W4: Media Language, Codes, and Convergence

Media Language

pertains to the technical and symbolic ingredients or codes and conventions that media and information professionals may select and use in effort to communicate ideas, information, and knowledge

Codes

system of signs which can be detected to create meaning

SYMBOLIC CODES

show what is beneath the surface of what we see (objects, setting, body language, clothing, color, etc.)

TECHNICAL CODES

are ways in which equipment are used to tell the story in a media text, for example the camera works in a film.

extreme wide shot

he/ she isn’t necessarily the focus anymore, but rather the surrounding area is.

extreme long shot

designed to show the audience where the action is taking place.

wide shot

also known long shot, is often times used as an establishing shot in a film, as it normally sets the scene and the character’s place within it.

medium shot

used for back and forth dialogue within a scene as it allows the viewer to have a solid view of each character within a film. This shot is known as the ‘sweet spot’

medium close up

capture the minute details of the subject.

extreme close-up shot

is when the surface area of the frame is filled by a subject’s face.

low-angle shot

evokes a psychological effect by making the subject above, which the camera is angled at, look strong and powerful.

eye level shot

refers to when the level of your camera is placed at the same height as the eyes of the characters in your frame

High-Angle

a cinematography technique where the camera points down on the subject from above.

worm's eye view

a view of an object from below, as though the observer were a worm;

Canted or the Dutch angle

used mostly to create a dramatic effect within a film and can evoke a series of different emotions.

bird’s eye view shot

an aerial view shot, is when the camera is located up above, overhead, capturing the action going on below.