MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY • Lighting – description of lights to be used in each

(MIL) scene
• Editing – transitions and directions in putting
together various elements
WEEK 8 – CODES AND CONVENTIONS
• Audio – dialogue, music, and sound effects
CODES Chandler’s Typology of Genre Codes
- Consist of signs that have meaning and Most common area on which codes are in audio-visual
interpretation media messages such as films and television programs.
o Symbolic
o Written Three key kinds of knowledge required by interpreters of
o Technical a text:
1. Knowledge of the World (Social Knowledge)
Symbolic Codes 2. Knowledge of the Medium and the Genre
- Reflect what is beneath the surface of what we see (Textual Knowledge)
in media text 3. Knowledge of the Relationship (1) between and
(2) Modality Judgments
Setting
- The time and place where a narrative or story Major Subcode
takes place Social Codes Verbal -Phonological
Language -Syntactical
Mise en scene -Lexical
-Prosodic
- Used to describe all elements in a frame, -Paralinguistic
including their arrangement. Includes set design, Bodily Codes -Bodily Contact
costume, props, staging, and rules of -Proximity
composition. -Physical Orientation
-Appearance
-Facial Expression
Acting -Gaze
- Portrayal of a character through gestures, facial -Head Nods
expressions, body language, movement, and -Gestures
vocal qualities, among others. -Posture
Commodity -Fashions
Codes -Clothing
Color -Cars
- Cultural in nature, with connotations and Behavioral -Protocols
underlying messages. In studying media texts, Codes -Rituals
take note of dominant colors, themes, contrasts, -Role-playing
-Games
and symbolisms of colors used.
Representational Scientific Codes
Codes Aesthetic Codes -Poetry
Written Code within the -Drama
- Formal written language used in media outputs. It Various -Painting
includes printed language and spoken language. Expressive Arts -Sculpture
-Music
-Artistic Expressions
Printed language including Classicism,
- Text presented within a frame Romanticism, Realism
Genre, -Narrative (Plot,
Spoken language Rhetorical, and Character, Action,
Stylistic Codes Dialogue, Setting, Etc.)
- Includes dialogue and song lyrics -Exposition
-Argument
Technical Codes Mass Media -Photographic,
- Ways in which equipment is used to tell the story. Codes Televisual, Filmic,
These exist only within each kind of media output Radio, Newspaper, and
Magazine Codes
and not outside of it. -Both Technical and
Conventional Codes
Examples: (including Format)
• Camerawork – angles, kind of shots, and camera Ideological Codes Perceptual -Visual Perception
Codes (Hall 1980, 132;
movements
 Nichols 1981, 11ff; Eco Types of Conflict
1982) Man vs. man, Man vs. Machine, Man vs. Nature, Man vs.
Note: This code does Society, Man vs. Supernatural, Man vs. Self
not assume intentional
communication Genre Conventions are the common use of tropes,
Ideological -More broadly, these characters, settings, or themes.
Codes include codes for
“encoding” and
“decoding” texts Horror
• dominant (or - Common settings are abandoned or isolated
“hegemocic”) locations, color is predominantly dark, or use of
• negotiated silence and creepy sound effects
• oppositional
(Hall, 1980;
Morley,
Romance
1980) - Boy meets girl story, popular urban city locations,
-Individualism, pop music soundtrack, voice-overs, or light-
liberalism, Feminism, colored themes and scenes
Racism, Materialism,
Capitalism,
Progressivism,
Conservatism,
Socialism, Objectivism,
Consumerism, and
Populism

Note: All codes can be

seen as ideological

CONVENTIONS
- refers to the way codes are organized in a media
output or product

Form Conventions
- Ways in which audiences expect codes to be
arranged

Examples:
Film
Title at the beginning, credits at the end.

News
Headline and lead at the beginning, most important news
at the front page

Video Games
Tutorials at the beginning

Story Conventions are common structure and

understandings in storytelling, such as:

Narrative Structure
Exposition, inciting incident, conflict, rising action,
climax, denouement, resolution, and ending

Point of View
First person, second person, omniscient
WEEK 10 – TEXT INFORMATION AND
MEDIA
Text Information and Media
- These are the written and tangible dimension of
information and media.
- “Human-readable sequence of characters” that
can form intelligible words.
Types of Texts (Parekh, 2006)
1. Plaintext – consisting of fixed sized characters
having essentially the same type of appearance
2. Formatted text – appearance can be changed
using font parameters
3. Hypertext – serve to link different electronic
documents and enable users to jump from one to
the other in a nonlinear way
Journalism is defined as collecting, writing, editing and
presenting of news in newspapers, magazines, radio, and
television broadcasts, or the internet.
The newspaper is one of the major mediums used to
disseminate information through texts. It is regularly
scheduled publication containing news, information, and
advertising. It has two formats:
o Broadsheets
o Tabloids
Broadsheets – typically long and is from a much more
reliable and established source.
Examples: Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, Philippine
Daily Inquirer
o When
o Where
o Why
o How
Lead
- Most important part of the news article; first
sentence or paragraph which must contain the
most important facts; serves as the hook of the
news story
Text-specific Issues:
Sensationalism – style design to produce startling or
thrilling impressions or to excite and please vulgar taste
Tabloidization – Revision of traditional newspaper and
other media formats driven by reader preferences and
commercial requirements
Envelopmental journalism – bribery through cash
envelopes to influence them to write news that is one-
sided
Yellow Journalism – high-interest stories, sensational
crime news, large headlines and reports exposing
corruption in business and government, marketed for
shock value
News Values – determine prominence of news stories or
attention given by the audience or masses: Prominence,
Timeliness, Proximity, Relevance, etc…

