Media Studies AICE Terms

Different types of media products, such as films, TV programmes, magazines, radio programmes.

• Media forms

• Iconography

• Genre

• Convergence

In film and TV this may be used interchangeably with ‘soundscape’, but in audio work it usually refers to music played low in the mix in order to create mood or atmosphere.

• Bed Sound

• Soundbed

• Sound base

• Bedrock

A collection of background sounds which reinforce the realism of a scene – these may be augmented in post-production with, for example, library sound effects, such as crowd murmur. This might also be described as ‘atmosphere’.

• Soundsnape

• Scapesound

• Diegetic

• Soundscape

A recording of the sound at the location of a shoot – may be used as part of the soundscape to provide depth and atmosphere.

• Diegetic

• Room Tone

• Sound step

• Smelly Pickles

A recurring beat forming a pattern. Rhythms may be rapid or slow, regular or irregular, producing different emotional effects in the viewer/listener.

• Rhythm

• Sound Mix

• Balance

• Soundbed

The frequency of a sound. High pitched dissonant strings will magnify the effect of aggression (as in Psycho, for example). Low pitches may sound ominous.

• Sound

• Key level

• Running man

• Pitch

The opposite of harmony: simultaneous or consecutive musical notes which (according to convention) sound harsh or unpleasant. In film and TV dissonant music is likely to suggest that something is wrong, or about to go wrong in the world.

• Dissonance

• Room tone

• Soundbed

• Scalantious

A term which refers to simultaneous or consecutive musical notes which (according to convention) sound pleasant. In film and TV harmonious music may suggest that all is well in the world.

• Dissonance

• Pitch

• Harmony

• Rhythm

Sound effects produced to enhance the realism of actions in the scene, for example, footsteps, the clink of ice in a glass, the sound of a kiss. Foley effects are always produced in post-production and are always diegetic.

• inter additions

• Pitch

• smell-o-vision

• Foley

Sound which does not have its source within the world of the film, for example, mood music, voice-over addressed to the audience.

• Diegetic

• Non-diegetic

  Sound

• Sound delete

• Phonicialous