WACE ATAR Media Production and Analysis flashcards

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

Denotation

The literal, first-order meaning of a sign, such as a red rose denoting a flower of that colour and shape.

Connotation

The associated, second-order meaning a sign carries within a culture, such as a red rose connoting romance or passion.

Myth (Barthes)

Connotation that has become naturalised so the ideological meaning appears obvious and unquestionable, presented as common sense rather than constructed.

Diegetic sound

Sound whose source exists within the story world, such as dialogue, footsteps, or a radio playing inside the scene.

Average shot length

Total runtime divided by the number of shots; a lower value indicates faster editing pace and higher perceived intensity.

Contrapuntal sound

Sound that contradicts the emotional register of the image, producing tension or irony rather than reinforcing the visual mood.

Countertype

A representation that deliberately inverts the expected attributes of a stereotype, challenging the conventional assumption rather than repeating it.

Hegemony

Dominance maintained through consent and the naturalisation of ruling values, rather than through direct coercion or force.

Tokenism

Minimal inclusion of a marginalised group that signals diversity without redistributing narrative agency, screen time, or speaking roles.

Verisimilitude

The internal plausibility of a text, meaning it feels true within its own constructed world rather than corresponding to external reality.

Ideology

A system of values and beliefs that shapes how a text presents the world and what it treats as normal.

Uses and gratifications

An audience model holding that people actively select media to meet needs for information, identity, social interaction, and entertainment.

Oppositional reading

A decoding position in which the audience recognises the preferred meaning but rejects it, interpreting the text against its intended framing.

Cultivation theory

The claim that repeated exposure to consistent media portrayals gradually shapes audiences' perceptions of social reality over time.

Agenda-setting

The media's capacity to influence which issues audiences regard as important, rather than dictating what conclusions they reach.

Two-step flow

A model in which media messages pass to opinion leaders, who reinterpret and relay them through interpersonal networks to others.

Audience share

The proportion of the total viewing or listening audience at a given time that is tuned to a specific service.

Vertical integration

Ownership combining production, distribution, and exhibition stages within one firm, giving control across the supply chain.

Horizontal integration

Ownership combining firms operating at the same level of the supply chain, such as a company acquiring a competing broadcaster.

Public service broadcasting

Broadcasting funded by licence fee or public appropriation and obligated to universality, diversity, and independence rather than profit.

Gatekeeping

The process by which commissioning editors, classifiers, or algorithms decide which content proceeds to audiences.

Economies of scale

Cost advantages gained as output volume rises, lowering the average cost of producing each unit of content.

180-degree shutter rule

Exposure time equals one divided by twice the frame rate, so 25 frames per second gives a shutter speed of 1/50 second.

Codec versus container

The codec compresses the audiovisual stream, while the container wraps that stream with audio tracks and metadata for delivery.

Three-point lighting

A setup using key light for modelling, fill light to control contrast, and back light to separate subject from background.

Non-linear editing

An editing method where clips are arranged in any order and changes are non-destructive, since the project references source media.

Call sheet

A pre-production document listing shoot day schedule, locations, personnel, equipment, and contact details for the production crew.

Glocalisation

Adapting globally distributed formats or content to local cultural references, languages, and audience expectations.

Media imperialism

The dominance of content flows from large exporting nations, shaping the cultural environment of importing countries.

Local content quota

A regulatory requirement obliging broadcasters or streamers to commission or screen a minimum proportion of domestically produced content.

30-degree rule

A continuity guideline requiring a camera angle change of at least 30 degrees between successive shots of the same subject to avoid a jarring cut.

Reflexivity check

Separating what a text actually does from the analyst's emotional response, treating reaction as data rather than as proof.