Tabloids – smaller, shorter and typically easirr to read

and is aimed for the masses. May contain vulgar and
informal language.
Example: Bulgar, Tempo

The newspaper has several sections:

• Headline – considered as the most important
news of the day
• Opinion – includes editorial and columnists,
writing essays with specializations
• Entertainment – contains pop culture news and
updates, and comics
• Lifestyle – includes health and wellness
• Technology – includes the latest technological
trends
• Business – contains updates regarding the
economy
• Sports – news about sports, standings, athletes

Straight news aims to answer the 5W’s and 1H

o Who
o What
WEEK 10 – VISUAL INFORMATION AND of reality, dimensional
using representation
MEDIA various of a
media, combustion
Visual Information and Media including engine
- Dimension of media that is primarily accessed by computer-
assisted
our eyes and visual capabilities drawing
packages
Visual Literacy Dynami Animation Series of Demonstratio
- Develops our ability to construct meaning from c Art images that n of steps in a
images. We must interpret the visual elements simulate software
motion procedure;
beyond what it appears to be. Process of
ammunition
Graphics detonation
- Pictures that are either drawn by hand or through shown
through line
a computer software art
Two types: Video Series of Capture of the
1. Raster graphics – a drawing that is digitized images, hydrogen
using a scanner captured as bomb test
2. Vector graphic – produced through a computer they occur, explosion at
digitally, on White Sands,
software; can be scaled without compromising film, or New Mexico;
the quality of the drawing; can be enabled to an magnetic Film of a
animation tape, human
displayed resources
serially; director
Uses of Graphics over time interviewing a
• To build user interface such as a browser menu, job applicant
button, button, tab, or window Virtual Reality An Simulated
• To represent data in charts, tables, graphs, and interactive walkthrough
three- of the human
other data presentation tools dimensional heart
• 2D or 3D modeling designs world that
• Used to design program title cards or banners, dynamically
advertisements, and visual effects changes as
the “user”
moves
Graphics as Used in Learning or Instruction through and
SURFACE FEATURES – a series of still visuals which views it.
are more effective for some learning goals such as
teaching how things work COMMUNICATION FUNCTION – graphics have the
communication purpose to show motion or represent
Type Salient Feature Definition Example illustrate quantitative relationships
Static Illustration Depiction of Pen and ink
Art visual outline art;
Function A Graphic Used Examples
elements, two-
to…
suing dimensional
Decorative Add aesthetic -Art on the cover
various watercolor of
appeal or humor of a book
media flower parts;
-Visual of a
diagrams and
general in a
charts
military lesson
Photographic Captured Screen
on ammunition
image, using capture of a
photographi software Representational Depict an object in -A screen
c or digital screen; Photo a realistic fashion capture of a
technologies of a person software screen
answering -A photograph
phones of equipment

Modeled Computer- Three-

generated dimensional
(CG) – a representation
faithful of an office;
production three-
 Mnemonic Provide retrieval -A picture of a Difference in photography then and now:
cues for factual stamped letter in Elimination of the chemical
information a shopping cart
to recall the laboratory (dark room) in the overall
meaning of the photographic process
Spanish word,
carta (letter)
Organizational Show qualitative -A two- Principles of Photography
relationships dimensional
among content course map
-A concept tree Emphasis – pulls viewers to a specific
element in the image

Balance - a sense of stability in the shot,

can be symmetrical or asymmetrical and
Relational Show quantitative -A line graph can be achieved by using elements of
relationships -A pie chart
among two or
equal or similar weight
more variables
Unity – all elements form a whole

Contrast – use of contrasting elements (may

Transformational Show changes in -An animation be in terms of shape, texture, color, or value)
objects over time of the weather
or space cycle
-A video
showing how to Movement – directs the viewer’s eye to
operate follow a perceived action
equipment
Interpretive Illustrate a theory, -A schematic
principle, or cause- diagram of
and-effect equipment Rhythm – use of repeating or alternating
relationships -An animation shapes, colors, or values
of molecular
movement
Repetition or pattern – a repeating
element in the image
Cognitive Psychological Functions – graphics are used
by illustrating the interactive of visuals with human Scale and proportion – juxtaposing a small
learning processes such as attention or retrieval from object with a large object exaggerates their
memory size

Types of Perspective
Linear perspective
Directs our gaze to a vanishing point within
the visual field. The best illustration to
explain vanishing point is the “train-tracks”
effect.

