Media Studies key terms

The main written text of an advertisement, explaining and promoting the product.

The idea that bodies of different shapes and sizes deserve respect, challenging narrow beauty standards and appearance-based shame.

The income earned from cinema ticket sales.

The money generated by cinema ticket sales before deductions for costs and the shares taken by cinemas and distributors.

The visual and verbal identity associated with an artist or organisation, created through features such as logos, imagery, language and recurring messages.

A line identifying the journalist or journalists responsible for an article.

An occupational social-grade grouping covering skilled manual workers (C2), semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers (D), and groups including casual workers and people dependent on state pensions or benefits (E). It does not determine an individual's interests or intelligence.

A prompt telling the audience what action to take after encountering a media message.

Text accompanying an image which identifies or explains what it shows and may guide its interpretation.

Promotion of a product or brand through association with a well-known person.

The suppression, removal or restriction of content by an authority or organisation.

Computer-generated imagery: images created or enhanced using computer software.

A narrative structure in which a settled situation is disrupted and the problem is resolved, returning characters to a familiar situation.

The movement and availability of media products among audiences, such as newspaper copies being sold or digital material being shared.

An ending that leaves a significant event or danger unresolved, encouraging audiences to continue with the story.

A significant turning point or moment of heightened tension, drama or discovery in a narrative.

A media product selected by AQA for detailed study and application of the theoretical framework.

The satisfaction produced when a narrative question or conflict is resolved.

A feature that communicates meaning, such as a camera shot, costume, sound or gesture.

Connecting and arranging selected elements so that they create meaning together.

A way of financing media production through income-generating activities, with the aim of making a profit.

Media operated as a business with the aim of earning a profit.

A media industry that produces and distributes products to generate income and profit.

A funding model in which media activities generate income and are intended to make a profit.

Media ownership organised around earning revenue and making a profit, often through advertising.

Turning something, such as an artist’s image or creative work, into a product with commercial value.

Recognition of a problem and the challenges that deepen the narrative or make its solution more difficult.