Here is a large list of terms often used in Media Studies.
Advertising - Any paid form of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor.
Advertorials- (info-mercials) - paid announcements in print or screen media designed as an entertainment or educational presentation.
Air time - the time at which a radio program is broadcast.
Anchor- a word or image can ‘fix’ or ‘anchor’’ the preferred reading of a text
Bias - a preference that interferes with objective judgements.
Broadcasting - the transmission of radio or TV signals on frequencies available to anyone with basic receivers.
Broadsheet newspaper- Large format newspaper that report news in serious, in-depth manner. Such as The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent.
Camera angle - the position of the camera relative to the horizontal plane of the subject. In a high-angle shot, the camera is above the subject; in an eye-level or flat shot, the camera is on the same plane as the subject; in a low-angle shot, the camera is below the subject. Camera angles should make sense within the context of the shot.
Camera distance - the apparent distance of the camera from the subject (extreme close (XCU), close-up (CU), medium shot (MS), long shot (LS)).
Camera movement - an actual or simulated movement relative to the subject:
Pan - slow, steady movement across a scene from a fixed point
Follow - like the pan, but the camera is directed at an individual or object as it moves through a scene
Tilt - a vertical pan or follow
Zoom in and zoom out - use of the zoom lens to approach or back away from the subject
Dolly or track - use of a wheeled vehicle to move the camera alongside, toward, or away from the action.
Camera-subject distance - the distance between the camera and a subject.
Casting - the selection of individuals who will appear in a film or program.
Cinematographer - the person responsible for photographing the film.
Close up (CU) - shot in which an important detail, object, or facial expression fills the screen.
Code - a system of signs--verbal, aural or visual--used to convey meaning.
Communication - the exchange of messages between a sender and a receiver in which the message is understood by the receiver; the process by which messages are formulated, exchanged, and interpreted.
Composition (visual media) - the placement and use of all the various elements in the frame of a movie, television show, or photograph in order to achieve maximum impact.
Connotation- ideas we associate with a word/image.
Continuity - the scripted part of a documentary program which introduces the topic, connects the various components (usually recorded interviews), and concludes the program; provides coherence to the disparate components of these programs.
Convention - a generally accepted custom or an established rule.
Cross-cutting - intermingling shots of different events, used to suggest parallels or to create suspense.
Cut - the immediate change from one shot to the next.
Cyberspace - the electronic environment created by the links among computers and other electronic equipment such as satellites.
Dead air - the period of time when no programming is being broadcast, even though radio station is "on the air".
Deconstruct - to take apart, analyze, or break down a media text into its component parts in order to understand how it is created.
Delivery - an oral presentation on radio; effective voice qualities (e.g., pitch, tone, diction, and pace) that enhance the verbal message.
Denotation- what we actually see, or the proper definition of a word
Director - the person responsible for the creative interpretation of the script, story, or issue and the supervision of its filming and editing.
Disinformation- giving false information
Dissolve - the superimposition of one shot which is fading out, on the next shot which is fading in.
Docudrama - a semi-fictionalized film or program that mixes documentary footage with dramatic scenes or re-enactments.
Documentary - a factual film about a particular subject or a radio program which treats an event or issue in depth.
Dominant Culture - a societal group with power or authority.
Editing (print media) - a process of selecting and arranging items and of revising writing in newspapers, magazines, and other print media.
Editing (sound) - a process of arranging and bringing together all the individual soundtracks (e.g., dialogue, sound effects, music) and combining them onto one master track.
Editing (visual) - a process of selecting, arranging, and combining shots.
Establishing shot (ES) - generally a long shot or extreme long shot used to show the setting.
Extreme close up (ECU) - a close up in which a small detail fills the entire screen.
Extreme long shot (ELS) - a very wide shot, often a panoramic view.
Fade-in - a shot that begins totally over or under exposed (white or black) and gradually becomes properly exposed.
