Media Keyterms

• Rule of Thirds - John Thomas Smith (1797) "Compositions will be balanced if the main objects of attention are positioned on the lines that divide the image into thirds, horizontally or vertically.
• Shallow depth of field - Where the background and/or foreground is defocused to keep either an object or subject in focus for attention
• Deep Depth of field/deep focus - Keeps the whole scene clearly in focus so the audience knows whats going on
• Focus Pull - 
• Situational Irony - Where an action is completely different from an expected outcome of a particular sequence, also known as a plot twist

Izetan Todorov was a Bulgarian structuralist linguist who published influential work on narrative. He theorised that conventional narratives are structured in 5 stages:

1) A state of equilibrium at the outset

2) A disruption of the equilibrium by some action

3) A recognition that there has been disruption

4) An attempt to repair the disruption

5) A reinstatement of the equilibrium

Mise-en-scene = "having been put in the scene'

The Features of Mise-en-scene:

• Location/Set Design - The appearance and position (Time and Space) of the area surrounding the subject
• Makeup/Properties (Props) - Any object held or used by an actor/character for use in furthering the plot or storyline. Makeup is paint applied to the body for beautification or for some particular reason.
• Casting - Whether or not an actor is selected for a role is influenced by their appearance, acting style, accent etc.
• Lighting - Used for highlighting, concealing and portraying particular themes moods; for example dark light suggests horror while bright, artificial lighting suggests sci-fi.
• Costumes - The clothing, accessories and hairstyle worn by the actors to reinforce the characteristics of the theme/time period/social class etc.
• Acting Gesture - The instructions given to a character on how to act