WEEK 5

The learner should present an issue

in varied ways to disseminate
information using the codes,
convention, and language of media

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 Lesson
MEDIA AND INFORMATION
9 LANGUAGES

What I Need to Know

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify the different genres, codes, and convention used in media and information;
2. present an issue in varied ways to disseminate information using the codes,
convention, and language of media (MELC); and
3. appreciate the use of proper media and information languages in daily life living.

What’s New

Activity No.1: Symbology

Direction: Identify at least five (5) signs and symbols used in your community to convey
information (e.g. directions, location of attractions, etc.) and give its meaning or purpose. Out
of five, identify two (2) of the most used and three (3) misunderstood signs and symbols. Write
your answer in a separate sheet of paper.

Symbols Meaning/Purpose
Example: Warning Sign- Do Not Enter

Guide Questions:
1. How are symbols usually being presented?
______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. What is the importance of using symbols to convey a message or information?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

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 3. How these symbols are presented in terms of fonts, images, colors, designs, and
others?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

What I Know

Pre-test Direction: Read and carefully analyze the following questions. Write the letter of the
correct answer on your answer sheet.

1. It shows what is beneath the surface of what we see.

a. Codes c. Symbolic
b. Conventions d. Technical
2. These are the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text.
a. Codes c. Symbolic
b. Conventions d. Technical
3. These are generally accepted ways of doing something.
a. Codes c. Symbolic
b. Conventions d. Technical
4. It comes from the French word which means “type or class”.
a. Genre c. Mise en scene
b. Codes d. Convention
5. These are systems of signs, which create meanings.
a. Codes c. Symbolic
b. Conventions d. Technical

What’s In

GENRES, CODES, AND CONVENTIONS

Genre comes from the French word which means type or class. It can be recognized by its
common set of distinguishing features, such as codes and conventions. Horror, comedy,
action-comedy, sci-fi, action, inspirational or family are some of the genre in film, which are
also applicable to TV shows.

Media codes and conventions are like building blocks of all the media around us. Media
codes generally have an agreed meaning or connotation to their audience. Codes are the
system of signs which create meaning. There are three types of media codes: symbolic codes,
technical codes, and written codes. On the other hand, conventions are generally the
accepted ways of doing something.

TYPES OF CODE

1. Technical Code- the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story (camera
techniques, framing, depth of fields, lighting, etc.).

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 The “Grammar” of the Camera
Extreme Long Shot Shot of, e.g., a large crowd
scene or a view of scenery
as far as the horizon.

Long Shot A view of a situation or

setting from a distance

Medium Long Shot Shows a group of people in

interaction with each other,
e.g., a fight scene, with part
of their surroundings in the
picture

Full Shot A view of a figure’s entire

body to show action and/or a
constellation group of
characters

Medium Shot, Mid Shot, and Shows a subject down to his

Medium Close Shot or her chest or waist

Close-up A full screen shot of a

subject’s face, showing the
finest nuances of expression

Extreme Close-up/Detail A shot of a hand, eye, mouth,

Shot for Objects or object in detail

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 POINT OF VIEW
Establishing Shot Often used at the beginning
of a scene to indicate the
location or setting, it is
usually a long shot taken
from a neutral position

Point-of-view (POV) Shot Shows a scene from the

perspective of a character or
one person. Most newsreel
footages are shown from the
perspective of the
newscaster

Over-the-shoulder Shot Often used in dialogue

scenes, a frontal view of a
dialogue partner from the
perspective of someone
standing behind and slightly
to the side of the other
partner, so that parts of both
can be seen
Reaction Shot Short shot of a character’s
response to an action

Insert Shot A detail shot which quickly

gives visual information
necessary to understand the
meaning of a scene, for
example a newspaper page
or a physical detail

Reverse-angle Shot A shot from the opposite

perspective, e.g., after an
over-the-shoulder shot

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Hand-held Camera The camera is not mounted
on a tripod and instead is
held by the camera person,
resulting in less stable shots

