AS Media Studies

TV Drama Unit
Terminology Revision

Sound

Diegetic ‘sound on the set’ – actors voices, a TV turned on, traffic noise etc
Non Diegetic sound added in post production – orchestral scores, sound effects
Sound Bridge sound linking 2 scenes together – maybe we hear the sound of an
actor’s voice before they appear on the screen, or maybe a piece of music links 2
scenes together (sound bridges are also an aspect of EDITING)
Accent The accent in which an actor speaks may be an important aspect of
their REGIONAL IDENTITY – and may also help us to form an idea of a STEREOTYPE
Dialogue Conversation between 2 or more actors – may reveal something
about their representation
Sound Effects Sound added in post production to help the audience read the text
– bangs, crashes, weather noises, slamming doors
Motif A sound or musical refrain which
accompanies a character and introduces them to the
audience

Editing

Shot/Reverse Shot A technique most often used in

conversations, when we cut from one person speaking
to another, and back again
Cross Cut When the editing takes us from one
situation to another, usually back and forth, to suggest the 2 things are linked (eg:
we might cross cut from a burning building to a fire engine, then back to the
burning building then back to the fire engine stuck in traffic – thus building
tension. Sometimes called PARALLEL EDITING)
Match Cut Or ‘match on action’ – when editing occurs on an action thus making
the action appear seamless (eg: we may have a mid shot of a worker raising a hand
holding a hammer, then cut to a close up of the hammer striking the person’s
thumb – this would match the action of the hammer rising and falling – the close up
emphasising the person’s mistake)
Jump Cut An edit that is clumsy and takes the audience by surprise – hence the
term ‘jump’. Used infrequently.
Transitions Effects added during editing. Eg: fades (fading to black may indicate
something sad has happened) Dissolves (one clip dissolving into another may
suggest the action or characters in the two scenes are closely linked)
Slow/fast motion When the footage is slowed down or speeded up. Slowed down
footage helps us to take in a dramatic action (our favourite character getting shot!)
or it may help us to focus on an important prop (a ticket falling from someone’s
pocket)
Ellipsis When time is condensed through editing – eg: a day real time is
portrayed in 30 minutes screen time (think about East Enders – one episode usually
follows the events of a whole day)
Flashback/forward time is manipulated through editing – often with an effect
such as black and white, sudden flashes or change of focus (blurring)
Sound Bridge Sound used as an editing device to link 2 scenes together

Camera

ECU Extreme Close up

BCU Big close Up
CU Close Up
MS Medium Shot
LS Long Shot
WS Wide Shot
ELS Extreme Long Shot
Establishing Shot
Low angle Camera positioned low looking up at the subject
High angle Camera positioned high looking down on a subject
Track Camera moving along, following a moving subject
Pan Camera on a fixed point, swivelling left or right
Tilt Camera on a fixed point, tilting up and down
Mise en Scene

Setting The location, (eg: a city, a room, a street etc). You must mention
specific aspects such as iconic building which would give away the identity of a
certain city for example.
Props object included within a set – a bunch of flowers, a bottle of
alcohol, a knife, a mobile phone
Clothes clothes can determine representational issues such as a character’s
job, their social class, their age, an aspect of their culture or regional identity or a
certain period of time
Lighting lighting can be made to look ‘natural’ – through lamps in sitting
rooms etc, it can be ‘soft’ to make a character look sympathetic, ‘harsh’ to
suggest ‘the cold light of day’ for example. Day/night, sunny or cloudy, lighting
will always be significant
Body language actions and postures of the characters will reveal aspects of
character that may help us to read their stereotype