Media and Film Studies Vocabulary and Writing
Newspaper Jobs and Roles
- Byline: Name of the journalist at the top of an article → Nombre del periodista
- Caption: Text under a photo → Pie de foto
- Correspondent: Journalist reporting from a specific place → Corresponsal
- Critic: Journalist who gives opinions on films, books, or music → Crítico
- Editor: Person who decides what is published → Editor / Director
- Freelancer: Journalist paid per article, not employed full-time → Freelance
- Gatekeeper: Person who decides what information is published → Filtro de información
- Newsreader: Person who reads the news on TV or radio → Presentador de noticias
- Paparazzi: Photographers who follow celebrities → Paparazzi
- Reporter: Person who collects and reports news → Reportero
- Sub-editor: Person who corrects articles and writes headlines → Subeditor
Newspaper Language and Content
- Angle: Particular focus of a news story → Enfoque
- Breaking news: Very recent and important news → Última hora
- Classified ads: Small adverts grouped by category → Anuncios clasificados
- Feature: In-depth article, not hard news → Artículo de fondo
- Hard news: Serious and important news → Noticias duras
- Headline: Title of a news article → Titular
- Lead: First paragraph of a news story → Entradilla
- Masthead: Newspaper name at the top of the front page → Cabecera
- Scoop: Exclusive story → Exclusiva
- Sidebar: Short article next to a longer one → Artículo lateral
- Soft news: Human interest stories → Noticias ligeras
Radio and Audio Terminology
- Cue: Presenter’s introduction to a report → Introducción
- Debrief: Discussion after a programme → Evaluación
- Live: Happening in real time → En directo
- Package: Pre-recorded radio report with sound and interviews → Reportaje radiofónico
- Running order: Sequence of stories in a programme → Orden del programa
- Script: Written text for presenters → Guion
- Wild track: Background sound recorded on location → Sonido ambiente
Advertising and Marketing
Advertising Methods and Language
- Banner ads: Ads at the top or side of websites → Banners
- Billboards / Hoardings: Large outdoor ads → Vallas publicitarias
- Commercials: TV or radio ads → Anuncios
- Leaflets / Flyers: Printed handouts → Folletos
- Pop-ups: Ads that open automatically online → Ventanas emergentes
- Product placement: Products shown in films or TV → Publicidad encubierta
- Sponsorship: Brand supports an event or person → Patrocinio
- Campaign: Series of ads with the same message → Campaña
- Endorse: Celebrity supports a product → Respaldar
- Influencer: Person who promotes products online → Influencer
- Slogan: Short memorable phrase → Eslogan
- Viral advertising: Ad shared rapidly online → Publicidad viral
Persuasive Techniques
- Ethos: Appeal to credibility or authority → Credibilidad
- Logos: Appeal to logic or facts → Lógica
- Pathos: Appeal to emotions → Emoción
Marketing and Branding
- Brand: Product identity → Marca
- Brand loyalty: Customers stay with a brand → Fidelidad
- Brand strategy: Long-term plan for a brand → Estrategia de marca
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Managing customer relationships → Gestión de clientes
- Market share: Percentage of the market owned → Cuota de mercado
- Promotion: Activities to sell a product → Promoción
- The 4 Ps: Product, Price, Promotion, Place → Las 4 P del marketing
Film and Cinema
People in Film
- Actor / Actress: Person who performs in a film → Actor / Actriz
- Director: Person who controls the film → Director
- Editor: Person who assembles the film → Montador
- Producer: Person who manages production → Productor
- Screenwriter: Person who writes the script → Guionista
- Stuntman: Performs dangerous scenes → Especialista
Film Vocabulary
- Box office: Money made by a film → Taquilla
- Cast: Actors in a film → Reparto
- Genre: Type of film → Género
- Plot: Story of the film → Trama
- Release date: When a film is shown publicly → Fecha de estreno
- Soundtrack: Music of the film → Banda sonora
- Special effects: Visual effects → Efectos especiales
Writing for Film
- Logline: One-sentence description of a story → Resumen breve
- Synopsis: Short summary of the story → Sinopsis
- Treatment: Short story version of a screenplay → Tratamiento
- Three-act structure: Beginning, conflict, resolution → Estructura en tres actos
Camera Shots, Angles, and Movements
1. Shots by Distance
- Close-up (CU): Shows a person’s face or an object in great detail. (Primer plano)
- Extreme Close-up (ECU): Shows a very small detail, like eyes or hands. (Primerísimo primer plano)
- Long Shot (LS): Shows the whole body of a person. (Plano largo / plano general del personaje)
- Medium Close-up (MCU): Shows the head and shoulders. (Plano medio corto)
- Medium Shot (MS): Shows the person from the waist up. (Plano medio)
- Wide Shot (WS): Shows the subject and a lot of the surroundings. (Plano general amplio)
2. Camera Angles
- Bird’s-eye View: Shot taken from directly above. (Plano cenital)
- Eye-level Shot: Shot taken at normal eye level. (Plano a la altura de los ojos)
- High-angle Shot: Camera looks down on the subject. (Plano picado; hace parecer débil)
- Low-angle Shot: Camera looks up at the subject. (Plano contrapicado; da poder)
- Over-the-shoulder Shot (OTS): Shot taken from behind a character’s shoulder. (Plano sobre el hombro)
3. Camera Movements
- Crane Shot: Camera moves up or down through the air. (Plano con grúa)
- Dolly Shot: Camera moves forward or backward. (Travelling; acercamiento o alejamiento)
- Pan: Camera moves left or right horizontally. (Paneo horizontal)
- Tilt: Camera moves up or down vertically. (Paneo vertical)
- Tracking Shot: Camera follows a moving subject. (Plano de seguimiento)
4. Special Shots
- Establishing Shot: Shows the location at the beginning of a scene. (Plano de establecimiento)
- Point-of-view Shot (POV): Shows what a character sees. (Plano subjetivo)
- Reaction Shot: Shows a character’s reaction to something. (Plano de reacción)
- Two-shot: Shows two characters in the same frame. (Plano de dos personas)
5. Quick Exam Memory Tips
- Close-up = Emotion
- Long / Wide shot = Place
- Low angle = Power
- High angle = Weakness
- POV = Character’s eyes
- Establishing shot = Where we are
Media Writing Structures
Describing a Process
(How something is made – e.g., newspapers, chocolate, printing)
Structure model: First + passive, Then + passive, Next + passive, After that + passive, Finally + passive.
Example: First, the paper is prepared and loaded into the machine. Then, the text is printed on the paper. Next, the pages are folded and checked. After that, the newspapers are packed. Finally, they are delivered to shops and readers.
Describing a Film
(Film description / poster description)
Structure: 1. Setting, 2. Story, 3. Actors, 4. Director/production details.
Structure model: It is set in… It tells the story of… It stars… It was directed by…
Example: The film is set in New York in the 19th century. It tells the story of a young man seeking revenge. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. It was directed by Martin Scorsese.
Advertising and Marketing Writing
(Describe or analyse an advert or campaign)
Structure: 1. What the ad is, 2. Persuasive techniques, 3. Why it is effective.
Structure model: This advertisement promotes… It uses pathos by… It also uses logos through… It uses ethos by…
Example: This advertisement promotes a sports brand. It uses pathos by showing emotional moments. It uses logos with facts about performance. It uses ethos by featuring a famous athlete.