MEDIA AND INFORMATION

LANGUAGES
A. CODES, CONVENTIONS AND MESSAGES
B. AUDIENCE, PRODUCERS AND OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS

G7
CALINGAS
AN FERIA
RAMOS
A. CODES, CONVENTIONS, AND MESSAGES

■ Language: It pertains to the 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.
■ Media Languages : These are codes, conventions,
formats, symbols and narrative structures that indicate
the meaning of media messages to an audience.
■ Genre : It comes from the French word meaning 'type'
or 'class‘ and can be recognized by its common set of
distinguishing features (codes and conventions).
WHAT ARE CODES,
CONVENTIONS,
AND MESSAGE?
 CODE
S
systems of signs, which create
meaning
 CONVENTI
ONS
refers to a standard or norm that
acts as a rule governing behaviour ;
are generally established and
accepted ways of doing something
 SIGNS
the smallest unit of meaning. It is
anything that can be used to
communicate. These include words,
images, sound and objects etc.
 MESSAGE
the information sent to a receiver
from a source.
 SEMIOTICS
is the study of meaning-making,
the study of sign processes and
meaningful communication
TYPES OF CODES
SYMBOLIC CODES
WRITTEN CODES
TECHNICAL CODES
1. SYMBOLIC 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
■Examples are:
A red rose may convey Romance or Love.
A clenched fist may convey Anger.
Traffic Light colors: Red – Stop ; Green -
Go ; Yellow - Ready
2. WRITTEN CODES

■use of language style and textual layout

(headlines, captions, speech bubbles,
language style, etc. )
■Examples are headlines of newspapers,
captions (posters or pictures) and speech
bubbles
3. TECHNICAL CODES

■ways in which equipment is used to tell the

story
■This includes sound, camera angles, types
of shots and lighting as well as camera
techniques, framing, depth of field, lighting,
exposure and juxtaposition (two elements
of the photo contrast each other
 CAMERA
TECHNIQUES/
SHOTS
BASIC CAMERA SHOTS
ADVANCE CAMERA SHOTS
CAMERA ANGLES
CAMERA MOVEMENTS
BASIC CAMERA
SHOTS
EXTREME LONG SHOT

also called extreme wide shots such as a

large crowd scene or a view of scenery as far
as the horizon

Ansel Adams: The Tetons

and the Snake River, 1942
LONG SHOT

a view of a situation or setting from a

distance

Ansel Adams: Monolith,

The Face of Half Dome,
1927
MEDIUM LONG SHOT

shows a group of people in interaction with

each other, example: fight scene with part of
their surroundings in the picture
FULL SHOT

a view of a figure’s entire body in order to

show action and/or a constellation group of
characters

Unknown Photographer:
Steve Skukerman
Mugshot, 1924 colorized
MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT

shows a subject down to his/her chest/waist

Unknown Photographer:
Lewis Powell Mugshot,
1865 colorized
CLOSE UP SHOT

a full-screen shot of a subject’s face showing

the finest nuances of expression

The Grand Budapest Hotel

(2014) dir. Wes Anderson,
Cinematography. Robert
Yeoman
EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOT

a shot of a hand, eye, mouth, or any object in

detail

2001: A Space Odyssey

(1969) Dir. Stanley
Kubrick
 ADVANCE
CAMERA SHOTS
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

Manhattan (1979 ) dir.

Woody Allen,
Cinematography. Gordon
Willis
POINT-OF-VIEW SHOT

shows a scene from the perspective of a character or one

person. Most newsreel footages are shown from the
perspective of the newscaster.

William Klein: Child with a

gun, c. 1954
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

The Sopranos (1999 –

2007)
REACTION SHOT

short shot of a character’s response to an action

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Dir. Denis Villeneuve, Cinematography.

Roger Deakins
INSERT SHOT

a detail shot which quickly gives visual

information necessary to understand the meaning
of a scene

Zodiac (2007) Dir.

David Fincher
 REVERSE-ANGLE SHOT

a shot from the opposite perspective

Silence of the Lambs

(1991) Dir. Jonathan
Demme,
Cinematography. Tak
Fujimoto
HAND-HELD CAMERA SHOT/ ARCH SHOT-

the camera is not mounted on a tripod and

instead is held by the cameraperson, resulting in
less stable shots
CAMERA
ANGLES
AERIAL SHOT - OVERHEAD SHOT

also called Bird’s Eye Shot - Long or extreme long

shot of the ground from the air

Blade Runner (1982) Dir. Ridley Scott, Cinematohraphy. Jordan

Cronenweth
HIGH-ANGLE SHOT

Shows people or objects from above higher than

eye level
LOW-ANGLE SHOT - BELOW
SHOT
shows people or objects from below, lower than
eye level

A Place Beyond the

Pines (2013) Dir.
Derek Cianfrance
Eye-Level Shot - Straight-on Angle
Views a subject from the level of a person’s eye
 CAMERA
MOVEMENTS
LOW-ANGLE SHOT - BELOW
SHOT
shows people or objects from below, lower than
eye level

A Place Beyond the

Pines (2013) Dir.
Derek Cianfrance
PAN SHOT
The camera pans (moves horizontally) from left to
right or vice versa across the picture

Taxi Driver (1979) Dir.

Martin Scorcese,
Cinematography.
Michael Chapman
TILT SHOT
The camera tilts up (moves upwards) or tilts down
(moves downwards) around a vertical line
TRACKING SHOT
The camera follows along next to or behind a
moving object or person

Moonrise Kingdom
(2012) Dir. Wes
Anderson
ZOOM
The stationary camera approaches a subject by
“zooming in” or moves farther away by “zooming
out”.

Vertigo (1958) Dir.

Alfred Hitchcock,
Cinematography.
Robert Burks
 AUDIENCE,
PRODUCERS, AND
OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
 AUDIENCE
the group of consumers for whom
the media message was
constructed as well as anyone else
who is exposed to the message
 PRODUCER
S
People engaged in the process of
creating and putting together media
content to make a finished media
product
 STAKE
HOLDERS
Libraries, archives, museums,
internet and other relevant
information providers.
END