1
AQA MWDIA STUDIES GCSE KEY VOCABULARY EXAM LATEST
UPDATE -2026- 100+ QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS ALL
THE BEST
Archetype
An original on which many copies are based. Often used in relation to characters
in fictional works. Character archetypes include examples such as the rebel, the
mother figure, the villain.
CGI
Computer-generated imagery is the application of computer graphics to printed or
moving image media. The term CGI commonly refers to 3D computer graphics
used for special effects in film sequences.
Code
A communication system which includes signs, rules and shared understanding.
Examples include the English language, non-verbal codes, print codes and editing
codes.
Colour palette
The suite of colours that are used in the creation of media texts, such as websites
and magazines, to reflect a brand and appeal to its audience.
Commercial broadcasting
Privately owned media broadcasting of television and radio programming.
Audience
The people who consume a media product by watching, listening and reading it.
Audience positioning
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The technique used to persuade the audience to interpret a media product in a
particular way.
BARB
Broadcasters' Audience Research Board - the organisation that measures and
collects television viewing data in the UK.
BBFC
British Board of Film Classification - responsible for deciding the age classification
and censorship of all films and video content released in the UK.
Big Close Up (BCU)
An extreme close up camera shot, usually focusing on the face or close detail of
the body.
Binary opposition
The contrast between two ideas or concepts, such as good/evil, male/female.
Usually the contrast causes conflict that drives the narrative.
Brand
A type of product that is manufactured and marketed under a particular name,
logo and design.
By-line
The printed line of text in a newspaper/magazine that names the writer of an
article.
Camera movement
The way the camera is moved during filming to add depth, interest and variation
for the viewer, such as pan and track.
Censorship
The controls and regulations that exist about media content. Censorship powers
can be held by governments or regulatory bodies.
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Concentration of ownership
Refers to the number of organisations or individuals who control ownership of the
media. Fewer stakeholders hold increasing shares.
Conglomerate
A media conglomerate is a large corporation that owns a large number of media
companies, such as television, radio, internet, publishing - giving the
conglomerate control in the market.
Connotation
The meanings of a sign or media product that are made by cultural association.
These are often the deeper or underlying meanings. For example, images of a
sunset in a film may connote ending or closure.
Consumption
The act of using media products by watching, listening to or reading them.
Context
We use this term in two ways in media studies. The immediate surroundings of
something, ie a news photograph on the front page of The Times. The wider
social, cultural or historical circumstances of a media product or process.
Continuity editing
The most commonly used type of video editing used in post-production -
predominantly used to establish a logical and linear coherence between shots.
Conventions
Established rules or shared understandings used in the creation of media
products. Conventions are more likely to be taken for granted as 'the way we do
things' rather than formally written down.
Convergence
AQA MWDIA STUDIES GCSE KEY VOCABULARY EXAM LATEST
UPDATE -2026- 100+ QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS ALL
THE BEST
Archetype
An original on which many copies are based. Often used in relation to characters
in fictional works. Character archetypes include examples such as the rebel, the
mother figure, the villain.
CGI
Computer-generated imagery is the application of computer graphics to printed or
moving image media. The term CGI commonly refers to 3D computer graphics
used for special effects in film sequences.
Code
A communication system which includes signs, rules and shared understanding.
Examples include the English language, non-verbal codes, print codes and editing
codes.
Colour palette
The suite of colours that are used in the creation of media texts, such as websites
and magazines, to reflect a brand and appeal to its audience.
Commercial broadcasting
Privately owned media broadcasting of television and radio programming.
Audience
The people who consume a media product by watching, listening and reading it.
Audience positioning
, 2
The technique used to persuade the audience to interpret a media product in a
particular way.
BARB
Broadcasters' Audience Research Board - the organisation that measures and
collects television viewing data in the UK.
BBFC
British Board of Film Classification - responsible for deciding the age classification
and censorship of all films and video content released in the UK.
Big Close Up (BCU)
An extreme close up camera shot, usually focusing on the face or close detail of
the body.
Binary opposition
The contrast between two ideas or concepts, such as good/evil, male/female.
Usually the contrast causes conflict that drives the narrative.
Brand
A type of product that is manufactured and marketed under a particular name,
logo and design.
By-line
The printed line of text in a newspaper/magazine that names the writer of an
article.
Camera movement
The way the camera is moved during filming to add depth, interest and variation
for the viewer, such as pan and track.
Censorship
The controls and regulations that exist about media content. Censorship powers
can be held by governments or regulatory bodies.
, 3
Concentration of ownership
Refers to the number of organisations or individuals who control ownership of the
media. Fewer stakeholders hold increasing shares.
Conglomerate
A media conglomerate is a large corporation that owns a large number of media
companies, such as television, radio, internet, publishing - giving the
conglomerate control in the market.
Connotation
The meanings of a sign or media product that are made by cultural association.
These are often the deeper or underlying meanings. For example, images of a
sunset in a film may connote ending or closure.
Consumption
The act of using media products by watching, listening to or reading them.
Context
We use this term in two ways in media studies. The immediate surroundings of
something, ie a news photograph on the front page of The Times. The wider
social, cultural or historical circumstances of a media product or process.
Continuity editing
The most commonly used type of video editing used in post-production -
predominantly used to establish a logical and linear coherence between shots.
Conventions
Established rules or shared understandings used in the creation of media
products. Conventions are more likely to be taken for granted as 'the way we do
things' rather than formally written down.
Convergence
