Technology / Television (TV) Glossary

Magnetic Tape: A ribbon of plastic with a coating on it that is sensitive to magnetic impulses created by electricity. In analog technology, these magnetic impulses are modulated on the tape in a fashion p . . . View Full Definition

Make-Good: A spot offered by a station in place of a regularly scheduled announcement that did not run or was improperly aired.

Manifest Content: In a content analysis of a television text, the characters and their actions.

Masking: A non-anamorphic widescreen film process. In masked films, blackened horizontal bands are placed across the top and bottom of a 1:1.33 frame, resulting in a wider aspect ratio of 1:1.85.

Match Cut: An editing principle of the continuity system which maintains continuity by fitting ('matching') the space and time of one shot to that of the preceding shot.

Match-On-Action: An editing technique of the continuity system wherein a cut is placed in the midst of an action, so that the action from one shot continues to the next.

Means Of Production: Marx's term for the locations (factories and the like) at which goods are produced and men and women labor.

Media Mix: The distribution of time and money allocated among TV, radio, print and Internet advertising that makes up the total advertising budget of an advertiser, agency or media buyer.

Media Text: Any item in the mass media (e.g., a TV commercial or program, film, magazine, interview, public appearance, etc.).

Medium Close Up (MCU): A framing in between medium shot and close-up.

Medium Long Shot (MLS): A framing in between long shot and medium shot.

Medium Shot (MS): A framing that presents a moderately close view of an object or person. Conventionally, a TV medium shot of a person is from the thighs or knees up. Two common types of medium shots are the . . . View Full Definition

Megabyte: One million bytes (actually 1,048,576): one thousand kilobytes.

Method: Naturalist performance style which encourages the actor to become the character, at which point the gestures/dialects necessary for the performance will emerge organically: approaches used t . . . View Full Definition

Metro Area: A U.S. Government definition: the counties that comprise each Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Microphone (Mike): Device used to record sound. The pickup pattern of a microphone may be omnidirectional or cardioid. See also lavaliere microphone and hypercardioid microphone.

Microwave Multi Distribution System (MMDS): Distributes signals by microwave. Home receiver picks up signal, then distributes via internal wiring.

Mise-En-Scene: The staging of the action for the camera. All of the physical objects in front of the camera and the arrangement of those objects by the director. The organization of setting, costuming, lig . . . View Full Definition

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