Fade-out - a shot that ends by changing from the proper exposure to an extreme under or over exposure.
Fast motion - the opposite of slow motion (i.e., filmed at fewer than 24 frames per second).
Form - the way a text is put together.
Format - the overall concept of a radio station’s sound (includes factors like music, news, personalities, with number and placement of "spots" and "jingles"; may be a broad overall idea or highly detailed rigid set of slogans and top songs that are endlessly repeated).
Frame - a single, still image from a film or video.
Freeze frame - an effect in which a single frame is held on screen for an indefinite time.
Gatekeepers - the people who determine what will be printed, broadcast, produced, or consumed in the mass media.
Genre - a way to classify prose, poetry, drama, and other media.
High angle shot - a shot in which the camera looks down upon the subject from a higher vantage point.
Ideology - a system of beliefs that is characteristic of a particular class or group.
Interactive - able to be affected or changed by something the user does
Internet - the interconnection of computers around the world so that they are capable of communicating with one another.
Jingle - recorded singing, usually of station call letters or slogan.
Jump cut - an abrupt and jarring change from shot to shot or scene to scene.
Juxtaposition - the positioning of items side by side or close together.
Kicker - a humorous or light-hearted story sometimes used at the end of a newscast.
Logo - a distinctive identifying symbol for communication, publication, or screen presentation.
Long shot (LS) - a wide shot or a scene, which relates the subject to the background or setting.
Low angle shot - a shot in which the camera looks up at the subject from a lower vantage point.
Mainstream media - media created for and favoured by large numbers of people in society (related to popular culture).
Market - a potential listening audience in the area the radio station broadcasts; potential buyers of the products and services advertised by the radio station.
Marketing - the process of promoting and selling a product or service based on decisions about what the product image should be and who is most likely to buy it.
Mass media - media such as television, radio, and newspapers that can reach a large group of people.
Masthead- the top section of a newspaper which gives the paper’s title, price and date
Media - the plural of medium.
Media effects - a general term that refers to the consequences or impacts of media use on individuals, society, and culture.
Media event - a reported event that appears to be news, but is actually staged by an individual, group, or government.
Media literacy - an understanding of media methods and messages.
Medium - a format for communicating messages.
Medium shot (MS) - a medium close shot in which the head, shoulders, and chest are normally included in the frame.
Montage - a sequence of shots cut together often in a stylized way, to suggest a theme or idea rather than a continuous event.
Multimedia - format that combines such elements as sound, text, photographs, and moving video images.
Narration - a scripted voice-over commentary, read by a narrator or participant in a film.
Network - a system of many computers connected together; a company that distributes programs for broadcast.
Nonverbal - communication that relies on visual messages.
Output - sound from a tape recorder, amplifier, mixer, or other piece of equipment; may be in the form of electrical energy or sound.
Out takes - footage or shots not used in the finished film or program.
Pan - short for "panoramic" shot; a horizontal movement in which the camera is turned from the left to right or right to left to follow a moving subject or give a sweeping view across a scene.
Point of view (POV) - a subjective shot that shows the point of view of a particular character.
Popular culture - widespread, prevalent, and current trends or fads; arts, customs, beliefs, and all other products of human thought made by and favoured by large numbers of people in a society.
Press Association- take info sources and send them out to news media. They are often the single source for a news story but their role is to quote accurately the info sent to them rather than investigate its validity.
Press release- Info sheet sent out by companies and organisations to newspapers and other media.
Prime time - the most popular time to watch television.
Print codes - the codes which help the reader understand the newspaper or magazine and which have an impact on the reader’s response.
layout and design - include colour, typeface, arrangement of stories, photographs, advertisements, bulletins, and size of items on the page; often have a significant influence on reader response
caption - includes one or two lines of print under a photograph or other illustration
inverted pyramid pattern - the hypothetical structure of newspaper stories.
Print media - any presentation that uses paper.
