The information that you get looking at the symbol is actually the message of the symbol itself.
Understanding the
language of media is a skill that you must acquire. Remember the following terms:
• Language pertains to the technical and symbolic ingredients or codes and conventions that media and information
professionals may select and use in an effort to communicate ideas, information, and knowledge.
• Media language is the codes, conventions, formats, symbols, and narrative structure that indicate the meaning of
media messages to an audience.
• Messages are the information sent from a source to a receiver.
The elements that helped you identify what kind of movie each picture shows are the codes and conventions of media.
Media codes and conventions are like the building blocks of all the media around us which generally have an agreed
meaning, or connotation to their audience (Young, 2017). There are three (3) types of media codes: symbolic codes,
technical codes, and written codes.
1. Symbolic codes are social in nature. Such codes exist beyond the media products themselves but can be interpreted
in similar ways in the everyday life of the viewer (Young, 2017).
Example: which means Christianity
These also include setting, mise en scene, acting, and color.
The setting is the time and place of the narrative. It can be the setting of the whole story or just a specific scene. This
will create an atmosphere or build a frame of mind (Young, 2017).
Mise en scene is a French term meaning ‘everything within a frame’. Costumes and props are included in the analysis
of the frame (Young, 2017).
Acting is how an actor portrays a character that will lead to character development and tension-making through facial
expression, body language, and vocal qualities (Young, 2017).
Color is used to connect connotations to specific scenes, characters, or objects. Red, for instance, is typically seen as a
color of passion, danger, romance, or violence. Green is connected with nature or sickness, and blue with calm or
depression. Purple is seen to be connected with royalty (Young, R. 2017).
2. Technical codes. According to Arniel Ping technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell a
story in a media text like camera techniques, framing, lighting, etc. (Ping, 2016).
Camerawork refers to how the camera is handled, positioned, and moved for specific effects like a high-angle camera
shot to create a feeling of power in a photograph.
Lighting. According to Robert Young lighting is the manipulation of natural or artificial light to selectively highlight
specific elements of the scene( Young, 2017).
Audio is the expressive or naturalistic use of sound. It includes dialogue, sound effects, and music. According to Chris
Constantine(Constantine, 2010), music often defines a scene. An example is the use of ominous music to
communicate danger in films.
3. Written codes are the formal written language used in a media product. These include language style and textual
layout like headlines, captions, speech bubbles, etc. (Frezi.com, Young, R. 2017)
According to Robert Young, conventions are the accepted ways of using media codes. There are three different types
of conventions: form conventions, story conventions, and genre conventions (Young, R. 2017).
1. Form conventions are the expected ways in which media codes are arranged. In newspapers, for example, the most
important news will be on the front page while sports news is found on the back page. Newspapers also contain
mastheads.
2. Story conventions are common narrative structures and understandings in storytelling media products like cause
and effect, character construction, and point of view.
3. Genre conventions are the common use of tropes, characters, settings, or themes in a particular type of medium.
They can be formal or thematic.
