Media Languages.

These are codes, conventions, formats, symbols and narrative structures that
indicate the meaning of media messages to an audience.

[Lovely Basa]

Codes. In media studies, codes are known as a system or collection of signs that create meaning when
put together. As boy scouts, or girl scout, you might be familiar with the use of morse code, the smoke
signals, or the signal flags for relating a message to another. Semiotics is the study of signs.

Three Types of Media Codes

1.The Symbolic Codes

These codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see (objects, setting,

body language, clothing, color, etc.) or iconic symbols that are easily understood.

Symbolic codes in media include setting, mise en scene, acting and color.

Example: What does a clenched fist symbolizes?

A clenched fist may convey anger.

a. Setting – is the time and place of the narrative. A setting can be a s big as the galaxy or space, or as
small as a specific room. It can even be a created atmosphere or frame of mind.

b. Mise en Scene – means the stage setting, everything within the frame. The arrangement of actors and
scenery on a stage for a theatrical production

In media terms it has become to mean the description of all the objects within a frame of the media
product and how they have been arranged. An analysis of mise en scene includes: Set Design, Costume.

c. Acting – The actors portray characters in media products and contribute to character development,
creating tension or advancing.

d. Color – has highly cultural and strong connotations. When studying the use of color in a media
product the different aspects to be looked at are: Dominant color, Contrasting foils, and Color
Symbolism.

[Lhiwell Miña]

2. Technical Codes

The technical codes include sound, camera angles, types of shots and lightning. They may include, for
example, ominous music to communicate danger in a feature film, or high-angle camera shots to create
a feeling of power in a photograph. Technical codes in media may include Camerawork, Editing, Audio
and Lightning. The actor portrays a character through: Facial expression, Movement and Body contact.

Film makers control what the audience focus on and therefore every shot is chosen for a reason.
Changing how an object or person is framed can drastically alter how audience react to that character/
object. There is no such thing as neutral.
a.Camerawork refers to how the camera is operated, positioned and moved for specific effects.
Camerawork includes: Positioning, Movement, Framing, Exposure, and Lens choice.

b.Editing is the process of choosing, manipulating and arranging images and sound.

c.Audio is the expressive or naturalistic use of sound. The three aspects of audio are: Dialogue, Sound
effects, and Music.

d.Lighting is the manipulation of natural or artificial light to selectively highlight specific elements of the
scene. Elements of lighting include: Quality, Direction, Source, & Colour. Camera shots are an essential
aspect of filmmaking and video productions, because by combining different types of shots, angels and
camera movements, the filmmakers are able to emphasize specific emotions, ideas and movement for
each scene. Three commonly used lightings: Key light, Fill light, and Hair light/ Backlight.

Types of Camera Shot Sizes

1. Extreme Wide Shot (ELS)

2. Long Shot (LS) / Wide Shot (WS)

3. Full Shot (FS)

4. Medium Long Shot (MLS) / Medium Wide Shot (MWS)

5. Cowboy Shot

6. Medium Shot (MS)

7. Medium Close Up (MCU)

8. Close Up (CU)

9. Extreme Close UP (ECU)

[Cristine Gura]

Photo caption - also known as cut lines, are a few lines of text used to explain or elaborate on published
photographs.

Comic Strips – is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form
a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions.

Camera Shot Framing – is the art and science of placing subjects in your shots. Camera shots are all
about composition. Rather than pointing the camera at the subject, you need to compose an image.

For filmmakers and videographers, a major consideration for framing is the number of subjects
you feature in our shots, and their physical relationship to each other and the camera.

Based on how you plan to position your subjects, you’ll need to adjust your camerawork. You’ll
want to capture your framing details on a shot list well before you arrive on set. That way you have a
clear idea for the scene and can communicate your vision with ease.
Types of Camera Shot Framing

1. Single Shot –What you shot captures one subject it’s known as a single shot. This can be set and
framed in any shot size you like, just as long as there is only one character featured within the frame.

2. Two Shot – is camera shot with two characters featured in the frame. Two shots are often really
useful for allowing performances to play out in a single take, which can be especially useful for comedy.

