Codes:
Media students identify three categories of
codes that may be used to
convey meanings in media messages:
TECHNICAL
CODES, which
include camera techniques,
framing, depth of field,
Mise en
scene, editing, lighting
and sound;
SYMBOLIC
CODES,
which
refer to objects, setting, body language,
clothing and colour.
WRITTEN
CODES in the
form of
headlines,
captions, speech bubbles and language style
Conventions:
Conventions are the generally accepted
ways of doing something, and in the case of media texts, they are generally
accepted patterns of code that communicate a particular message.
There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific. For example, in Westerns fights scenes are generally shot from a low angle, the setting is usually dusty and desolate, and even the sounds used within the scene are conventional, such as castonettes, or some sort of whistle.
There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific. For example, in Westerns fights scenes are generally shot from a low angle, the setting is usually dusty and desolate, and even the sounds used within the scene are conventional, such as castonettes, or some sort of whistle.
