets the message in a way that goes against the intended meaning.

6. Representation

The way in which people, groups, ideas, or events are portrayed in the media. Representations can include aspects like gender, race, age, and class, and are often shaped by media stereotypes.

7. Verisimilitude

The appearance of being true or real within the context of the media. It refers to how believable the media is in its construction of reality.

8. Mise-en-Scene

French for “put in the scene,” referring to everything that appears on screen (set design, props, lighting, costumes, and actor performances) that contributes to the atmosphere, meaning, or theme.

9. Sound

Includes diegetic (sound that characters can hear, like dialogue and background noise) and non-diegetic (sound the audience hears, like background music and voiceover narration).
Soundtrack refers to the music score that accompanies the media text.

10. Editing and Transitions

The way scenes are put together, which includes techniques like montage, jump cuts, cross-cutting, and fade.
Transitions can affect pacing and the emotional impact of the story.

11. Framing and Shot Types

The way the camera is positioned and what is included in the shot (close-up, long shot, medium shot).
The rule of thirds is a technique used for balancing the composition.

12. Anchorage

Refers to how the meaning of a text or image is clarified or fixed by other elements (e.g., a caption or voiceover explaining the image).

13. Intertextuality

The relationship between different media texts and how they reference or borrow from each other (e.g., a film referencing a famous scene from another film).

14. Target Audience

The specific group of people that the media product is aimed at. It can be determined by factors like age, gender, interests, or social class.

15. Semiotics

The study of signs and symbols and how they create meaning. It’s essential in understanding how media texts communicate ideas through visual elements, sounds, and words.

16. Uses and Gratifications Theory

This theory suggests that audiences use media texts to fulfil specific needs (e.g., entertainment, information, social interaction).

17. Appeal

How the media text attracts or resonates with the audience, often through emotional or ideological connections.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Media Language Analysis

Movie cover homework

Photoshop intro