MIL

• Media Language - these are codes, conventions, formats, symbols and narrative structures that indicate the meaning of the media messages to an audience.
• Codes - a system or collections of signs that create meaning when put together.
• Semiotics - the study of signs
• 3 types of media codes

  1. the symbolic codes
  2. technical codes
  3. written codes
• The symbolic codes - codes that shows what is beneath the surface of what we see (objects, setting, body language, clothing, color etc.) or iconic symbols that are easily understood
• Symbolic codes includes: setting, mise en scene, acting and color
• 1. Setting - the time and place of the narrative. A setting can be big as the galaxy or small as a specific room. It can be a created atmosphere or frame of mind.
• B. Mise en scene - stage setting, everything within the frame. The arrangement of actors and scenery on a stage for a theoretical production.

  It includes: set design, costume
• C. Acting - actors portray character in media products and contribute to character development, creating tensions or advancing
• D. Colors - highly cultural and strong connotations. When studying the use of color in a media product the different aspects to be looked at are: color, contrasting foils, and color symbolism
• 2. Technical codes - includes sound, camera angles, types of shots and lightning.

  Technical codes may include: framework, editing, audio, lightning

  The actor portrays a character through: facial expression, movement and body contact
• Camerawork - how the camera is operated, positioned and moved for specific effects.

  Camerawork includes: positioning, movement, framing, exposure, and lens choice
• Editing - the process of choosing, manipulating and arranging images and sound
• lighting - is the manipulation of natural light to selectively highlight specific elements of the scene

  Elements of lighting includes: quality, direction, source, colour
• camera shots - essential aspect of filmmaking and video productions, because by combining different camera shots, the filmmaker are able to emphasize specific emotions, ideas and movement for each scene
• Extreme Wide shot/extreme long shot - crowd scene or a view of scenery as far as the horizon
• long shot/wide shot- a view of a situation or setting a distance
• medium long shot/medium wide shot- shows a group of people in interaction with each other
• full shot - a view of a figure‘s entire body in order ti show action and/or a constellation group of characters
• medium close shot - shows a subject to his/her chest/ waist
• close up shot - a full-screen shot of a subjects face showing the finest nuances of expression
• extreme close up shot - a shot of a hand, eye, mouth or ang object in detail
• other types of camera shots

  8. cowboy shot

  9. medium shot
• photo caption - also known as cut lines, a few lines of text used to explain or elaborate on published photographs
• comic strips - is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized with text in balloons and captions
• camera shot framing - is the art and science of placing subjects in your shots. Camera shots are all about composition
• types of camera shot framing

  1. establishing shot - often used at the beginning of a scene to indicate the location or setting, it is usually a long shot taken from a neutral position
• types of camera shot framing

  2. point-of-view shot- shows a scene from the perspective of a character or one person.
• types of camera shot framing

  3. over-the shoulder shot - often used dialogue scenes, a frontal view of a dialogue partner from the perspective of someone standing behind and slight to the side of the other partner, so that parts of both can be seen
• types of camera shot framing

  4. reaction shot - short shot of a characters response to an action
• types of camera shot framing

  5. insert shot - a detail shot which quickly gives visual information to understand the remaining of a scene
• types of camera shot framing

  6. reverse-angle shot - a shot from the opposite perspective
• types of camera shot framing

  7. aerial shot - overhead shot, also called bird’s eye shot
• types of camera shot framing

  8. high-angle shot - shows people or objects from above higher than eye level
• types of camera shot framing

  9. low- angle shot - below shot, shows people or objects from below, lower than eye level
• types of camera shot framing

  10. eye- level shot - straight-on angle, views a subject from the level of a person’s eye
• 3. written codes - use of language style and textual layout

  the study of written codes includes: headlines/titles, typeface/font, slogans/taglines, captions(print or inter)
• types of signs

  1. regulatory signs
  2. warning signs
• regulatory signs- inform road users of traffic laws and regulations which, if disregarded, will constitute an offense
• regulatory signs includes

  1. priority signs
  2. direction signs
  3. prohibitive/restriction signs
  4. speed signs
  5. parking signs
  6. miscellaneous signs