Media and Information Literacy

Media
Codes and
Convention
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TRUE or FALSE
1. Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of
what we see.
2. Symbolic codes do not help the audience to identify the
message of the story or in a film.
3. The essence of a photo or video loses when it is edited.
4. Technical codes are the many ways in which the
equipment is used to tell the story.
5. Written codes include printed language which is text
you can see within the frame and how it is presented
6. Written codes are also spoken language, which
includes dialogue and song lyrics.
7. Media is a collective term for all communication
medium such as books, newspapers, radio,
television, film, and the Internet.
8. A media and information literate individual
knows how to examine and take apart the media
message so that its parts are exposed to him.
9. Media Language pertains to the codes,
conventions, formats, symbols, and narrative
structures that indicate the meaning of media
messages to an audience.
10. Codes are systems of signs which when put
together create meaning.
Media Codes And Conventions
Media codes and conventions are like the building
blocks of all the media around us. Media codes generally
have an agreed meaning, or connotation, to their audience.
There are three types of media codes, symbolic codes,
technical codes, and written codes. Conventions are
expected ways in which codes are organized in a product
 show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For
example, a character's actions show you how the character is
feeling. If you saw a character in the film who received a red
rose, you would expect there is a romantic relationship
between two characters. Symbolic codes in media include
setting, mise en scene, acting and colour.
 It is the time and place of the narrative.
The setting of a story can change throughout the
plot. The environment includes geographical
location such as beach or mountains, the climate
and weather, and the social or cultural aspects such
as a school, theatre, meeting, club, etc.
 It is a French term that means
‘everything within the frame’. In media terms, it has become to
mean the description of all the objects within a frame of the
media product and how they have been arranged. An analysis
of mise en scene includes: Set Design, Costume, Props, and
Staging and Composition.
Mise en scene –
arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play. Translated from
French, it means "setting the stage" but, in film analysis, the term mise en
scene refers to everything in front of the camera, including the set design,
lighting, and actors.
 Actors portray characters in media
products and contribute to character development,
creating tension or advancing the narrative. The
actor portrays a character through: Facial
expression, Body language, Vocal qualities,
Movement and Body Contact.
 It has highly cultural and
strong connotations. When studying the use of
colour in a media product the different aspects
to be looking at are: Dominant colour,
Contrasting foils, and Colour symbolism.
These are codes that are specific to a media form and do
not live outside of them. For instance, our understanding
of different camera shots and their connotations make
sense when we look at films and photographs but mean
nothing to us outside of those forms. Technical codes in
media include Camerawork, Editing, Audio and Lighting.
A. Camerawork: It refers to how the camera is operated, positioned and
moved for specific effects. Aspects of camerawork include: Positioning,
Movement, Framing, Exposure, and Lens Choice.
a. Positioning: It is the level where you hold the camera.
b. Framing: It is the placement and position of the subjects in your shots.
c. Exposure: It is the amount of light per unit area reaching a frame of
photographic film.
d. Lens Choice: It is an optical body that features a single lens or an assembly of
lenses that mounts to a camera body.
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B. Editing: It is the process of choosing, manipulating, and arranging images
and sound. Editing is generally done for four different reasons: Graphic,
Rhythmic, Spatial and Temporal edits.
a. Graphic: It is an image or visual representation of an object.
b. Rhythmic: It is where the video is edited to go to the beat of the song.
Example: Boom-Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas
c. Spatial: It is when the relations between shots function to construct
film space.
d. Temporal Edits: It is when the relations between shots function to
control time.
C. Audio: It is the expressive or naturalistic use of sound. Audio can be
diegetic or non-diegetic. The three aspects of audio are: Dialogue, Sound
Effects and Music.
a. Dialogue: It is a conversation between two or more characters
in the story.
b. Sound Effects: It is an artificially created or enhanced sound.
c. Music: It is the art of arranging sounds in time to produce a
composition through the elements
D. Lighting: It is the manipulation of natural or artificial light to
selectively highlight specific elements of the scene. Lighting can
also be diegetic or non-diegetic. Elements of lighting include:
Quality, Direction, Source, and Colour.
● This is where natural lighting is used to film the music
video instead of fake studio lighting.
● This is artificial studio lighting, this is
usually used when the artist is performing.
a. Quality: It refers to the size of the light source relative to the subject.
b. Direction: It is the interaction between the light source, subject, and camera.
c. Source: It is something that makes vision possible.
d. Colour: It is to brighten the mood of the subject.
These are the formal written language used in a media product.
Just like technical and symbolic codes, written codes can be used
to advance a narrative, communicate information about a
character or issues and themes in the media product. Written
codes include printed language which is text you can see within
the frame and how it is presented, and spoken language, which
includes dialogue and song lyrics.
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 These are accepted ways of using media codes.
Conventions are closely connected to the audience
expectations of a media product. Different types of
conventions include form conventions, story
conventions and genre conventions.
 These are the certain ways we expect types of media’s codes
to be arranged. For instance, an audience expects to have a title
of the film at the beginning, and then credits at the end.
Newspapers will have a masthead, the most important news on
the front page and sports news on the back page. Video games
usually start with a tutorial to explain the mechanics of how the
game works
These are common narrative structures and understandings that
are common in storytelling media products. Examples of story
conventions include: Narrative structures, cause and effect,
character construction, and point of view.
These point to the common use of tropes, characters, settings,
or themes in a particular type of medium. Genre conventions
are closely linked with audience expectations. Genre
conventions can be formal or thematic.