Media Language 2

Media language refers to the ways in which meaning is created in media texts. Below are some more of the terms we have been learning about in our AS Media Studies lessons.

Camera -

• Extreme long shot: A wide view of the complete setting, a person would be barely visible in the scene. It gives a sense of scale and provides watchers with a location, this is very similar to an establishing shot.

• Long shot: Closer than extreme long shot but still shows the complete scene, a human figure is clearly visible and fits easily within the frame. However, the background will still dominate the human figure.

• Medium long shot: A great deal of information about the setting is still visible, human characters can be seen in detail and everything above the knees is in shot. A common purpose of this type of shot is to provide both dialogue and action.

• Medium shot: On the human body, a medium shot would start at around the waist and include little space above the head to allow gesture and expression to be clearly visible. This shot is ideal for dialogue and some very limited action.

• Medium close up: Frames the subject moderately closely, the head and shoulders fit comfortably in the frame with little room above the head.

• Close up: Shows the detail of the subject and may only show the face of the person, this is often used in narrative to show emotion.

• Extreme close up: Shows only a portion of detail and magnifies something that is very small. It can be used to create a sense of mystery and can be very effective in hiding what something is until a dramatic pullback.

• Crane: When the camera is attached to a crane and we are shown the scene from above it, this can act as a sense of scale or provide information.

• Dutch: When the camera is titled to one side so the horizon is on an angle, it creates an effect that is disorienting and unsettling for the audience.

• Rule of thirds: A photograph in some people's opinion should never be placed in the centre of the frame, instead the focus should be at the intersection of imaginary lines that divide the frame into thirds.

• Depth of field: A filmmaker can use focus to make the audience pay attention to certain details, the background and other details can be downplayed by keeping them out of focus. The area of the frame that is in sharp focus is called the depth of field and this is determined by the length of the lens.

Editing -

• Straight cut: Creates a natural movement between shots and in many ways emulates the audiences' own eye movements.
• Fade: Where the old image gently disappears, usually to a black screen before the new image appears in its place.
• Dissolve: Bringing a new shot into focus as the old one disappears from focus, at some point in dissolve both shots are on the screen at the same time.
• Wipe: Where the new image comes onto the screen with a distinct shaped edge and seemingly ‘pushes’ the old one off screen.

Lighting -

• Coloured lighting: These are often used to give a particular effect the scene, less natural lights again can be used to give a different effect.

• Diegetic lighting: Lighting that appears to emanate from a source within the scene.

Mise en scene -

• Set dressing: How the setting is presented to the audience via the use of décor or the landscape shown of an external location.
• Casting: The choice of actors is an important part of the creation of the text, an actor needs to have the right look for the character that the director wants to create.
• Body language: The style of acting and the way the actors respond to the action is part of the meaning of the text.
• Framing: The relative positioning if actors and objects within the frame.

Special effects -

• Green screen: This is used to superimpose images onto another and can be used to place an actor into a location.

• Computer generated technology: This is used to add to what can be created on film, some films are created using only CGI and it makes up the whole of the mise en scene.