VCE VET Creative and Digital Media flashcards

34 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Design elements

The building blocks used to compose visual work: line, shape, form, colour, tone, texture, space and type. They are arranged using design principles to create meaning.

Design principles

Rules for arranging design elements, including balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, proportion, rhythm and unity. They guide how a viewer reads a composition.

RGB colour model

An additive colour model using red, green and blue light, used for screens and digital display. Combining all three at full intensity produces white.

CMYK colour model

A subtractive colour model using cyan, magenta, yellow and black inks, used for print production. Combining all inks approaches black; it has a smaller gamut than RGB.

Raster versus vector

Raster images are pixel grids that lose quality when enlarged. Vector images use mathematical paths and scale to any size without pixelation.

Resolution

The density of detail in an image, expressed as pixels per inch for raster files or total pixel dimensions. Higher resolution supports larger reproduction without visible pixelation.

Frame rate

The number of individual frames displayed per second in video. Common rates are 24, 25 and 30 fps, chosen for motion feel and broadcast compatibility.

Aspect ratio

The proportional relationship between an image's width and height, written as two numbers such as 16:9 or 4:3. It determines framing and delivery format.

Bit depth

The number of bits used to represent colour or audio information per sample. Higher bit depth allows more tonal values and reduces banding or quantisation noise.

Compression

Reducing file size by removing or reorganising data. Lossy compression discards information permanently; lossless compression preserves all original data on decompression.

Codec

A coder-decoder that compresses and decompresses digital media. The codec determines file compatibility, quality and processing load, independently of the file container.

File container

A wrapper format such as MP4 or MOV that holds video, audio and metadata streams. The container is separate from the codecs used inside it.

Copyright

Automatic legal protection for original creative works once fixed in material form. It grants exclusive rights to reproduce, publish and communicate the work.

Moral rights

Personal rights of a creator covering attribution, integrity of the work and protection from false attribution. In Australia they cannot be assigned away.

Creative Commons

A set of standard licences allowing creators to permit reuse under stated conditions, such as attribution, non-commercial use or share-alike distribution.

Model release

A signed agreement from a person appearing in a production permitting use of their image or likeness. It protects the producer from later privacy or publicity claims.

WHS risk control

The hierarchy of controls applied to workplace hazards: eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineer, administrate, then use personal protective equipment as the last resort.

Client brief

A document stating the client's purpose, target audience, budget, timeline, deliverables and constraints. It is the reference point for approving creative work.

Treatment

A written pitch describing a production's concept, visual approach, audience rationale, method and schedule. It communicates the creative vision before production begins.

Storyboard

A sequence of drawn panels showing each planned shot, with notes on shot size, camera movement, action and duration. It previews the edit before filming.

Shot list

A production document listing every required shot with location, shot size, camera movement, equipment and notes. It supports efficient scheduling on shoot days.

Call sheet

A daily production schedule distributed to cast and crew, listing call times, locations, contacts, scenes and safety information for that shooting day.

Shot size

How much of the subject fills the frame, from extreme wide through wide, medium and close-up to extreme close-up. It controls emphasis and audience proximity.

180-degree rule

A continuity rule keeping the camera on one side of an imaginary line between two subjects. Crossing it reverses screen direction and can confuse the viewer.

Three-point lighting

A lighting setup using key, fill and back light. The key provides main illumination, fill softens shadows and backlight separates the subject from the background.

Colour temperature

A measure in kelvin of a light source's warmth or coolness. Tungsten is roughly 3200 K and daylight roughly 5600 K; mismatched sources require correction.

Rough cut versus fine cut

A rough cut assembles selected footage in story order to test structure. A fine cut refines timing, transitions, sound and colour before final delivery.

Non-linear editing

Editing digital footage by accessing any clip at any point without sequential reworking. It allows instant rearrangement, effects and multiple versions.

J-cut and L-cut

Audio transition techniques. A J-cut brings the next scene's audio in before its picture; an L-cut continues the previous scene's audio over the new picture.

Diegetic sound

Sound whose source exists within the story world, such as dialogue, footsteps or a radio in the scene. Non-diegetic sound, like score, sits outside that world.

Loudness normalisation

Matching audio program levels to a delivery target, commonly around -23 LUFS for broadcast, with true peak limited near -1 dBTP to prevent clipping.

Version control

A system of numbered file versions and change logs preserving the master and tracking edits. It allows recovery of earlier states and prevents lost work.

Deliverable specification

The agreed technical output requirements: format, codec, resolution, aspect ratio, frame rate, duration, audio levels and naming conventions. It is confirmed before delivery.

Audience analysis

Research identifying a target audience's demographics, values, media habits and needs. It informs tone, platform, message and design decisions in a production.