Media Dictionary 3

1. Edit- the process of shaping and construction of a media text. All films are edited which relates to my text Shrek the Third has been edited by Chris Miller and co.

2. Horror- A type of film genre which aims to frighten its audience. Although Shrek the Third may not be a horror, however it does use certain conventions of the horror genre as seen in the scene involving Shrek having a dream about baby. The scene involved mysterious diegetic sound and darkness in the mise-en-scene to create both fear and tension in the scene.

3. Hollywood- A large US film industry based in Los Angeles, California. ‘Shrek the Third’ (2007) voiceovers are done by famous Hollywood stars e.g. Cameron Diaz














4. Hybrid- A cross between genres in a film. Shrek the Third contains a lot of links to other genres e.g. horror, romance etc. and so it can be said that the film is not only an animation but a hybrid.

5. Patriarchy- A male dominated society. A patriarchal society is evident within Shrek the hero: dominant, in control etc. the film and is also an aspect to cover in my wider context and gender representations in films

6. Vladimir Propp- Theorist who defines good vs evil and the character roles. Shrek the Third applies Propp’s theory of films having a good vs evil battle. In the film the battle is Shrek (hero, good) Vs Prince Charming (villain, evil)

7. Trailer- A short teaser which usually last between 1-30 seconds whereby the film is promoted and advertised. Shrek the Third uses trailers as a way of promoting the film.

8. Typography- the text. This is relevant to my study as the typography of the title Shrek is recognisable through its Shrek- ogre green colour and the two Shrek ears sticking out of the letter ‘S’ (also seen on number 2 in Shrek 2)

9. Youth culture- the stereotypes of youth and culture. This is relevant to Shrek as a wider context because ‘slang’, which is associated with the youth of today, is used in the film.

10. Zeitgeist- the “sprit of the age”. This relates towards my wider context and society at the time

Media Dictionary 2

1. ‘A’ List-

Top Hollywood actor and actress. In terms of my study it is relevant in that the voices of ‘Shrek’ are done by ‘A’ list celebrities such as Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Justin Timberlake and John Cleese.

2. Big ten-
the ten major Hollywood film studios. Two of the big ten relates to my student (DreamWorks, Walt Disney) as they are both involved in the animation industry.

3. Fantasy-
A made up world. Shrek is a fairy tale and is set in a made up world. In addition Shrek is also “the greatest fairy tale NEVER told”.

4. Framing-
It involves the process of select a particular film shot considering things such as characters, settings, lighting, positioning of a character, iconography and more. Every film made, even CGI animations, involve the director choosing what to be put in the shot and how things will be positioned and any ideologies and messages put through.

5. Genre-
When media products i.e. films are categorized due to there form, style and content. This is related to my study in that I am focusing on the animation genre and how CGI has ensured the genres success whilst using texts e.g. Shrek the Third (2007) as a reference.

6. Intertexuality-
Embedding other media texts into a text. Shrek is particularly noted for its intertexuality in its comedy, for example- Donkey “Worcestershirey? Now that sounds fancy”, Shrek “Its Worchester”, Donkey “Like the sauce, mmm, it’s spicy!”. The Worchester sauce has been used in the film to create comedy. There are many more other examples of Shrek using intertexuality for their comedy.

7. Sequel-
Follows on from a previous film E.g. Shrek, sequel-Shrek 2. ‘Shrek the Third’(2007) is the sequel to Shrek 2 and is the third instalment of the ‘Shrek’ series.

8. Sound Effects-
An effect that imitates a sound and is used in films. CGI films all use sound effects in order to create sound. For example, In Shrek 2 when Puss in Boots is battling with a sword, sound effect of the swords hitting each other is used.

9. Stereotypes-

A first idea/impression associated with someone or something. Shrek is an ogre. Stereotypically if someone says the word ogre the first words or images that come to our heads are big, ugly, scary, monster, eats humans.

10. Target audience-

The audience group in which the text is purposefully made for. All media texts have a target audience. In terms of Shrek, the target audience is kids.

Media Dictionary 1

1. Brand
Through trademark marks, slogans, logos, images, names and company/product/manufacturer is distinguished from others. This is relevant as ‘Shrek’ is a brand. Also the Shrek brand illustrates the success of animation as it is the ‘Shrek’ brand and series is the most successful in animation history.

2. Cartoon
An animated cartoon. Before CGI and 3D animation, there was 2D animation which we’re hand drawn e.g. Gertie the Dinosaur. In terms of CGI, all CGI animated films begin has drawings and sketches. Also many drawings and studies are done before the character or item is rigged during the animation process for example, in Disney Pixar’s up and coming film animation film ‘Ratatouille’. The main character in the film is a rat and to make the rat life like and realistic, the animators bring rats into the studio and via drawings study the rats motion e.g. how it eats, runs, move, jumps, climbs etc. so when it comes to creating the rats movements in the film, they move like a real rat.

3. Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI)
CGI is a type/form of animation which uses computer software to create movie, special effects, cartoons and many others. This keyword is useful towards my study as my independent study text ‘Shrek the Third’ (2007) is a CGI animated film.

4. Disney, Walt (1901-66)
A large media company which produces cartoons and CGI animated films. The Disney brand is famous for its cartoon films such as The Lion King, Snow White, Cinderella, Aladdin, Peter Pan and many, many more. Also by being partners with the CGI animation company Pixar, Disney created CGI films as well. This is relevant to my study as they are involved within the animation industry

5. DreamWorks
DreamWorks is a large American film studio. The company is especially famous for its animation department ‘DreamWorks Animation SKG’, which has produced many ground-breaking CGI films including ‘Madagascar’ (2005), ‘Flushed Away’ (2006), Over the Hedge(2006), ‘The Bee Movie’ (2007) and of course the hugely successful ‘Shrek’ series (which is also my independent study text). Also these are other CGI animated films in which I can refer to in my study.

6. Director
A person that is responsible for the overall creation of the film. All films are influenced by directors as they make the decisions about how the film is made, through things such as approving scripts and storyboards, camera angles and many more aspects. This is relevant to my study as the film the director influences the creation of the film and so has an effect on what is finally shown to the audience.

7. Pixar
A large CGI animation company, partner’s with Walt Disney and rivals with DreamWorks. As Pixar is a CGI animation company it relates to my study. Also in my study I can use some of there text as reference. The first ever CGI animated film was produced by Pixar in 1995 ‘Toy Story’ and so as importance when talking about the historical aspect of animation.

8. Patriarchy
Male dominated society. In our current society the male gender is more dominant and superior to the subordinate female gender. This is relevant to my study as in the film; the patriarchal society is challenged as the female characters are more dominant and have more of an active role in running the kingdom. At one point in the film, Fiona and the princesses attempt to break out of prison and rescue ‘Shrek’. Also, by the female characters having more important and active roles in the film it reflects how women have more power within today’s society.

9. Stop-motion
A type/form of animation. This form of animation involves the animator ‘physically’ alter and change the scene from clay models. Materials most notably clay is used. Wallace and Gromit is the most famous stop motion. In terms of my study, it is relevant as it is a form of animation and also before CGI there was stop-motion.


10. Storyboard
A series of drawings that tell a story. This keyword is relevant to my study as before a CGI film is created on the computer, a team of artists converts the script into images to create a storyboard. In addition, the storyboard stage last 18 months in the making of an animated film and therefore it is a crucial stage.