Friday 5 May 2017
Media language glossary
MEDIA LANGUAGE GLOASSARY
CAMERA TERMINOLOGY
Aerial shot: a view from
directly overhead to afford a clear view – sometimes used to emphasise the
spectacle. A crane shot is usually necessary to achieve this (sometimes called a
bird’s eye shot). http://www.youtube.com/user/FilmSchoolOnline#p/u/9/8tZiFwSmhBI
Canted angle – A shot which is tilted to one side. This is often used to create a feeling of
disorientation.
Close up (and
variations): close ups, including extreme, big and medium close ups,
are used to draw the viewer closer and to involve them in what is happening. They
are also used to observe reactions and emotions such as happiness, elation or
tension. These shots are often used to
privilege the protagonist over other characters and position the audience with
him or her.
Crane shot: a type of
shot in which a camera is positioned on a specially designed crane, which can
be raised and lowered and will. A crane
shot is a high-angle shot but the versatility of the equipment allows a
director to start a shot from a high-angle and then swoop down toward the
subject at ground level. http://www.youtube.com/user/FilmSchoolOnline#p/u/9/8tZiFwSmhBI
Deep focus: a camera
technique that allows objects both near and far from the camera to be in focus
at the same time.
Establishing
shot: the shot
(usually wide or long), often used at the start of a programme or film, a new
section of a programme or at the start of a new scene to establish the
relationship between the set/location and the characters and to show the whole
view.
Hand-held
shot: a shot filmed with the camera not on a tripod
but instead held by the camera man, often whilst walking. This makes the shots seem quite shaky. This can make the audience feel the scene is
more realistic, or can make us feel like we are part of the action.
Head-on shot: a type of
shot in which the action comes directly towards the camera. Head-on shots are often used in war or action
movies to enhance the sense of involvement and excitement of the audience, for
example, charging cavalry may be directed at the camera.
High angle: to provide
a view from above the subject(s), often making the subject look vulnerable,
isolated or powerless. This is sometimes
combined with a crane shot into a closer shot of the subject(s).
Long shot: a distance
shot where the camera is a long way from the subjects being filmed. A long shot can be effective as an
establishing shot that sets the scene for the action and roles in the viewer.
Loose frame: describes a
shot where there is a lot of room around an object or person. Usually used to show them as being alone or
isolated or unimportant.
Low-angle shot:
a shot where
the camera approaches a subject from below eye level. A low-angle shot can emphasise the size of
the object being filmed and add to a perspective. It can make the character shown seem big and
powerful and it can make us or the character we are seeing through, seem small
and weak.
Master shot: a camera
shot used at the beginning of a sequence to establish the component elements
and relationships in such a way as to allow the audience to make sense of the
action that follows.
Pan: camera
action involving gently moving the camera 180°across the subject matter in a
horizontal plane
Point-of-View
Shot (POV or Subjective Filming): a camera shot taken from the position of
the subjects, used to enhance a sense of realism and audience involvement in
the action.
Pull focus: describes a
shot where one thing was in focus, and then the lens is changed so that
something else stops being blurry and becomes in focus. Often used to show how something has become
more important.
Rule Of
Thirds: describes a technique used to make a shot look interesting. Rather than placing a person or object in the
middle of the frame, they are placed at the sides, or where the lines cross on
this imaginary grid.
Shallow focus: describes a
shot where an object near the front is in focus, and everything else behind is
out of focus (blurry). Often used to
make one thing seem more important. Eg
Soft focus: in images,
the use of a special lens or filter to create a hazy light around the subject. Soft focus
shots are associated with the romantic or sentimental treatment of subject
matter.
Subjective filming
(or POV): a type of shot in which the camera is positioned as if looking at the
world through the character’s eyes.
Tight frame: Describes a shot that is composed with the
person or object given very little space around them. Often used to make them seem important, or
trapped.
Tilt: a camera
movement that involves moving the camera vertically up and down from a fixed
position.
Tracking shot: a camera
shot in which the camera moves along rails to follow the subject. When the rails are replaced by a moving platform
on wheels, the shot is called a dolly shot.
As you won’t know how this shot was filmed you can call it either a
Tracking OR a Dolly shot.
Whip pan: a very fast
pan between two or more characters’ points of interest. It gives the impression the camera has been
‘surprised’ by activity and is used in the place of a more conventional cut or
shot/reverse shot.