3. Three Shot – A three-shot features three characters in the frame. Three shots are really important in
adventure films, or really any film that has a group of characters, because it is an enormous time drain
to shoot 3 single just to show every character, not to mention jarring.

4. Over-the Shoulder Shot (OTS)- Another elements of camera shots to consider is the perspective of
the shot. An over-the-shoulder shot shows your subject from behind the shoulder of another character.
Because it emulates perspective, it’s common in conversation scenes.

Over-the-shoulder shots can help to provide orientation, and connect the characters on an
emotional level.

An over-the hip shot is similar to over-the-shoulder in the that the camera is placed with a
character’s hip in the foreground, and the focus subject in the plane of acceptable focus. You’ll gain a
similar effect form an over-the-hip shot as you would an OTS, but if you have one-character standing,
and the other sitting, kneeling, or any other configuration that places the subjects on uneven terrain” it
will often suggest a power imbalance.

5. Point-of-View Shot (POV) - A POV shot is camera shot that shows the viewer exactly what the
character sees. This transports the audience into the character. A point of View shot (POV) is generally
sandwiched between two other shots. A camera shot of a character looking at something.

[Paul Justine Layong]

Camera Focus

What is Depth of Field?

Depth of Field (DOF) is the tem used to describe the size of the area in your image where objects
appear acceptably sharp. The area in questions is known as the field, and the size (in z-space) of the area
is the depth of that field.

The center most point of the field is known as the point of focus. The imaginary two dimensional
plane that extends from the point is known as the plan of focus. Any part of your image that falls directly
on this place is officially in focus.

Types of Camera Shot Focus Camera Angles (research)

1. Rack Focus / Focus Pull

2. Shallow Focus

3. Deep Focus

4. Tilt-Shift
 [Christian Kyle Manio]

3. Written Codes – it is use of language style and textual layout (headlines, captions, speech bubbles,
language style, etc.) The study of written codes includes:

- Headlines / Titles – It is the text indicating the nature of the article below it.

- Typeface/Font

- Slogans / Taglines

- Captions (print) or inter-titles (moving image)

- Style

- Choice of words

- Emphasis of words.

The use of language style and textual layout also express meaning. In newspapers for instance,
the layout speaks about the degree of importance of a news story with respect to other news stories.
Typically, newspaper editors follow the inverted “S” of news layout because the mode by which people
read would be from left to right and from the upper fold of the newspaper down to the lower fold.
Captions, titles, slogans, taglines, and some other language elements are also utilizing in a way suggest a
particular meaning.

[Cristine Gura]

Conventions are accepted ways of using media codes. Conventions are closely connected to the
audience expectations of a media product. Different types of conventions include form conventions,
story conventions and genre conventions.

a.Form conventions are the certain ways we expect types of media codes to be arranged. For instance,
an audience expects to have a title of the film at the beginning, and then credits at the end. Newspapers
will have the headline or the most important news on the front page and sports news on the back page.
Video games usually start with a tutorial to explain the mechanics of how the game works.

b.Story conventions are common narrative structures and understandings that are common in story
telling media products. Examples of story conventions include: Narrative structures, Cause and effect,
Character construction, and Point of View.

c.Genre conventions point to the common use of images, characters, settings or themes in a particular
type of medium. Genre conventions are closely linked with audience expectations. Genre conventions
can be formal or thematic.
 [Lovely Basa]

Types of Signs

A. Regulatory Signs – signs that inform road users of traffic laws and regulations which, if
disregarded, will constitute an offense.

1. Priority Signs, like Stop sign, Give way sign, Left turner must give way

2. Direction Signs

3. Prohibitive / Restriction Signs

4. Speed Signs

5. Parking Signs

6. Miscellaneous Signs

B. Warning signs – Signs used to warn motorists of potentially hazardous conditions on or

adjacent to the road. It advises motorists of road conditions that require caution and may call for a
reduction in speed, in the interest of safety and that of other road users.

1. Horizontal signs

2. Intersection signs

3. Advance Warning/ Traffic Control Device Signs

4. Road Width Signs

5. Road Obstacle Signs

6. Pedestrian School Signs

[Lhiwell Miña]

What is Genre?

