Codes and Conventions in Media
One example is the way a
Language
 technical and symbolic ingredients or
codes and conventions that media and
information professionals may select
and use in an effort to communicate
ideas, information, and knowledge.
“The medium is the message"
 Coined by Marshall McLuhan (1964) -
according to him, media affect us not
only through the information that they
deliver but also through their language,
codes, and conventions.
 This is about how the emergence of
social media has changed the way we
communicate with the people around us
and quickened the pace of everyday life.
 According to UNESCO, to be media &
information literate, one must know how
information, ideas, and meanings are
communicated. This means being able to
understand the "language" or “grammar"
of each medium or information provider.
In a way then, learning the "codes" and
"conventions" used by media
practitioners to communicate an idea or
a message is like learning a new
language.
Codes
 Are system of signs, which create
meaning.
Conventions
 Conventions are the generally accepted
ways of doing something.
Types of Codes in Media
Technical codes
 These include techniques and methods
like camera angle, shot type, and
lighting.
Audio codes
 These include codes related to sound.
Background music, sound effects, and
voiceovers are under this category.
Written codes
 Some examples of written codes are
headlines, captions, titles, and writing
style.
Symbolic codes
 These are codes that are used to convey
a symbolic--rather than a literal--
meaning.
character's emotions are implied in a
scene.
MEDIA CODES
Technical Code
 camera, editing, lighting, sound, special
effects
Written Code
 text, typography, graphics
Symbolic Code
 acting, setting, mise en scene, colour,
visual composition
Genre
 Refers to a class or category of artistic
endeavor having a particular form,
content, technique, or the like.
Setting
 Is the time and place of the narrative.
Your setting must always fit your
message.
Mise-en-scene
 Is the description of all the objects
within a frame of the media product and
how they have been arranged.
Acting
 Actors portrays characters in media
products and contribute to character
development, creating tension or
advancing the narrative. The actors
portrays a character through:
appearance, movements, gestures, facial
expressions and vocal delivery.
Color
 Every color elicits a different and unique
emotional response in the viewer, thus
when you produce media, you have to
be clever with your color choices.
Here's a list of colors and the emotions that
it may evoke
Color Meaning
Red Passion, strength,
power, danger
Green Safety, healing,
money
Blue Stability, trust, health
 Yellow Happiness, intellect
Orange Joy, enthusiasm,
encouragement
Brown Confidence,
casualness
Gold Wealth, prestige,
wisdom
Purple Power, luxury,
ambition
Pink Feminism, romance
Black Power, elegance,
mystery, death
White Purity, perfection,
safety
Written codes
 Are the formal written language used in
a media product. Written codes include
font style and font size used, caption,
choice of words and emphasis of words.
Media Representation
 The University of Minnesota defines
media representation as "the ways media
portrays particular groups, communities,
experiences, ideas, or topics from a
particular ideological or value
perspective."
 In other words, media representation
tells us that media reflect ideology, not
reality. It makes us aware of how media
"construct" or "re-present" reality and
affect our perception of ourselves and of
our surroundings
Construction- refers to the way a media material
is "put together"
Mediation - refers to the process that a media
material undergoes before reaching an audience
Selection - refers to the process of selecting
content for a media material
Anchorage - refers to the words used to give
images a certain meaning
Stereotypes - refers to the oversimplified
representation of a person or thing
Ideology - refers to the set of opinions or beliefs
expressed through a media material
Below is an example that illustrates how
each of these key factors play a part in
media representation:
 In terms of construction, what stands out
in the advertisement is the color, the
lighting, and the objects within the
frame.
 This advertisement, like most
advertisements, went through a rigorous
process of mediation: a lengthy app
transaction between a client, an
advertising agency, a graphic artist, a
photographer, a researcher, and the like.
 It also went through a process of
selection wherein typical content ideas
like a colorful photo of a bottle of
ketchup were perhaps rejected.
 The anchorage would be the statement,
"No one grows Ketchup. like Heinz" All
these factors point to the ideology that
freshness and simplicity are the most
valuable aspects of a product.
“What makes this advertisement more effective
is the way it upholds the stereotype of freshness
and simplicity equated to good.”
Vance Packard (Packard's Theory of Needs)
Emotional Security
 An individual has a need to feel safe.
 Example: pension plans, automobile
brands that promote safety, and health
and fitness products.
Reassurance of worth
 An individual has an inner need to
always feel important.
 Example: joy dishwashing liquid.
Ego gratification
 An individual has a need to be praised.
Creative outlets
 An individual needs an outlet to express
creativity.
 Example: baking
Love objects
 An individual has a need for things that
allow him/her to show affection.
Sense of power
 An individual has an inherent need for
power which has been exploited by
merchandisers.
 Examples: purchase of new gadgets,
branded fashion, and Tuxury brands.
Sense of roots
 An individual needs to connect to one's
identity.
 Example: the opening of a popular
Filipino fast food in Canada targeted
toward a growing Filipino community.
Immortality
 An individual has a need to defy death.
 Example: vanity products that make one
appear younger and vitamin
supplements that claim to add up some
years to one's life.

Print Advertisement
To do:
 Know your target consumers. Together
with your client, you should craft a
customer profile.
 Craft a singular message. An ad's
message must be simple and clear.
Ways on how to make an effective video ad:
 Use brand endorsers. Companies use
brand endorsers to lend credibility to a
product.
 Use icons. In the absence of endorsers,
some advertisers rely on icons.
 Use good storylines. Involving
storylines of real people provides
connection with consumers.
Ways on how to make an effective video ad:
 Use humor. Humor increases the
likeability of the product.
 Use jingles. Jingles are catchy tunes
with simple lyrics.