Wide shot: this can be
used as an establishing shot of a set or location or to show a large crowd of
people. It can also emphasise the isolation
of a single figure.
Zoom/reverse
zoom: the adjustment of the camera lens to allow the operator progressively to
move in close off or to pull away from the subject.
180 degree rule: during a scene featuring two people or
more, we can imaging an imaginary line joining these two people together. Adhering to the 180 degree rule would mean
you would always ensure your camera was on one side of that line and the camera
would never be crossed to the other side.
Sticking to the 180 degree rule allows the viewer to feel comfortable,
helps us understand the positioning of the characters and makes it feel like
real life. http://www.youtube.com/user/Sarahmediafilm#p/c/6A39684E8F4376B7/0/HdyyuqmCW14
Breaking the 180 degree rule (Crossing the
Line): during a conversation
or a scene between two people, the camera does NOT stick to one side of the
line (see above) and crosses over at some point. This disorientates the viewer as we are
unable to work out the position of the characters within the room. It makes the scene seem odd or strange and
may reflect the feeling of the characters.
ihttp://www.youtube.com/user/Sarahmediafilm#p/c/6A39684E8F4376B7/0/HdyyuqmCW14
To see video examples of
various shot types:
EDITING TERMINOLOGY
Action match: A shot that
cuts to another continuing piece of action or movement between the shots. Allows audience to see a smooth action
despite a cut in the shot. For example
we might see someone shoot a gun, and the editor would perform an action match
so we then see the bullet hit someone else and they fit together seamlessly so
we see both perspectives. http://www.youtube.com/user/Sarahmediafilm#p/c/9A8A1640CC2BB752/1/laUPi7MPOSQ
Continuity editing: an editing
style that aims to present the text in a chronological manner to emphasise the
real-time movement of the narrative and to create a sense of realism for the
viewer by giving the impression of continuous filming. Continuity editing creates a narrative that
approximates to the real experience of moving through time, even though screen
time usually covers a much longer period.
Audiences feel comfortable with a linear progression that reflects their
everyday experience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoaw7iTPlZc
Cross
cutting / parallel editing: where an editor cuts between two separate scenes happening in two
separate locations at the same time.
This serves to illustrate a contrast or a link between them. For example, cross cutting between adults
having a quiet drink in a pub, and a wild teenage party will contrast the two
age groups. Another example is in the
Godfather where the editor cuts back and forth between the christening of a child
in a catholic church, and the violent killing of several men. The cross cutting in this sequence emphasises
the violence as we see it juxtaposed against childlike innocence and religion. http://www.youtube.com/user/FilmSchoolOnline#p/u/13/A7SLL9esQOA
Cut: the move from one shot to another can tell us lots of things. For example, it can draw our attention to
things. If a woman is day dreaming at
her desk and the editor cuts to a scene of a man, we can assume that she may be
dreaming about him.
Cutaway: a brief shot
that is not totally necessary but is cut into a scene showing a related action,
object or person, not necessarily part of the main scene, before cutting back
to the original shot. For example a
couple may be having an argument which is the main scene but the editor may
choose to include a cutaway shot of their child crying before cutting back to
the couple arguing. This emphasises the
child’s emotions and helps the audience to understand that we are to disapprove
of their argument. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONMSe_zhq70
Dissolve: when the first shot is on screen and the 2nd
shot starts appearing on top of it more and more until all you can see is the 2nd
shot and is often used to link two scenes or two people together. Sometimes used to show time moving on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoaw7iTPlZc
Ellipsis: the removal
or shortening of elements of a narrative to speed up the action. For example an editor might use ellipsis in a
sequence about a young man taking a drink by cutting straight to him as an old
man, drunk and alone. The editor has
missed out the story in the middle to speed up the action and show us how quick
this man’s life has passed.
Eyeline match: a type of
editing that maintains the eyeline or level when cutting from a character to
what the character sees. The effect of
the edit is to create a sense that what the camera sees is what the character
sees. It puts us in the position of the
character and helps us feel empathy for them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoaw7iTPlZc
Fade: the image gradually fades and disappears,
leaving a white or black screen. A fade
to black often suggests that time has passed or a situation has ended. A fade to white often suggests a dream
sequence.
