Image: a visual representation of something or someone. Images can be thought of as being complex pictorial phenomena, often having symbolic significance and unconscious meanings. Image also refers to the concept we have about someone or something.
Psyche: the mind toall its conscious and unconscious functions and capacities, as a center of thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Freud suggested that the psyche is made up of an id (drives), a superego (conscious), and an ego (rationality) that mediates between the two opposing forces--the id and superego. {See id, ego, superego.}
Id: in Freud's theory, the id represents a person's drives and desire for immediate gratification. The id is a source of energy but it doesn't have direction and thus requires the ego and superego to channel its energy constructively. (See ego, superego.)
Ego: in the human psyche, according to Freud, the ego is involved with the preception of reality and adaptation to it. It mediates between the demands of the id (desire) and superego (conscience). (See id and superego.)
Superego: in Freud's structural analysis of the psyche, the superego is involved with such processes as approval or disapproval and has the role of trying to constrain the id. The functions of the superego operate below our level of awareness. We need the superego to channel our energy in constructive ways, but if it is too strong, it leads to passivity and an overpowering sense of guilt. (See id.)
Intertexuality: according to this theory, all texts (works of art in all media) are influenced, either directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously, by works that have preceded them. Sometimes, as in the case of parody, this "borrowing" is done consciously, but in many other cases, stylistic and other matters are not conscioulsy adapted from earlier works.
Responsive chord: a theory of communication that focuses upon utilizing information stored in people's minds, which can be triggered by the right stimuli, in contrast to other communication theories that focus on the transfer of information from one person to others.
Signifier/signified: according to Ferdinand de Saussure, the division of signs into signifiers (sounds or objects) and signifieds (the concepts generated by the signifier). The relationship between signifiers and signifieds is arbitrary or conventional.
Semiotics: the science of signs that investigates the way meaning is produced and transmitted. (See sign.)
Taste cultures: this is the term used by sociologist Herbert Gans for his analysis of the cultural levels of the American public. He argues that there are five taste cultures in the United States and each is suited to the intellectual level and needs of its group.
Unconscious: Freudian theory (his "topographic" hypothesis) posits the existence of three levels of consciousness in the human psyche. There is consciousness in the human psyche that we cannot access and of which we are unaware, the unconscious. An iceberg can be used to represent these levels. The part just below the sea, which we can dimly make out, is the preconscious level; and the greater part of the iceberg, which we cannot make out, is the unconscious.
Saccades: the quick, intermittent movements the eye makes when it fixes on one point after another in a visual field. Each saccade lasts approximately one-twentieth of a second.
Aesthethics: the branch of philosophy concerned with questions related to the nature of the beautiful; what is the relationship between truth and beauty, between form and content, and so on. Applied aesthetics, in contrast, is interested in how to obtain certain effects through the use of color, lighting, certain camera shots, editing, and so on.
Ethics: the branch of philosophy that deals with right conduct and moral considerations. There is a great deal of debate about the role that ethical considerations should play in the media, in general, and in visual media such as film and television, in particular.
Metaphor: a figure of speech indication an analogy or similarity between two things--for example, "My love is a rose." (See simile.)
Metonymy: a method of generating meaning through the use of association. For example, a mansion suggests wealth (and good taste).
Direct eye gaze: a natural response we have to return the gaze of people who are gazing at us.
Mimetic desire: desire that imitates the desires of others.
Association: a mode of communication, such as metonymy and synecdoche (a weaker form of metonymy), in which meaning is generated by using associations, connections people have in their minds between two things.
Analogy: a mode of communication in which meaning is generated by making comparisons. Metaphors are based on analogies, as are similes, which are weaker forms of analogies.
Simile: a figure of speech using "like" or "as," in which a weak relationship between two subjects is posited--for example, "My love is like a rose." (See metaphor.)
Condensation: the psychological process by which the mind unifies and pulls together disparate images to dreams so as to avoid the dream censor. The condensed image generally has a sexual dimension to it, though this is not apparent. we also react to the sexual content of condensed images when we are awake, though we do not create these images.
Displacement: the psychological process by which the mind invests an object or symbol with significance taken from some other object or symbol. Frequently, this significance has a sexual dimension to it, and the displaced objects often are similar (in shape or function) to the object that is displaced.
Culture: a term used by anthropologists and others for the ideas, values, beliefs, patterns of behavior and ways of living of a group passed on from generation. When used in reference to the arts, culture is thought to involve the elite arts (so-called "high") such as opera, classical music, and serious poetry and novels.
Stereotypes: a widely held but simplistic, inaccurate, and generally negative portrayal of a category of people according to such matters as profession, region, gender, race, religion, age, and ethnicity.
Optical: the term used by art historian Alois Riegl for scanning objects according to their outline.
Haptical: the term used by art historian Alois Reigl for finding pleasure in the texture and grain of objects.
Dot: a small, round mark. Dots are made by the intersection of two lines. Composers generate dots (on monitors) that are called pixels.
Line: a design, sometimes made of letters, used by an organization as a means of establishing its identity.
Shape: the visible configuration or outward form of something.
Scale: a relationship of size between objects or elements in a visual field.
Spatiality: the sense of space, determined in large part by the amount of "white" space, in a visual field.
Balance: balance refers to the arrangement of elements in a composition. In axial or formal balance, the elements are arranged equally on both sides of an imaginary axis. In assymmetrical balance, the elements are arranged in an assymmetrical manner, generating stress, energy and visual excitement.