Scale Perspective
- The figures and objects in the
distance are reduced in size
Photography
- The process of recording images through a Atmospheric perspective
chemical interaction caused by light rays hitting a Details of figures and objects in the distance are
sensitized surface (celluloid film/negative) not only diminished but are also rendered in soft
focus.
Digital photography
- Images are captured or encoded as electronic
signals stored in the camera system’s memory
storage and decoded as digital image files
Image-Specific Issues
Image Manipulation
- Done for artistic merits or for
deception
E.g. the practice of airbrushing in
magazines to erase wrinkles, spots or
imperfections, trimming the waist or fat
of models to make them appear thinner.
Image-grabbing and plagiarism
A graduate student from UP was caught
plagiarizing a photo that won the top
prize in the Calidad Humana photo
contest held by the Chilean Embassy in
2013. After further investigations, it
was revealed he plagiarized several
photographs before this incident and passed them as his
own in various photography contests.
AUDIO INFORMATION AND MEDIA
INFORMATION
Dialogue – conveying what the event is all about, helps in
developing the story progression
Direct address – when the performer speaks directly
from his/her screen position
Narration – strategy in advancing a plot from pictures
OUTER ORIENTATION
Space or ambiance – where specific sounds can help
reveal and define the location of an event. It can represent
time, situation
Examples of situations:
• Predictive sound
• Leitmotive – which is a short musical phrase or
specific sound effect that signals the appearance
of a person, action, or situation; may only be
effective only if used repeatedly to signal the
same event
• External condition – indicate whether
something is big or small, smooth or rough, high
or low, old or new, fast or slow
INNER ORIENTATION
Mood – variety of nonmusical sounds (usually
synthesized or otherwise electronically distorted sound)
or a combination of music and nonmusical sound
Internal condition – examples are unstable environment
(often in conjunction with the contextual visual clue) or a
person who feels calm, excited, or agitated
Energy – whistles and whines, can provide or increase the
aesthetic energy of a scene
Structure – sound establishes or supplements the
rhythmic structure or the visual vector of the screen event.
AUDIO COMPOSITION
Voice – sound coming from the voice box or larynx
Sound effects – can be canned, live, or digital (Foley
sound effects)
Music – can be used on its own or to enhance broadcasts
and productions
Silence – in radio, “dead air” is avoided because it
disrupts the flow of information from broadcasts.
However, silence can be utilized intentionally in
production to create a certain effect.
Noise – number one enemy in audio production,
unwanted sound
AUDIO CODES
Sound effects - all sounds that are neither dialogue nor
music.
Voice over – spoken words laid over the other tracks in
sound mix to comment upon the narrative or to narrate.
Ambiance – background sound, used to build the setting
Music – diegetic music is part of the action; non-diagetic
is not part of the action but added over the top (during
post-production). It is used symbolically to add associated
meaning to the visual images (atmosphere, tension)
Score – the title of the musical soundtrack
MOTION INFORMATION AND MEDIA
Film – was earlier called “moving pictures” since its
precursor photography is still (non-moving) pictures
which was shortened to “movies”.
Cinema – refers to specific bodies of work in film that
carry specific thematic topics (music, acting, production
design)
Two formats: short film and feature-length or full-
length film
MODES OF FILM PRODUCTION
Pre-production Stage
- Planning stage, concept development, script
writing, financing, casting, set design, shooting
details, and other concerns
- Visualization is also part of pre-production;
production design; shooting details; editing
concerns and planning the kind of music which
would be used.
Production Stage
- Actual shooting of the film; also known as the
principal photography phase; typical shooting for
mainstream full-feature is less than 30 days,
while low budget independent films are shot in
less than 10 days.
Post-production Stage
- Editing, film scoring, dubbing; mainstream films
are edited in less than 25 days
Basic Camera Angles
Over-the-head Over-the-shoulder
Worm’s eye view Bird’s eye view
Full shot
 Cowboy shot Medium shot Media as a form of cultural imperialism
- Filipinos embraced American culture because
they shared their culture with us through TV and
radio shows, educational system, popular culture,
and Hollywood movies

Hollywood as the “Dream Factory” – predominant

Medium close up Close up western themes even in locally produced media

Metro Manila Film Festival was an attempt to circumvent

Hollywood dominance, but now it has turned into a for-
profit cash-grab without cultural value

Extreme close up

Dolly in and out Zoom in and out

Pan left and right Tilt up and down

ISSUES ON FILM
Synergy – maximizing economic opportunities within the
conglomerate (one product, multiple media saturation)

Pop culture and unpopular tastes

Technical prowess vs. Story content

• “Hollywood standards” in terms of technique and
content
• CGI – western standards as the best
• Copying stories instead of presenting stories
about our culture and heritage