Graphic match: a cut from one shot to another that looks
visually the same (possibly linked by a similar shape, a similar colour
etc. They are there to show us a clear
link between two scenes. Often this is
making a comment on the issue. For
example, a young girl playing with a red doll cut together using a graphic
match with a woman holding a baby dressed in red. This might suggest that the young girl has
grown up into the woman. Or it might
emphasise the gender stereotype of women looking after babies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtbOmpTnyOc
Jump
cut: a cut that moves to a
very similar part of the same scene but missing a piece of action out (eg a
character is on one side of the room, and then is on the other and we don’t see
him walking). They are often used to
disorientate the viewer, or show how disorientated a character is. For example, if a party of young people was
being shown and included lots of jump cuts, it would represent the young people
as disorientated, implying they were drunk and wild. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONMSe_zhq70
Linear narrative: a
sequential narrative with a beginning, a middle and an end-in that order. Linear narratives provide a straightforward,
sequential representation of events leading to a single resolution. As such, easily accessible to audiences and
are the dominant form in mainstream media representations.
Long take: each time a
shot is recorded it is called a take. A
long take is one that is allowed to remain on screen for a long duration before
it is cut. Long takes are often used to
slow the pace of the scene down, making it calmer and more peaceful http://www.youtube.com/user/Sarahmediafilm#p/c/AACD3B2246DAEFF3
Montage: a series of shots edited together to show time passing
and something happening in that time.
Famous examples are in Rocky where we see a montage of Rocky training
and getting better and fitter before his fight. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP3MFBzMH2o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQvNu8LoTo0
Short take: a short take is one that is allowed to remain
on screen for a short time before the editor cuts to something else. Short takes are often used to speed the pace
of the action up, making it more dramatic and exciting. http://www.youtube.com/user/Sarahmediafilm#p/c/AACD3B2246DAEFF3
Shot-reverse-shot: cutting between two people having a
conversation (rather than including them both in one static mid shot) can help
to contrast them and make them seem different.
It highlights their differences and also allows us to see the reactions
of characters.
Slow motion: used in the
editing process to slow down the action for emotional or comic effect.
Split screen: an editing
technique which involves the cinema screen being split into two or more parts
to allow the showing of events that are taking place at the same time.
Superimpose: the
appearance of writing/symbols or images on top of an image so that both are
visible at once, increasing the amount of information the viewer has in one
shot.
Visual effects: depends on what it is.. Often it depends on
what the character’s reactions to these special effects are. For example, a man who has no reaction to a
massive fiery explosion will seem brave and masculine. Graphics on screen (eg numbers and facts as
seen in CSI) , may represent
someone as intelligent or competent in their work. Showing someone in colour when the rest of
the image is in black and white emphasises them and draws the audience’s
attention to them as important.
Wipe: a moving
image editing technique that involves one image wiping another off the screen. This suggests that whatever scene / character
pushes the other one off the screen, is more important or powerful. Wipes can go left or right, up or down and
even be in shapes like stars! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnixMJvOtpI
SOUND TERMINOLOGY
Ambient sound: the sounds of the location eg water noises
near a river, cows mooing in a farm etc.
They tell us what kind of place we are in and if we see how characters
react to these sounds it tells us a lot. Noisy cars, horns, people, traffic
represent a region as being busy and urban and not very homely.
Asynchronous sound: the sound is either out of sync with the
visuals or is unrelated to the visuals.
Sound that is just out of sync would make the viewer feel disorientated
and would make the characters and scene seem strange. Sound that is unrelated to the visuals may be
there for emphasising something. For
example, in ‘The Godfather’ we see a man murdering people in cold blood, but
hear the sounds of a priest christening a baby.
This contrast emphasises the loss of innocent life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC1-6nDGRfc&feature=related
Dialogue: the words the characters say. What do the characters actually say? Do they
reveal their beliefs or their attitudes? How do they say it? If someone’s voice sounds nervous and wobbly
it tells us a lot about their character.
If they speak softly it implies they are weak or emotional. If they have a deep, booming voice it makes
them seem more masculine. Don’t forget
accents as they tell us where someone is from and emphasise their differences
from others.
Direct address (also known as breaking the 4th
wall): where the character talks
to the audience directly. Don’t confuse this with a point of view shot. It is very unusual and breaks the reality for
the audience, but also helps us to see that character as an equal, a friend, as
someone to sympathise with. Often seen
in shows like ‘Scrubs’ and ‘Malcolm in the Middle’.
