respects, so as to explain one of the things or make it easier to compre-hend: the atom can be understood as a miniature solar system;
ANGLe 2. process by which language forms are created on the model of already existing forms: the suffix -ize (used for example in apologize, realize, categorize, symbolize, etc.) has been extended to create new words such as energize or digitize
analytic editing type of video or film editing in which a sequence of im-ages is constructed to follow a plot, rather than to explain it
analytical engine calculating machine invented by British math-ematician charles babbage in the 1830s, of which only a part was ever built. Babbage’s engine was, in ef-fect, the first general-purpose digital computer, although it was conceived long before electronics technology appeared. It had the capacity to per-form various mathematical opera-tions, using punched cards as a form of permanent memory.
anamorphic lens a lens that “squeez-es” or distorts a filmed image for widescreen projection
anarchist cinema genre that revolves around the theme that life is mean-ingless or unfair and that includes an anti-authoritarian element.
anchor main presenter of the news in a televised newscast
anchorage in advertising, the ability of captions to influence the meaning gleaned from images (photos, print ads, etc.). The term was coined by
the twentieth-century semiotician roland barthes.
ancillary market movie revenue source other than the domestic box office one (foreign box office, video rights, television rights)
ancillary-to-trade any product or service, such as advertising, that sup-ports trade
andersch, staats and Bostrom’s model of communication model proposed in 1969 stressing the transactional nature of communica-tion, in which meanings are created and interpreted by both the sender and the receiver in tandem, and are partially shaped by outside influences
androcentric revolving around or emphasizing a male perspective anecdote short account that helps to illustrate or stimulate interest in a more general issue
ang, ien (1960–) international media scholar known for her work on audiences, identity politics, and media representation. Some of her important works include Desperately Seeking the Audience (1991) and Living Room Wars: Rethinking Media Audiences for a Postmodern World (1996).
angle main point or focus of a story, in journalism usually emphasized as a headline
ANIMAL CoMMUNICATIoN animal communication [also called
zoosemiotics] discipline that studies ways in which animals communicate, focusing on innate signaling systems animated motion picture movie based either entirely or in part on animation
animation moviemaking technique of showing slightly different draw-ings in rapid succession, creating the illusion of continuous motion (this visual illusion is also illustrated by
“flip books”)
animatronics technique of using electronic and/or mechanical devices to animate puppets, models, or any relevant object
anime [also called manga] Japa-nese comic-book drawing technique characterized by very large eyes and a layout in which the panels run from right to left
annals records of published events or information within a particular field annotation act or process of provid-ing critical commentary or explana-tory notes to a text or performance announcement formal or public no-tice uttered or communicated in some medium (oral, written, or recorded) announcer person who introduces radio or television programs or shows; in sports, person who pro-vides continuous commentary during the broadcast of a sports event
anomie term coined by sociologist emile durkheim to refer to the sense of alienation and purposelessness experienced by a person or a class as a result of a breakdown or lack of standards and values. The term is often used in the literature by those who believe that anomie makes some people more susceptible to the effects of mass media.
anonymous written, created, or produced by an unknown person or persons
anonymous audience listeners or recipients who have no connection to any single group and who are unknown to the creator of a media product
anonymous fTP method of con-necting to a remote computer without requiring special permission or a password to download files anonymous remail service for forwarding e-mails or newsgroup postings so that personal details are excluded
answerprint final edited version of a filmed piece to be checked for final corrections or modifications
antenna [see aerial]
anthology collection of vari-ous works taken from a specific genre within a medium (for ex-ample, essays, poems, sitcoms, or documentaries)
ANTIMoNoPoLY CoNTroLS anthology drama popular form of
early television programming that brought live theater to television audiences
anthropology study of humankind from all points of view (evolution, culture, etc.). Lewis Henry Morgan, who conducted research on the cul-tures of the Iroquois in the nineteenth century, is considered the North American founder of the discipline;
in europe, British scholar edward B.
Tylor is credited with its foundation.
In the 1970s, anthropological meth-ods such as ethnography (studying some cultural phenomenon through systematic observation) were adopted by media researchers to gain insights into the ways in which traditional forms of culture have been changed by the mass media and mass commu-nications technologies.
anthropomorphism in literature and the arts, the attribution of human qualities to objects, animals, plants, or gods
anthroposemiotics branch of semi
-otics studying sign use in the human species (as opposed to sign use across species). Biosemiotics is the more ge-neric term, used to refer to the study of sign use across species.
anti-aliasing technique that mini-mizes the distortion of a digital image or sound signal, accomplished by
“smoothing,” or removing compo-nents that have too high a frequency to be resolved by the recording device
anticlimax rhetorical technique of sequencing ideas in a phrase or sentence in diminishing impor-tance, usually for some humorous or satirical effect: He is intelligent, handsome, but short. Thousands died in that horrific war; a great deal of time was also lost. The term anti-climactic is often used to describe a sudden change from something serious to something trivial or from something compelling to something dull.
antics ludicrous or extravagant ac-tions performed by an actor playing an exaggerated comic role
antihero character in a story who lacks the traditional qualities associ-ated with heroes, such as bravery, strength, idealism, or courage antilanguage 1. language created by a specific group in order to exclude outsiders from the group; 2. language created and sustained by a specific group to express opposition to a dominant linguistic order. An ex-ample of anti-language is that found in some rap lyrics, characterized by intentional misspellings and other devices that are in breach of standard english.
antimonopoly controls regulatory legislative measures designed to inhibit the control of business or sup-ply by a single entity (for example, to prevent media conglomerates from monopolizing the delivery of mass communications)
ANTINArrATIVe
antinarrative [see antinovel]
antinomy putting together two reasonable but opposite premises in a seemingly contradictory fashion so as to achieve some rhetorical effect: for example, what is bad is really good for you; inelegance is in fashion antinovel [also called antinarrative]
novel lacking the traditional elements of the narrative, such as plot struc-ture, realistic characters, etc. Mol-loy (1951) by Samuel Beckett is an antinovel.
antirealism storytelling technique in which no attempt is made to repre-sent a situation realistically antithesis use of words, phrases, clauses, or expressions of opposing meaning to emphasize contrasting concepts: for example, He is laugh-ing; I am crying. They are growlaugh-ing;
I am shrinking.
antitrust laws legislative measures designed to protect trade and com-merce from unlawful control by large corporations or single entities
antiwar genre narrative that revolves around a plot or a situation that brings out the absurdity or depravity of war
antonomasia 1. use of a title or