Media and Information Languages

Media Language

denotes how media producers make meaning about a certain medium they are producing and how they transfer that meaning to their target audience.

Signs and symbols in media texts are polysemic which means they are open to many interpretations.

Denotative meaning

the literal meaning of the media text.

Connotative meaning

refers to the various interpretations that the text suggests to the audience which are often associated with their culture, values, beliefs, etc.

Written Codes

Formal written language used in a media product.

Symbolic Codes

The meaning of the product is not based on the product itself but on the interpretation of the audience.

Setting

time and place of the narrative.

Mise en scene

French term meaning ‘everything within a frame’.

Acting

portrayal of the actors.

Color

used to connect connotation to specific scenes, characters or object.

Technical Codes

ways in which equipment is used to tell a story in a media text like camera techniques, angles, framing and etc.

Extreme Long Shot

shows the subject from a distance.

Long Shot

shows the subject from head to toe but tends to be dominated by the scenery.

Full Shot

Frames character from head to toe.

Medium Long Shot

Shows subject from the knees up.

Medium Close Up

framing the subject from chest or shoulder up.

Close Up

Fills the screen with part of the subject.

Choker

shot frames the subject's face from above the eyebrows to below the mouth.

Extreme Close Up

A shot of a hand, eye, mouth, or any object in detail.

Establishing Shot

beginning of a scene to indicate the location or setting.

POV Shot

Shows a scene from the perspective of a character or one person

Over the shoulder Shot

frontal view of a dialogue partner from the perspective of someone standing behind.

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.

Tilt

The camera moves vertically from a static position.

Panorama

The camera moves horizontally from a static position. The use of this technique can create an illusion of depth and movement in what would otherwise be a static scene.

Zoom

The change of focal length - closer or farther away.

Dolly

Tracking shot. Camera moves on tracks/wheels to give a smooth movement.

Conventions

accepted ways of using media codes.

Form Convention

ways in which the types of media codes are expected to be arranged.

Story Convention

basic structures of narratives.

Genre Convention

common use of the elements of narratives such as the characters, settings, or themes.

that are common in specific genres. Genre conventions are what make certain stories the genre that they are.