Diegetic sound:
sound that
you could hear if YOU were one of the characters inside the scene. This includes words the characters say,
background noises like traffic and crowd noise and even music if it is heard by
the characters eg at a club, on a television. Diegetic sound can set the mood
of the piece, influence a character’s behaviour or emotions, and help the
viewer to see a scene as realistic.
Non diegetic sound: the sound that the characters in the scene cannot
hear. For example, a musical soundtrack,
a voice over etc. Non diegetic music
sets the scene and time period as well as atmosphere. A voice over allows the audience to hear
someone’s thoughts and empathise with them.
Pitch: low pitch describes a sound that is deep and low (eg thunder) and high
pitch describes a sound that is higher and lighter (eg a phone ringing).
Rhythm: describes the beat of the music, whether it is fast or slow. Sound or music with a fast rhythm is often
used to increase a sense of urgency or threat.
Sound or music with a slow rhythm is often used to depict calmness and
peace. Sound or music with an irregular
rhythm is used to confuse the audience and make them feel uncomfortable.
Voice over: the use of
a voice over images, perhaps as an introduction, a linking narrative device for
or to comment on action. It allows the audience to see inside the head of a
character, helping us to empathise with them.
Sound bridge: a portion of sound that covers a cut,
normally to link two scenes together.
For example if you were to see a woman talking about how much she missed
her boyfriend and her voice continued as a sound bridge on top of the shot of
him, even if just for a few seconds, it emphasises that he is the man she is
talking about. Sound bridges are often
used to try and mask cuts from the audience, making it seem more realistic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIkpD2Nr5yI&playnext=1&list=PL011F31D3E38DBB59
Sound motif: hard to spot in a short clip but this is a
sound which normally represents a certain character. For example the ‘Da Da’ of the shark in the
film’ Jaws’.
Sound effects: a sound accompanying an action, sometimes
musical. For example in the film ‘Psycho’
short, sharp violin noises accompany each stab of the knife during the famous
shower scene. This emphasises the
violence of each stabbing motion and makes it more dramatic.
Soundtrack: music from a soundtrack (all the sounds) or score (just
the music) emphasises the themes and emotions of a scene or character. Think about the beat and instruments
used. For example a high energy dance
track with loud crashing tones will emphasise someone’s youth. Soft piano music
might help us to see a woman as stereotypically delicate and feminine.
Synchronous sound: sound that is in sync with the visuals and
was filmed at the same time.
MISE-EN-SCENE TERMINOLOGY
Lighting (general): can be used to highlight important
characters
High Key Lighting: a bright and well-lit scene with very few
shadows. Often used to make a location
or character seem friendly, happy, safe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUvkWkxFb2M
Low key Lighting: a dimly-lit scene with lots of
shadows. Often used to make a location
or character seem shady, untrustworthy, dangerous, unsafe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91gU93J2Q8k&feature=relmfu
Body shape and language: the way a character’s body looks and the
way they hold their body eg confident, slumping down, cowering from someone,
tells us what type of person they are and how they feel about others.
Facial features and expression: the way a character’s face looks and shows
emotion. For example a shocked
expression, sadness, a look of love. You
can also comment on the way they look such as a interesting features like bad
teeth, small, squinty eyes etc It tells
us what type of person they are and how they feel about others.
Props: items a character possesses or picks up eg a gun or a bunch of flowers.
They can tell us lots about what type of person someone is.
Costumes: clothes a character is wearing. You could comment on the style, shape, choice
of item, colour, etc. They can tell us
lots about a character, what type of person they are, how they are feeling. For example, a floaty dress might represent
someone as being traditionally feminine.
A policeman’s uniform might represent someone as having authority and
power. Baggy, shapeless clothes might
suggest someone is shy, whereas tight clothing might suggest they are confident
and flirtatious.
Hair and make-up: the appearance of the hair of a character
and the cosmetics a character might be wearing such as lipstick, a skin head
etc. They tell us things about the
character. For example a woman wearing
very little make up might be seen as being very naive and innocent.
Voice / tone: the way a character speaks tells us a
lot. Someone who stutters might be
nervous. Someone who shouts may be angry
and powerful.