Producer - the person who plans, co-ordinates, and supervises the overall production of a film, including personnel and budget.
Production manager - the person responsible for the shooting schedule and for solving problems on location during filming.
Programming (television) - the types of programs shown and their placement in the schedule.
Propaganda - the information and opinions that are intended to convince people to accept or reject a certain idea.
Ratings - the periodic measurement of a radio or television station’s audience size.
Rough cut - the first assembly of a film or program in which selected shots are edited together.
Rushes (or dailies) - film that is processed as soon as possible after shooting so it can be viewed by director and crew.
Scene - a clearly identifiable part of an event, usually in a single location and in a single time span; it generally consists of several shots.
Screen media - motion picture, television, and computer messages presented on a flat panel.
Screenplay - a dramatic script for a film or television program that includes both dialogue and action descriptions.
Sequence - a series of scenes shown together (related by theme, plot, or location) that make up an organic whole and that has a clearly identifiable beginning and end; usually several sequences are put together to make even a short film.
Shooting script - a detailed script for a dramatic film or program in which the action is broken down shot by shot.
Shot or take - a single photographic image or a continuous take in motion pictures.
Slow motion - action which appears to happen at slower than normal speed.
Sound editing - stage in which sound effects and music are added to program.
Sound effects (SFX, FX) - sound from any source other than voice-over narration, lip-sync, or music.
Speaker - a device which converts electrical energy to sound.
Spin-off - a television show or video game based on the ideas or characters from another source.
Split screen - an effect in which two or more shots occupy different portions of the scene at the same time.
Spot - a radio term for a commercial or public service announcement.
Stereotype – Assumption of someone based on the group they belong to. A highly opinionated, predictable, biased, and simplistic view. Useful in advertising.
Storyboard - a "short shot" script which includes drawings of each shot for a movie or for some television shows.
Three main elements: a description of the shot (e.g., medium shot, low angle, camera movement); a drawing of the shot; a description of the sound (dialogue, music, effects)
Formats differ and are dependent on the needs of the creator and the type of media text being produced.
Subject (visual medium) - what the image in the frame of a movie, television show, or photograph represents.
Superimposition - an effect similar to a double exposure.
Synchronized sound - the matching of sound to action on the screen.
Tabloid - technically, a publication usually half the size of a standard newspaper page; commonly used to refer to a splashy, heavily illustrated newspaper; a "supermarket" newspaper stressing dramatic stories, often about sensational subjects. Such as The Sun, The Mirror and to an extent The Daily Mail and The Daily Express
Tag - a scripted closing to a tape story, usually identifying the speaker/reporter and location; may also be used by the in-studio announcer at the end of a "remote" report; may be a commercial or public service announcement for a particular market.
Take - a version of a shot, unedited, as it was originally recorded by the camera.
Target audience - specific groups of people that media producers or advertisers want to reach. The primary, rather than secondary audience
Text - anything that is read, listened to, or viewed.
Theme- The issues a plot deals with in a text
Tilt - the vertical equivalent of a pan, in which the camera is titled up or down.
Topic sentence- first sentence in a news story which gives the reader a brief potted version of the whole story.
Tracking shot (dolly shot) - a shot in which the camera is mounted on a wheeled platform or dolly to create smooth, steady movements.
Travelling shot - a shot taken from a moving vehicle.
Video - the picture portion of a program; an original production produced on videotape.
Voice over (VO) - a voice or commentary recorded for use on the film’s soundtrack.
Wire copy - news material written by wire services (e.g., Canadian Press, United Press International); news gathered from around the world and transmitted to subscribing newspapers, radio, and television stations via telephone lines.
World Wide Web - a large directory of information on the Internet.
Zoom shot - camera shot that creates the illusion of moving toward or away from a subject simply by changing the focal length of the lens. A Zoom In magnifies objects to make them appear close; a Zoom Out widens the angle view, making objects appear to move farther away.
