Understanding Media Languages, Codes, and Conventions

• Language of Media - The language used in media to communicate with the audience.

  • uses "texts" to tell stories.
• Media and Information Language - the way in which the meaning of a media text is conveyed to the audience. It is conveyed through media codes and conventions.
• Media Codes - system of signs and symbols in media
• Media Conventions - conventions that are accepted by the media and the audience.
• DECONSTRUCTION - The process of analyzing a text to reveal its hidden meaning.
• Creator - an indovodual, group, organization who serve as messagemakers
• Content - the media and information texts produced by the creator
• Consumer - the audience or user of the media and information texts
• TYPES OF MEDIA CODES:

  • Symbolic Code
  • Technical Code
  • Written Code
• Symbolic Code - social in nature and easily understood
• Technical Code - ways in which equipment is used to tell the story
• Written code - formal written language used in a media product
• TYPES OF MEDIA CONVENTIONS:

  1. Form Conventions
  2. Story Conventions
  3. Genre Conventions
• Form Conventions - specific ways we expect the type of media codes to be arranged
• Story Conventions - common narrative structures and understandings that are usual in story telling media products
• Genre Conventions - point to the common use of tropes, characters, settings, or themes in a particular type of medium