Colour: colours in a scene often represent things. Red can represent anger, passion, danger,
love. Blue can seem calm and peaceful,
sometimes sad. You must pick the most appropriate meaning for the scene.
Location: a place where the scene is set. A location can tell us lots about the people
in it. For example, a dirty,
bloodstained basement could signify that a character was a villain or up to no
good. A messy bedroom might signify that
the character who owned it was disorganised.
Don’t forget to look out for how a character reacts to their location as
well (eg if they are comfortable there or not).
Breaking the Fourth Wall (Direct Address): describes a time when a character may look
directly at the camera and speak to the audience. This is highly unusual but can be seen
regularly in shows like ‘Miranda’ and ‘Hustle’.
This is designed to emphasise that character as the most important, as
powerful and as someone we should be siding with as it helps us feel like we
are “one of them” and as if we are one of their friends.
GENERAL TERMINOLOGY
Agenda – A plan or belief system within a group, normally hidden
from others. For example there is a
belief that the BNP have a racist agenda.
Antagonist – The leading villain in the show (or the one the
protagonist has to go up against).
Archetype – A easily recognised type of character that can be
found in many stories. For example, the
hero, the princess, the damsel in distress, the loyal friend, the villain, the
temptress.
Binary Opposites – Two contrasting characters or scenes that
are seen in one show, that are clearly meant to be total opposites. For example there may be a sweet innocent
girl who is scared and weak, paired against an evil powerful man. They would be binary opposite characters. Binary opposites could be concepts such as
good/evil, light/dark, male/female, old/young
Connotation – Hidden Meaning.
For example, “the connotation of the main female”.
Countertype - a positive stereotype that emphasises the positive
features about a person.
Conventional – Something that is seen to be ‘normal’. So a conventional female character would be
quite weak, girly and may be a mother or a housewife.
Dominant Ideology – A set of beliefs that are widely accepted
as being the most normal, or the most accurate.
For example, the dominant ideology of men is that they are strong, brave
and work to provide money for their families.
Homophobia - Actions, behaviours, feelings or words which seem to
discriminate against people because of their sexuality. This is normally because the person who is
being homophobic believes there is a difference between sexualities and thinks
that one sexuality is better than the other.
Juxtaposed – Two different things placed next to each other to
create meaning. For example a shot of a
baby may be juxtaposed with a shot of a funeral to emphasise the circle of
life.
Male Gaze – A theory by a lady called Laura Mulvey which suggests
that all media products encourage the characters and audience to “leer” at and
“look” at women. For example, “the
camera angle looking down Sarah’s cleavage encourages the audience to take a
‘male gaze’ over the female character”.
Media Language – Simply means the combination of technical
elements such as camera shots, camera movement, editing, sound and
mise-en-scene.
Patriarchy – A type of society where men are dominant over
women. Many feminists believe that we
live in a patriarchal society where women are forced to be weaker and
subservient.
Positioning – how the audience are encouraged to interpret a
particular situation. For example, “the
audience are positioned to sympathise with the female character.”
Protagonist – The leading character in the show
Realist / Realism – A style of tv show / film which attempts
to be as “realistic” as possible. For
example, “Shameless is considered a realist programme.” Being a “realist” programme doesn’t necessarily
mean the show IS realistic or accurate.
Racism – Actions, behaviour, feelings or words which seem to discriminate
against people because of their skin colour.
This is normally because the person who is racist believes that there is
a difference between people who have different skin colours and they believe
one skin colour to be better than another.
Sexism – Actions, behaviours, feelings or words which seem to
discriminate against people because of their gender. This is normally because the person who is
being sexist believes there is a difference between the two genders and that
one gender is better than the other.
Stereotype – An overly exaggerated representation of a type of
person that is normally negative. For
example a teenage stereotype would be a hoodie-wearing, knife-carrying
criminal.
Unconventional – Something which is seen to not be ‘normal’. For example, an unconventional female
character might be powerful, the boss of a company, and very dominant over
other characters.
Versimilitude – A feeling of reality / real life created by
particular elements. For example, “The series ‘Outnumbered’ creates a feeling
of verisimilitude for the audience by using a real house, every day storylines
that would affect an average family, and improvised dialogue.”
Xenophobia - Actions, behaviours, feelings or words which
seem to discriminate against people because of their country of origin. This is normally because the person who is
being xenophobic believes there is a difference between the countries and that
one country is better than the other.
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