Key Terms in the Media Industry.

The media industry consists of many various key terms, that are essential when going about creating a media product; whether it be a film, a magazine or even a radio show.

Target Audience- 

The type or group of people that the product is specifically aimed at, to suit there needs/preferences. This could be a particular group of people (e.g- sci-fi fans), an age range (e.g- people aged 16-25) or an age group (e.g- teenagers). Usually, a male wouldn't go out and buy a 'Heat' magazine, because the product was not designed for him and men in general; he is not a part of the target audience. The producers always design their media products with the target audience always in mind.

Genre-

This is basically a French word for a 'specific category'. Every single media product fits into either a single or multiple genres. For example you could have a film that is classed as an action film, but it also fits into the thriller category/genre  (e.g- 'Speed'). There are many, many genres such as: Horror, Sci-fi, Action, Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Adventure and many others. And it's not just films too, even video-games are split into genres such as: FPS (First Person Shooter), RPG (Role Playing Game), Racing, Sports, Horror, Action-Adventure, Simulator and many others.

Conventions-

Conventions are essentially the key features that define a particular genre. Typically in an action film like 'Die Hard', we would immediately expect gunfights, explosions, car chases and some form of villain; because these 'typical' features are almost always found in this particular genre. In a horror, we could immediately expect a murderer, deaths, isolation, a haunted house, dark lighting, blood, etcetera.

Codes (Symbolic and Technical)-

Codes are basically a way of conveying meaning to audiences without having to tell and describe to the audience what is happening with words. Things in the product that strongly suggest something. A symbolic example of this would be, for a horror film, a sharp, deadly knife seen somewhere in shot to suggest and tease the audience of what is about to come shortly. An example of a technical code in a western film would be a posse riding majestically into the sunset (the lighting is the important technical part).