Lesson 7

• Codes refers to systems of signs, which create meaning
• Conventions refers to a standard or norm that acts as a rule governing behavior (generally accepted ways of doing something
• 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 are 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.
• Semiotics on the other hand, is the relationship between signs, and object, and a meaning.
• “Interpretant” refers to a sign that serves as the representation of an

  object
• Three ways on how Human action involves signs and meanings:

  1. The perception state where the person becomes aware of the sign.
  2. The manipulation state where the person interprets the sign and decides how to respond to it.
  3. The consumption stage where the person responds.
• Genre is a French word which means “Kind” or “Class”.
• The original Latin word of genre is “genus” and mean class of things that can be broken down into subcategories.
• Genre tends to be understood to constitute particular conventions of contents and following a distinctive style in terms of form and presentation. (Example: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Action, Horror, Romance etc.)
• Types of Codes

  1. Symbolic Codes
  2. Technical Codes
  3. Written Codes
• SYMBOLIC CODES are social in nature. These include the language or iconic symbols that are easily understood.
• Setting is the time and place of the narrative. When discussing setting, you can describe the setting of the whole story or just a specific scene.
• A setting can be as big as the outback or space, or as small as a specific room. Setting can even be a created atmosphere or frame of mind
• Mise en scene is a French term that means ‘everything within the frame.
• Mise en scene 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:

  1. Set Design
  2. Costume
  3. Props
  4. Staging
  5. Composition
• Acting is how an actor portray a character that will lead to character development and tension making through facial expression, body language and vocal qualities, movement, body contract
• Color is used to connect connotation to specific scenes, characters or object.
• TECHNICAL CODES are ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text. These are also the codes that are created by the technology of the medium.
• Camerawork refers to how the camera is operated, positioned and moved for specific effects. Some aspects of camerawork includes positioning, movement, framing, exposure, lens choice
• Form conventions are the expected ways on how media codes are arranged.
• Lighting -According to Robert Young, it is the manipulation of natural or artificial to selectively highlight specific elements of the scene.
• Audio is the expressive or naturalistic use of sound. It includes dialogue, sound effects and music.
• 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.
• CONVENTIONS are the generally accepted ways of using media codes. Codes that are used by, and understood by members of a particular culture.
• Three Types of Conventions

  1. Form conventions
  2. Story conventions
  3. Genre conventions
• Story conventions are common narrative structures and understandings in story telling media products like cause and effect, character construction and point of view
• Genre conventions are the common use of tropes, characters, settings or themes in a particular type of medium. They can be formal or thematic
• Genre:

  1. Drama
  2. Comedy
  3. Action
  4. Horror
  5. Romance
  6. Sci-Fi