Genre is a French word which means “kind” or “class”. The original Latin word is “genus” and means a
class of things that can be broken down into subcategories. The primary genres that media and
information industry consider are the following in broad strokes: news, information, education,
entertainment, and advertising.

a.News. These are stories that have critical importance to community and national life. Like the
storytelling of fictional dramas, news stories are also told following the basic structure of beginning,
middle, and end.

Major Division of News Stories Employed by Journalists

(Sub-genres in delivering news)

1. Hard news (straight news) – It is usually found in the first page of a newspapers or make up the
headline of a regular episode of primetime news.
 Hard news values two elements: seriousness and timeliness.

Seriousness – means topics or issues that are critical to the lives of the community and the body politics.

Timeliness – It is the stories that cover current events and the current peace negotiations, the outbreak
of war, a significant public statement issued by a leader or a situation of current crisis.

2. Soft news – It is also called human interest stories. The journalist is able to relax in presenting soft
news. This include lifestyle news, travel news, articles offering the best way to do something.

3. Features – The feature stories are extensions of soft news in a sense that the human interest angle is
played up and presented in a longer and elaborate format.

4. Opinion and Editorial -Opinion against hard news are reserved for editorials and opinion columns.
Columns are opinion articles and editorials express an individual or organizational point of view.
Editorials can serve many purposes, it can argue for a certain issue and calls on a person or an entity to
act on the issue or respond to the clamor of the citizens.

5. Investigative News (reporting) – It has a very specific relation to power because it focuses in finding,
reporting, and presenting news which the authorities try to conceal. It is to expose wrong doing,
questionable transactions or shady deals brokered by those in power, there is the more compelling need
to be more in-depth and analytical with the facts that are uncovered in a process that usually takes
longer than conventional news reporting.

[Paul Justine Layong]

Advertisements are messages that are created to sell a product or services.

Three established broad sub-genres of Advertising

1. Hard-sell advertisements. These are commercial in nature and utilizes explicit messages to get the
consumers to purchase a product or patronize service.

2. Soft-sell advertisements. These are associate in nature. A major soda company associates its product
with the happiness derived from family togetherness.

3. Infomercial –Derived from the word “information” and “commercials” combine the need to inform or
educate and the intent to sell a product. Advocacy groups use infomercials to send messages.

Entertainment derives from the French word entretenir which means ‘ to hold the attention, keep you
busy, or amused,”. According to Turow, he identified four Entertainment subgenre which are festival,
drama, gaming and comedy.

Table 1: Entertainment Genre (module 6, page 10)

 [Christian Kyle Manio]

Role of Genre in Understanding Media Messages

Genre helps audiences-readers and viewers- to understand the text by merely looking at those
signs that you can recognize and interpret. Oftentimes, you may not understand the whole film you are
watching but because there are clues in context that these codes or signs provide, you are able to form
interpretations. This is why those who construct the message should “conform to certain standard
practice within the boundaries of a particular genre (Bhatia, 1993).” The codes in the genre guide the
audience toward a particular understanding of the message.

But a genre is not fixed or static. There are factors that may influence how message may be
understood. The factors include:

• One’s role in the society, i.e., a student may interpret the massage differently compared to someone
who is working adult;

• Group purposes-your reasons for consuming the message affect your understanding of it, e.g., when
you what for entertainment, you may tend to be less critical of the hidden intention of the message;

• Professional and organizational preferences and prerequisites-your biases toward the massage may
also affect your interpretation of it; and

• Culture constraints-the culture you belong to may have a different way of looking at things compared
to other cultures.

Table 2: Chandler’s Typology of Genre Codes (module 6, page 11)

Format
The formats are templates that provide the working and provisional structures of media and
information texts. Formats provide the architectural foundation of a media or information text and thus
dictate the kind of content that will be generated and the specific audience a program will attract.

A formula is an established procedure for achieving something. In media creation and

production, the formula is the combination of elements that will generate the kind of content and the
optimal effect that is envisioned.