Lighting: lighting involves the amount of illumination given to objects, which shapes our perception of them. Strong lights and weak shadows is called flat lighting and strong lights and shadows is called chiasoscuro lighting.
Perspective: the abililty to represent objects that are three-dimensional and give a sense of depth on a two-dimensional plane.
Proportion: a relationship between elements in a visual field in which a part is considered with respect to the whole.
Color: the description we use for things based on the way light is reflected or emitted from objects. Colors are differentiated in terms of hue, saturation, and brightness. We also distinguish between primary colors--red, yellow, and blue--and secondary colors--orange, green, and purple.
Typography: the art of selecting and using typefaces for maximum efffect. It also involves such matters as the composition of the page and the string of illustrations and other graphics.
Design: this term refers to the arrangement of elements in a visual field and the manner in which they relate to one another.
Balance: balance refers to the arrangement of elements in a composition. In axial or formal balance, the elements are arranged equally on both sides of an imaginary axis. In asymmetrical manner, generating stress, energy and visual excitement.
Proportion: a relationship between elements in a visual field in which a part is considered with respect to the whole.
Contrast: a difference between two visual elements (such as simple and complicated, dull and bright, or dark and light) to generate emphasis.
Unity: a sense of harmoniousness and wholeness created by the relationships of elements in a visual field.
Genre: kinds of stories, programs, or films. We make a distinction between a medium (film, television, and so on) and the kind of programs or genres in a given medium. For example, the medium of television includes many genres: soap operas, quiz shows, sports shows, interview shows, news shows, documentaries, and so on.
Digital: the translation of all input into binary structures of 0s and 1s, which can be stored, transferred, or manipulated.
Focus: the clarity or shapness of an image. Soft focus generates images that are not precise and clear and produces a dreamlike effect.
Depth of field: the capacity of a camera to keep objects, located at different distances from it, in focus. Depth of field can vary, based on the f-stop of the camer, the focal length of the lens, and the distance from the camera to the object being photographed.
Grain: the proominence of the minute dots that make up a photograph: the more dots used in a photograph, the less grainy it is.
Shot angle: the angle in which a photo, film, or television shot is taken, used to promote an effect or feeling in viewers.
Composition: the arrangement of elements in a visual field so as to please the eye or obtain an intended effect.
Frame: a single or discrete image. A film is a collection of frames that are run through a projector, usually at twenty-four frames per second. Also known as a still.
Zoom shot: a shot in which the lens of a camera is used to move in on a scene for a closer view (or, in the reverse, move away from a scene). If used too frequently, zoom shots lose their impact and disturb viewers.
Montage: a series of images and sounds that, when combined in a certain way, generate a powerful effect.
Jump cut: a quick cut from one scene to another that leaves out some intermediate scenes and thus speeds the action.
Postmodernism: a term for works that use a number o f different styles and that abandon a traditional linear narrative.
Z-axis shot: a shot in which the action is vertical to the screen image and moves toward or away from viewers. This kind of shot is particularly important in television because the screen is so small. (See A-B axis shot).
A-B axis shot: the axis that goes from the left side of a screen to the right side. (See Z-axis shot).
Shot: the angle at which a photo, film, or television shot is taken; used to promote an effect or feeling in viewers.
Comic strip: a popular art form, generally found in newspapers, characterized by continuing characters, a number of panels, and dialogue presented in balloons. Comic strips can be either serious or humorous and often are extremely long-lived.
Cartoon: a drawing, usually in one frame, depicting some kind of humorous situation, which is generally accompanied by a caption.
Animation: the process of filming drawings or clay sculptures to generate the illusion of motion, literally means "giving life to."
Infographics: this term refers to using visual or graphic means, such as charts, drawings and diagrams, generally in combination with words, to convey information. Infographics facilitates the communication of complicated relationships and information in way that are easy to grasp.
Desktop publishing: the use of computers, powerful software programs that enable users to manipulate textual and visual material, and laser printers to produce high-quality printed matter (such as reports, pamphlets, books, and so on).
Computer-aided design (CAD): software programs that enable users such as architects and engineers to create designs on computers and manipulate the images for various purposes. There are now CADD (computer-aided design and drafting) programs as well, for draftpersons and others.
Videogame: an interactive electronic text that enables players to experience immersion and to feel agency in that their actions affect the outcome of the game. Videogames are played on increasingly powerful consoles that are especially designed for game playing, and in some cases, on computers. There are many different genres of games, such as first-person shooters, sports, racing, strategy, puzzles, and action-adventures. Some games have elements of several genres in them.
Immersive: video games are held to be immersive in that players, as a result of the "suspension of disbelief" become extremely involved in, or "submerged" in, the games they are playing. One is surrounded, so to speak, by a different reality that dominates our perceptual apparatus.
Interactive: interactivity involves a response to our input in some situation. Thus, in video games, we participate in shaping in the outcome of the game through our play--that is, our actions and decisions. Video games are interactive because they are designed to respond to the responses of players to events in the games.
Transformative: a term that deals with the way video games can have very powerful emotional impacts on players and thus "transform" them in various ways. This transformation can be positive and lead to socially constructive behaviors or negative and lead to antisocial behaviors of various kinds.
Internet: the open interconnection of networks through which connected computers can transmit visual and sound data. The most popular uses of the Internet are for transmitting e-mail and for finding information on the World Wide Web.