CAMERA ANGLES
Aerial Shot/High Long or extreme long shot of
Angle/Overhead Shot the ground from the air

High Angle Shot Shows people or objects

from above, higher than eye
level

Low Angle/Below Shot Shows people or objects

from below, i.e., lower than
eye level

Eye Level/Straight-on-angle Views a subject from the

Shot level of a person’s eyes

CAMERA MOVEMENT
Panning Shot The camera pans (moves
horizontally) from left to right
or vice-versa across the
picture

Tilt Shot The camera tilts up (moves

upward) or tilts down (moves
downward) around a vertical
line

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 Tracking Shot The camera follows along
next to or behind a moving
object or person

Zoom Shot The stationary camera

approaches a subject by
“zooming in”; or moves
farther away by “zooming
out”

Editing
It is the process of choosing, manipulating, and arranging images and sound. Editing
is generally done for four different reasons:
• Graphic edits
• Rhythmic edits
• Spatial edits
• Temporal edits

Audio
It is the expressive or naturalistic use of sound. Audio can be diegetic or non-diegetic.
The three aspects of audio are:
• dialogue
• sound effects
• music

Lighting
It is the manipulation of natural or artificial light to selectively highlight specific elements
of the scene. Elements of lighting include:
• Quality
• Direction
• Source
• Color

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2. Symbolic Code- it shows what is beneath the surface of what we see (objects, setting,
body language, clothing, color, etc.).

Types Definition Example

1. Setting Setting is the time and place
of the narrative. When
discussing setting, you can
describe the setting of the
whole story or just a specific
scene. A setting can be as
big as the outback or space,
or as small as a specific
room. Setting can even be a
created atmosphere or
frame of mind.
2. Mise en scene Mise en scene is a French
term that means ‘everything
within the frame’. 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
• Props
• Staging and
Composition
3. Acting Actors portray characters in
media products and
contribute to character
development, creating
tension or advancing the
narrative. The actor portrays
a character through:
• Facial expression
• Body Language
• Vocal qualities
• Movement
• Body contact
4. Color Color has highly cultural and
strong connotations. When
studying the use of color in a
media product the different
aspects to be looking at are:
• Dominant color
• Contrasting foils
• Color symbolism

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 3. Written Code- it is the use of language style and textual layout (headlines, captions,
speech bubbles, language style, etc.).

TYPES OF CONVENTION

1. Form Convention- 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 a masthead, 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.

2. Story Convention- 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
• Point of View

3. Genre Convention- point to the common use of tropes, characters, settings, or

themes in a medium. Genre conventions are intricately linked with audience
expectations. Genre conventions can be formal or thematic.

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 What Is It

Activity No.2: Poster Analysis

Direction: Describe the genre, codes, and convention used in the following Filipino movie
poster. Write your answer in the separate sheet of paper.

Movie Posters Description

1. Through Night and Day (2018) with Genre: ________________________
Alessandra De Rossi and Paolo
Technical Code: ________________
Contis. Directed by Veronica S.
Velasco. Symbolic Code: ______________
Written Code: ___________________
Convention: ____________________

2. Eerie (2018) with Bea Alonzo and Genre: ________________________

Charo Santos. Directed by Mikhail
Technical Code: ________________
Red.
Symbolic Code: ______________
Written Code: ___________________
Convention: ____________________

3. Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019) with Genre: ________________________

Kathryn Bernardo and Alden
Technical Code: ________________
Richards. Directed by Cathy
Garcia-Molina. Symbolic Code: ______________
Written Code: ___________________
Convention: ____________________

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 4. The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin Genre: ________________________
(2014) with Vice Ganda, Richard
Technical Code: ________________
Yap, Tom Rodriguez, Alex
Gonzaga, and Bimby Aquino-Yap. Symbolic Code: ______________
Directed by Wenn V. Deramas.
Written Code: ___________________
Convention: ____________________

5. Heneral Luna (2015) with John Genre: ________________________

Arcilla. Directed by Jerrold Tarog.
Technical Code: ________________
Symbolic Code: ______________
Written Code: ___________________
Convention: ____________________

What’s More

Activity No.3: Photo Essay

A photo essay is a series of photos that tells a specific message or visually elaborate
on a specific concept. If the traditional essay is made up of words and sentences to make a
paragraph, then the photo essay has individual photos that demonstrate or represent a
concept or a string of concepts.

