Media glossary

sound glossary
Ambient sound- Sound that can be recorded on location or sound that can be added to the soundtrack.

Camera shots- Establishing, master, close up, mid shot, long shot, wide shot, two shot, aerial shot, point of view
Camera angles- could be high, low, or canted angle

Diegetic sound: sounds that come from a person or object in the world of the story and are seen within the field of vision.

Dialogue- this is the sound made by characters talking to each other. ‘Foley’ recording is when characters lip-sync and the sound is recorded in a studio.

Editing- transitions, cuts, special effects, slow motion, cross cutting

ideology-a system of beliefs/values which can be identified in mass media products of texts

Incidental music-Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical

Non diegetic sound: sound that doesn’t come from anything within the field and has been added afterwards whilst editing. Examples are voiceovers, or soundtrack music. The sound can be added non diegetically but can still be within the diegesis.

Soundtrack- A recording of the musical accompaniment to a movie.

Sound effects- sound added to the visual whilst editing. 


Theme- Music that accompanies a certain programme or particular character.

Tune- A melody, one that characterizes a certain piece of music

Voiceover- Voice- is a production technique where a voice that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic) is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations.

Shot Types

These are the shot types we regularly use in our lessons. They are useful because instead of describing the shot as 'near the subject', we could say 'extreme close up (ECU). It gives more information about the shots. These shot types help us go in detail about scenes we watch and use them to describe the effect it might have. For example, if it was a extreme close up, it would be to show facial expression by a subject. 

Task 5-Selection of TV drama stills and annotations

The shot used in this screen shot is a midshot. It shows parts of the person and also shows part of the background, well enough so you can tell the setting. This has been used because the shot is not needed any closer, but does not have much of a background that is needed to be shown. 






This is between a wide shot (WS) and very wide shot (VWS). This is because the subject (the girl on the sofa) is visible, but concentration is mainly on the two adults in the background. This shot has been used because it shows the 3 characters in one conversation but in different parts of the scene. This is effective because you can see more going on, and the class of children being portrayed as lazy and unsociable on the sofa.





This is a over the shoulder shot (OSS). This has been used in this clip for effect to show that there is a conversation occurring between two characters. It is showing that the lady we can clearly see is more dominant and is the one speaking at this time, so dominance is shown here.







This shot is taken from above. They have decided to do this shot at this specific time of the scene because it gives the effect that you should look down to see the main part of the scene. Taken it from above shows the dominance of the character there being looked down on and that they are less powerful, or in this case injured/hurt/ unfortunate.  

Task 4-Roles in a tv drama

Television Producer: They look at the whole production and bring the elements and characters together. It also requires them to be across all the stages of production.

Television Director: Their role is to take responsibility for the sound and visual aspect of the drama. They are involved in preparing the schedule and script and makes sure everyone is sticking to it and doing the right thing. They also check that the characters have everything they need to before filming.  

Production Manager: They look at the production from start to finish. They look after the budget and organise all facilities such as catering, transport, and equipment accommodation and plan the crews.

Script editor- their job is to work with the writer and producer to make sure the story works well as a script and whilst filming. They will make sure the script is ready on time and create the atmosphere the script is explaining.

Script continuity-  They make sure the scene is running smoothly and that the crew is keeping on top of the filming by maintaining scenery, costumes lighting and all essential jobs that can make the edit accurate.

Production secretary- They will support the production team by fulfilling traditional duties make by secretaries.

Location Manager- they are responsible for ensuring the filming is hassle free and to find locations. They are also responsible for health and safety and dealing with owners of the chosen location.

Researcher- They support the producer, contribute ideas and will interview contributors and will write reports.

Runner- They are the most junior member of the team but will be able to get involved in all aspects of production such as photocopying or helping with research.

Task 2-TV drama research

TV drama scheduling

 Research scheduling- Most TV dramas are scheduled for autumn/winter. This is because that’s the time there is the biggest audience as people wont be out, they’ll be spending more time at home. The audiences TV dramas have are mostly adults or young adults. Change of characters can also encourage more people to watch a specific TV drama. Certain TV dramas are scheduled at the same time every day/week; this is so the audience knows when to watch it and so it doesn’t get confusing. They schedule dramas such as soap operas, e.g. Emmerdale at 7pm every weeknight. It’s put on at this time so its appropriate for all ages to watch. (Programme’s after 9pm watershed time isn’t always appropriate for young children). Not all dramas are aimed at exactly the same audience; a crime drama wouldn’t have the same audience as a comedy drama for example. Depending on the drama, it will have different audiences, and will have different reasons for watching them. Niche audiences are looking for a specific drama, whereas mainstream is the majority of people’s opinions. This affects TV drama because the schedule of Programme’s that are shown attract different audiences.

Analysing music videos table

We filled in this table in Media after we watched music video in class. I analysed the group it represented, the camera angles and what the age certification should be/is and why. This is my final table.

Task 3-How are social groups represented in Music videos?

In music video’s, groups are presented in different ways to entertain the audience.

In music videos, gender is represented in ways that show off women/men. Women in music videos are shown and made up to look ‘sexy’ and ‘glamorous’ This could be to attract the audience (men) to watch videos, or because its part of the genre of music. For example in Whistle, by Flo Rider, there are girls in bikinis, on the beach showing off their bodies and posing, this means that women are represented to be models or to entertain. The use of shot types used in the video ‘Whistle’ is close up on the women, which is trying to make it personal. Also the mid shot is used when there is more to see in the background. The lyrics used in the song are also hinting that Flo Rider’s audience is men to look at women. Apart from Flo Rider, there are no other men featured in the music video.

Another social group that is represented in music videos is class. In Jessie J’s video-‘Who’s laughing now’ its representing Jessie as a victim of bulling when she was at school, and is now telling people to now look at how far she has come and what she has achieved. This is also represented in her lyrics, ‘who’s laughing now’, meaning she’s done miles better than the people who bullied her. People who thought they was ‘higher’ than her, aren’t so clever and cocky anymore, represents the group of class.

The social group of gender is also represented in Katy Perry’s video ‘part of me’. The video shows Katy breaking up with her boyfriend and then joining the army. The social group of gender is being represented because people associate the army with men and not women so when she joins the army it catches the audiences’ attention. Close up shots are used when its personal and when the most important parts of the video are shown e.g. when Katy is cutting off her hair so she can join the army, and her facial expressions after she’s trained. Wide shots are used when it’s showing what is going on.

Also, the social group of class is represented in the music video ‘price tag’. In the video she’s seen standing under a tree with money over her, and that represents that money doesn’t matter and to ‘forget about the price tag’.  This is good for representing ‘class’ because it represents however poor or rich you are that you should forget about it and that you shouldn’t let money revolve around everything.