NCEA Level 2 Media Studies key terms

Any completed media product, such as a film, news article, advertisement, game or social media post, that can be studied as a whole. In this subject it is the main object of analysis.

A specific item made by a media organisation or creator and released to an audience, for example a particular episode, campaign or issue. Often used when discussing who made it and why.

The people who receive, use or interpret a media text. Audiences may be targeted by producers, measured by ratings, or studied for how they read and respond to meaning.

The specific group of people a media text is designed to reach, defined by factors such as age, gender, income, interests or location. Producers shape content, language and placement to appeal to them.

Statistical characteristics of a population or audience, such as age, gender, ethnicity, income and occupation. Media organisations use these categories to describe and sell audiences to advertisers.

Ways of describing audiences by attitudes, values, interests and lifestyle rather than by simple statistics. Useful for explaining why different people choose different media even when they share a demographic profile.

The study of how real audiences interpret and react to a media text. It recognises that different viewers may take different meanings from the same text depending on their background and context.

The meaning a producer most wants an audience to take from a text, built in through choices of image, language, sound and structure. It is the dominant interpretation the text encourages.

An audience response in which a person accepts part of a text's preferred meaning but modifies or questions other parts. It sits between full agreement and outright rejection of the text's message.

An audience response in which a person rejects or contradicts the meaning the producer intended. This often happens when the reader's values or experiences conflict with the text's assumptions.

A theory that audiences actively choose media to meet needs such as information, entertainment, social connection, personal identity or escape. It treats the audience as making purposeful choices rather than passively receiving messages.

The way people, groups, places and ideas are shown in media texts through selection and construction. Representations are never neutral; they carry values and can shape how audiences understand the world.

A simplified, widely held generalisation about a group of people that is applied to all members. In media it can reinforce limited or unfair views by repeating the same narrow images.

A representation that deliberately challenges or reverses a common stereotype, for example showing a group in roles usually denied to them. It can be used to question dominant assumptions.

The process by which a media text is built through deliberate choices of shots, editing, language, sound and layout. Recognising construction helps audiences see that texts are made, not simply recorded.

The set of techniques and conventions a medium uses to create meaning, such as camera angles, editing, typography, sound and layout. Each medium has its own vocabulary and grammar.

Everything placed within the frame of a moving-image shot, including setting, props, costume, lighting, make-up and actor positioning. It is a key way films create mood and meaning.

The position of the camera relative to the subject, such as high, low or eye level. Angle influences how powerful, vulnerable or threatening a subject appears to the audience.

The distance and framing of a shot, for example close-up, medium shot or wide shot. Shot type controls how much detail and context the audience sees and can guide emotional response.

The way a subject is positioned and bounded within the image, including what is included or left out. Framing directs attention and can imply relationships between people or objects.

The process of selecting and joining shots or clips to create sequence, rhythm and meaning. Choices about cuts, transitions and pace strongly affect how an audience reads a scene.

A sequence made by joining several short shots, often to compress time or build an idea through contrast. The meaning arises from the combination of images rather than any single shot.

An editing style that aims to make cuts invisible so the action flows smoothly. It uses rules about matching movement, screen direction and position to keep the viewer oriented.

The planned use of audio in a media text, including dialogue, music, effects and silence. Sound design shapes atmosphere, guides emotion and can establish location or time.

Sound that comes from within the world of the story, such as characters talking, a radio playing or footsteps. Characters in the scene could plausibly hear it.

Sound added for the audience that does not exist in the story world, such as a soundtrack, voice-over narration or dramatic sting. It shapes mood without the characters being aware of it.

A category of media text sharing recognisable conventions, such as horror, news, sitcom or documentary. Genres help producers target audiences and help audiences know what to expect.

A familiar rule or pattern that audiences expect within a genre or medium, such as jump scares in horror or bylines in news. Producers may follow, adapt or deliberately break conventions.

A text that combines conventions from two or more genres, such as a comedy-horror or a documentary-drama. Hybrids can attract wider audiences and refresh familiar formulas.

The organised sequence of events and information through which a media text tells a story. Narrative involves choices about order, viewpoint and what is revealed or withheld.

The overall shape of a story, such as linear progression, flashbacks, cliffhangers or open endings. Structure affects suspense, pacing and how an audience assembles meaning.

The pattern of change a character undergoes across a text, from their starting situation to their final state. Arcs help audiences connect with characters and give stories a sense of development.

A set of beliefs, values and assumptions about how the world is or should be. Media texts often carry ideology implicitly through what they present as normal, good or natural.

The set of values and beliefs most widely accepted or promoted in a society at a given time. Media often reflect and reinforce it, though texts can also challenge it.

Who controls a media organisation and how that control is structured, for example public, private, independent or part of a large conglomerate. Ownership can influence content, priorities and diversity of voices.

A large company that owns many media outlets and brands across different platforms. Conglomerates can spread content widely and shape what audiences see, raising concerns about concentration of influence.

Broadcasting funded to serve the public interest rather than only profit, with duties such as informing, educating and reflecting national culture. It is usually publicly funded or tightly regulated.

Media organisations that depend mainly on advertising, subscriptions or sales for income. Their need to attract and keep audiences shapes the kinds of content they produce.

The technology or service through which content is distributed and consumed, such as television, radio, print, streaming services or social media apps. Platform affects audience reach and how texts are experienced.

The process of getting a finished media text to audiences, including scheduling, release, streaming, syndication and promotion. Distribution decisions strongly affect who sees a text and when.

The merging of previously separate media technologies, industries and content onto shared digital platforms. It changes how texts are produced, distributed and consumed, and blurs boundaries between media types.

A media environment in which audiences do not just consume content but also create, remix, comment on and share it. It blurs the line between producer and audience, especially online.

Material such as videos, posts, reviews or memes created by ordinary users rather than professional media organisations. It is a major feature of social platforms and can influence mainstream media.

The activities used to promote and sell a media text or product, including trailers, posters, interviews and social campaigns. Marketing shapes audience expectations before they encounter the text itself.

The rules and bodies that govern what media organisations may publish or broadcast, covering areas such as accuracy, fairness, harm and advertising standards. Regulation aims to balance freedom with public protection.

Moral principles guiding what media producers should or should not do, such as respecting privacy, avoiding harm and being honest. Ethical questions often arise when public interest conflicts with individual rights.

A slant or imbalance in how information is selected, framed or presented, favouring one viewpoint over others. Bias can be deliberate or unintended and may appear in word choice, sourcing or omission.

The ability to access, analyse, evaluate and create media messages critically. A media-literate person questions sources, recognises techniques and understands how texts try to influence them.