Media Codes, Conventions,

and Languages
 What are Media Codes and Conventions?
… building blocks of all the media around us. Through
these, audience negotiate meaning in media.

Media mediate reality via the use of recognized codes

and conventions, and the credibility or realism of a
media text may be judged to a degree to which the
audience identifies with what is being portrayed.
Media codes
• A rule-governed system of signs, whose rules and
conventions are shared amongst members of a culture, and
which is used to generate and circulate meanings in and for
that culture
• generally have an agreed meaning, or connotation, to their
audience.
Media codes
• Three categories:
• Symbolic codes – show what is beneath the surface of
what we see
• Technical codes – ways in which equipment is used to tell
the story
• Written codes – use of language style and textual layout
Media Conventions
• Made up of a system of codes
• Conventions are expected ways in which codes are
organized in a product.
• Media produces meaning by using conventions
• Audience produce meaning from the interaction of
the conventional material in the text and their
understanding of conventions
Media Conventions
• Three categories:
• Form conventions – certain ways we expect types of
media’s codes to be arranged.
• Story conventions – common narrative structures and
understandings that are common in story-telling media
products.
• Genre conventions – point to the common use of tropes,
characters, settings or themes in a particular type of
medium.
SYMBOLIC CODES
SYMBOLIC CODE (#1): Setting
Setting
• The environment in which the scene takes place
• Sets up the rules of the narrative that is needed for the plot to
progress or creates the conflict between characters.
• Macro-setting – overall setting (ex. New York, 1999)
• Micro-setting – setting of individual scenes (ex. Bedroom at night)
Elements of Setting
• Place - Where the narrative takes place
- Physical location
• Time - When the narrative is set
- The setting could be historical, futuristic or contemporary.
- May refer to how long a time the narrative takes place over. A
narrative could span over 100’s of years or just 24 hours
• Context - contextual information to help the audience understand some
aspect of the narrative.
- may be social, political or cultural contexts in an environment
that has an impact on the narrative.
Functions of Setting
• Extension of character - Sometimes a setting can reflect or emphasise certain
character/s. Think of the antagonists lair, the boss’ office or the love interest’s
bedroom
• Contribute to a mood or atmosphere - The combination of different elements
of a setting can add to the overall mood or atmosphere to a narrative.
• Create tension - A setting can have an effect on the plot of the narrative by
creating pressure or stress that causes a character to act in a certain way.
• Setting as character - Sometimes when a setting’s elements are so strong and
essential to the narrative it can be seen as another character. Setting can be
seen as a character if other characters can have intimate relationships with
them.
Identify the setting:
1. Macro-setting
2. Micro-setting The Fault in Our Stars
3. Place Her
4. Time Grease
5. Context
6. Function of setting
Mise en Scene
• French term that means “everything within the frame” or “placing on
stage”
• The description of all the objects with a frame of the media product
and how they have been arranged
• Elements include:
• Set design
• Costume
• Props
• Staging and composition
Set design
• As opposed to setting (time, location and context of scene), set
design is how that setting is being presented
• Either realistic or stylistic
Costume
• Wardrobe choices and make-up that is used to
convey a character’s status or personality
• Can function as aid to signify era of narrative
or draw the eye to a specific character
Props
• Short for “property”
• When an object in the setting has a function within the ongoing
action, it is then called a prop.
Staging and Composition
• Visual Composition refers to how elements within the frame have been arranged
for a particular effect.
• This includes positioning within the frame and relationships among other
elements within the frame. Elements can include characters or props.
SYMBOLIC CODE (#2): Mise-en-scene
Color
• Different colors have different connotations, depending on context
and culture.
• Can be manipulated in many ways (lighting, setting, mise-en-scene,
editing)
• Color palette – set of colors that are used consistently throughout to
create a tone or mood
Color
• Symbolism
• Red – danger, passion, romance violence
• Green – nature, sickness
• Blue – calmness, sadness
• Yellow – warm and inviting, bright, happy
• Purple – royalty, other-wordly
Dominant color – sets the mood or tone
Contrasting foils – used to draw the audience to something in the frame
by using contrasting or complementary colors
SYMBOLIC CODE (#3): Colour
SYMBOLIC CODE (#3): Colour
SYMBOLIC CODE (#3): Colour
Identify the mise-en-scene and color:
1. Set design
2. Costume Dark Horse
3. Props Inday
4. Staging and
composition
5. Color
SYMBOLIC CODE (#4): Acting
Acting
• Facial expression
• Body Language
• Vocal qualities
• Movement
• Body contact