Direction:
1. Choose any concept/topic/issue to execute your photo essay.
2. It must consist of a minimum of seven (7) photos and a maximum of twenty (20).
3. Each photo should visually and clearly contribute to the overall idea of your photo
essay.
4. The photos could be taken using any kind of digital camera (DSLR, smartphone, small
digital camera).
5. Photos to be included should be newly shot; old photos in your collection are not
allowed.

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 6. You are also not allowed to use other people’s photo or download images from the
internet. All photos must be originally photographed by you.
7. Make a creative presentation of your work and put it inside your portfolio.
(Note: You may upload your sample photo essay in the google classroom provided by your
teacher if you have internet access at home).

What I Can Do

Activity No.4: Poster at its finest!

Direction:
1. You are the assigned illustrator of your class and your task is to illustrate an informative
poster that will guide people in their living (e.g. Poster about prevention of COVID-19).
2. The output may be digital in form or hand drawn.
3. You may choose any latest issues or topics to disseminate information using the
codes, convention, and language of media.
4. Your being creative, resourceful, and critical thinking are at stake here.
5. You may post your output to your community or via social media as a proof that you
campaign your output in disseminating information.
6. Place your output inside the portfolio or post your output in the google classroom
provided by your teacher if you have internet access at home.

What I Have Learned

Direction: Provide at least three (3) answers in the given question of table below. Write your
answer in a separate sheet of paper.

What new and interesting information How can I use and apply this
have I learned? information?
1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

Assessment
Post-test
Direction: Read and carefully analyze the following questions. Write the letter
of the correct answer on your answer sheet.

1. These are the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text.
a. Codes c. Symbolic
b. Conventions d. Technical
2. These are systems of signs, which create meanings.
a. Codes c. Symbolic
b. Conventions d. Technical

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3. It shows what is beneath the surface of what we see.
a. Codes c. Symbolic
b. Conventions d. Technical
4. These are generally accepted ways of doing something.
a. Codes c. Symbolic
b. Conventions d. Technical
5. The camera moves horizontally from left to right or vice-versa across the picture.
a. Panning Shot c. Tracking Shot
b. Tilt Shot d. Zoom Shot
6. It is often used at the beginning of a scene to indicate the location or setting.
a. POV Shot c. Establishing Shot
b. Reaction Shot d. Insert Shot
7. It shows people or objects from above higher than eye level.
a. Low Angle Shot c. Eye Level Shot
b. Aerial Shot d. High Angle Shot
8. It is a French term which means “everything within the frame”.
a. Genre c. Mise en scene
b. Codes d. Convention

For numbers 9-10, refer to the given picture below.

9. What type of camera movement is shown in number 1?

a. Dolly- in c. Tilt
b. Pan d. Dolly- out
10. What type of camera movement is shown in number 2?
a. Dolly- in B. Pan c. Tilt D. Dolly Out

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 Key Answers

10 B A 5
A 5 9 C B 4
A 4
B 3
8 C C 3
D 2 7 D A 2
C 1 6 C D 1
Pre-test Post-test

References

Books

Cantor, O. L. (2019). Media and Information Literacy. Vibal Group, Inc.

Magpile, C.M. (2016). Media and Information Literacy (Enhancing Education through
Effective Communication). The Inteligente Publishing, Inc.

Zarate, M. V. (2016). Media and Information Literacy. Rex Bookstore.

Electronics Sources

Young, R. (2017). Media Codes and Conventions. Retrieved from

https://media.codes/media-codes-and-conventions-c03423c06aa8

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