Media Information Languages

• "Language can be a source of ________"

  misunderstanding
• Marshall McLuhan


  the one who said that language can be a source of misunderstanding
• Media Information Languages


  refers to the codes, conventions, formats, symbols and narrative structures that indicate the meaning of media messages to an audience
• codes


  are systems of signs, which create meaning
• 2 major codes


  technical and symbolic
• minor code


  written
• technical code


  ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text
• symbolic code


  shows what is beneath the surface of what we see
• symbolic code


  objects, setting, body language, clothing, actions of characters
• written code


  use of language style and texture layout
• written code


  headings, captions, speech, bubbles, language style, etc
• technical code


  sound, camerawork, techniques/angles, types of shots, lighting
• 7 types of camera shots

  1. extreme long shot,

  2. long shot,

  3. medium long shot,

  4. full shot,

  5. medium close shot,

  6. close-up shot,

  7. extreme close-up shot
• extreme long shot


  also called extreme wide shots
• extreme long shot


  feature a large crowd scene or a view of scenery as far as the horizon
• long shot


  a view or a situation or a set from a distance
• 2 types of industrial backgrounds

  1. aerial,

  2. linear
• aerial background


  emphasizes how far an object is (ex: darker mountains)
• linear background


  emphasizes how close an object is (ex: brighter trees)
• medium long shot


  shows a group of people in interaction with each other
• medium long shot


  fight scene with part of their surroundings in the picture (head to waist)
• full shot


  a view of a figure entire body in order to show action and/or a constellation group of characters
• medium close shot


  shows a subject down to their chest/waist
• medium close shot


  used in sexy scenes
• close-up shot


  a full-screen shot of a subject's face showing the finest nuances of expression
• extreme close-up shot


  a shot of a hand, eye, mouth, or any object in detail
• 11 types of point of view

  1. establishing shot,

  2. point-of-view shot,

  3. over-the-shoulder shot,

  4. reaction shot,

  5. insert shot,

  6. reverse-angle shot,

  7. handheld camera shot,

  8. aerial shot,

  9. high-angle shot,

  10. low-angle shot,

  11. eye-level shot
• establishing shot


  often used at the beginning of a scene to indicate the location/setting
• establishing shot


  it is usually a long shot taken from a neutral position
• point-of-view shot


  shows a scene from the perspective of a character/one person
• point-of-view shot


  most newsreel footage is shown from the perspective of the newscaster
• over-the-shoulder shot


  often used in dialogue scenes
• over-the-shoulder shot


  a frontal view of a dialogue partner from the perspective of someone standing behind and slightly to the side of the other partner so that parts of both can be seen
• reaction shot


  short shot of a character's response to an action
• insert shot


  a detailed shot quickly gives visual information necessary to understand the meaning of a scene
• reverse-angle shot


  a shot from the opposite perspective
• handheld camera shot


  the camera is not mounted on a tripod instead is held by the cameraperson, resulting in less stable shots
• aerial shot


  also known as the Overhead Shot
• aerial shot


  also called the Bird's Eye View
• aerial shot


  long or an extreme long shot of the ground from the air