NCEA Level 2 Media Studies flashcards

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

Media text

Any produced media work - film, news story, advertisement, game, post - that can be analysed for meaning, purpose, and audience.

Denotation and connotation

Denotation is the literal, descriptive meaning of a sign; connotation is the associated or implied meaning an audience attaches to it.

Genre conventions

Recurring features of a genre such as iconography, character types, settings, and narrative patterns that signal to audiences what to expect.

Representation

The constructed portrayal of people, places, or groups in media. It is selective and shaped by the values of producers and the intended audience.

Stereotype

A simplified, generalised portrayal of a group that reduces individuals to a few exaggerated traits, often reinforcing assumptions rather than challenging them.

Public service broadcasting

Broadcasting funded to serve the public interest rather than profit, aiming to inform, educate, and entertain a whole national audience.

BSA

New Zealand's Broadcasting Standards Authority, which rules on complaints about broadcast content under standards such as accuracy, fairness, and good taste.

Media convergence

The merging of previously separate media technologies, industries, and content, so one organisation distributes text across multiple platforms.

Mise-en-scène

Everything placed within the frame - setting, props, costume, lighting, colour, and actor positioning - which together construct meaning and mood.

Diegetic sound

Sound that exists within the story world, such as dialogue, footsteps, or a radio playing in a scene.

Non-diegetic sound

Sound added for the audience but not heard by characters, such as a musical score, narrator voiceover, or sound effect.

Low-key lighting

A lighting style using strong contrast and deep shadows, often used in thrillers or horror to create tension and unease.

Match cut

An edit joining two shots that share a visual or thematic similarity, smoothing the transition and linking ideas across scenes.

Cross-cutting

An editing technique alternating between two or more simultaneous actions, building tension or showing parallel storylines.

Dutch tilt

A camera angle where the horizon is deliberately slanted, creating unease, instability, or disorientation in the viewer.

Salience

The feature of a media text that draws the eye first - through size, colour, placement, or contrast - signalling importance.

Intertextuality

A reference within one text to another text, relying on the audience's prior knowledge to create meaning, humour, or commentary.

Audience positioning

The way a text encourages an audience to respond - to sympathise, judge, or identify - through framing, point of view, and narrative.

Equilibrium

In narrative theory, the stable opening state of a story that is disrupted by an event, setting the plot in motion.

Agenda-setting

The theory that media influence what issues audiences consider important by choosing which topics to cover and how prominently.

Cultivation theory

Gerbner's idea that long-term exposure to repeated media patterns shapes audience beliefs about reality, such as overestimating crime rates.

Uses and gratifications

A theory that audiences actively choose media to meet needs: information, personal identity, social interaction, and entertainment.

Encoding and decoding

Stuart Hall's model arguing producers encode meaning and audiences decode it as dominant, negotiated, or oppositional readings.

Hypodermic model

An early effects theory assuming media messages are injected directly into passive audiences, producing predictable responses.

Cultural imperialism

The dominance of one nation's media and values over others, often seen in the global spread of Western entertainment.

Gatekeeping

The process by which editors and platforms decide which information reaches audiences, shaping what is covered and what is omitted.

Citizen journalism

News gathering and reporting by members of the public, often via social media, challenging traditional professional news gatekeepers.

Target audience

The specific group a media text is designed for, defined by demographics such as age and income and by psychographic values.

Pre-production

The planning stage before shooting, including research, scripting, storyboarding, scheduling, budgeting, and location scouting.

Storyboard

A shot-by-shot visual plan showing framing, action, and camera movement, used to plan and communicate a production sequence.

180-degree rule

A continuity rule keeping the camera on one side of an imaginary line so screen direction and character positions stay consistent between shots.

Reach and impressions

Reach is the number of unique people who see content; impressions count total views, including repeats by the same person.