Lesson 6; Media and Information Language.

What is Media Language?

  • Media Language refers to how media texts communicate meaning to an audience.

  • It includes the use of codes, conventions, symbols, and techniques to deliver a message, influence viewers, and elicit emotional or logical responses.

  • It is how a media product speaks to its audience, not just with words but with images, sounds, colors, camera angles, music, layout, and symbols.

  • It explains how media communicates meaning through codes and conventions.

Codes and Conventions in Mediated Communication

  • Code: systems of signs that, when put together, create meaning.

  • Convention: generally accepted ways of doing something.

  • Codes and conventions work together to construct media messages and guide audience interpretation.

  • This framework helps analyze how audiences, producers, and other stakeholders interpret media messages.

What is a Code?

  • A code is a system of signs used to convey meaning.

  • When signs are combined according to a code, a message or meaning emerges.

What is a Convention?

  • A convention is a broadly accepted way of presenting or doing something within a media form.

  • Examples include typical story structures, genre expectations, or standard production practices.

Technical Codes

  • Technical codes are about how equipment is used to tell the story (camera techniques, framing, depth of field, lighting, exposure, etc.).

  • Types of Codes: Technical, Symbolic, Written.

Camera Techniques (Technical Codes)

  • Basic camera shots

  • Advanced camera shots

  • Camera angles

  • Extreme Long Shot, Wide/Long Shot, Medium Long Shot, Full Shot, Medium Close-Up, Close-Up, Extreme Close-Up

  • Establishing Shot

  • Point of View (POV) Shot

  • Over the Shoulder

  • Reaction Shot

  • Reverse Angle Shot

  • Selective Focus

  • Arc Shot

  • Aerial/Overhead

  • High Angle

  • Low Angle

  • Eye-Level

  • Slanted (canted) angle

Common Shot Types and Their Uses

  • Extreme Long Shot: A large crowd or distant scenery; horizon as context.

  • Long Shot: Situation or setting viewed from distance; person may be visible.

  • Medium Long Shot: Group interactions; part of surroundings shown (e.g., a fight scene with some context).

  • Full Shot: Entire body of figures to show action and how characters relate spatially.

  • Medium Close-Up: Subject from chest/waist up; emphasis on body language.

  • Close-Up: Full screen of subject's face; captures fine facial expressions.

  • Extreme Close-Up: Detail shot (eye, hand, mouth, etc.).

  • Establishing Shot: Introduces location/setting, usually a long shot.

  • POV Shot: Scene from a character’s perspective.

  • Over the Shoulder: Dialogue framing from behind one character, showing the other.

  • Reaction Shot: Short shot of a character’s response to an action.

  • Reverse Angle Shot: Shot from the opposite perspective to show contrast.

  • Selective Focus Shot: Background blurred to highlight subject.

  • Arc Shot: Camera follows subject in an arc, usually from behind.

  • Aerial / Overhead Shot: High or aerial perspective of ground.

  • High Angle Shot: View from above; subjects appear smaller or vulnerable.

  • Low Angle Shot: View from below; subjects appear larger or more powerful.

  • Eye-Level Shot: Neutral perspective at the subject’s eye level.

  • Slanted (Canted) Shot: Tilted horizon line; dynamic/ unsettled effect.

Camera Angles (Summary)

  • Aerial / Overhead

  • High Angle

  • Low Angle

  • Eye-Level

  • Slanted (Canted)

Other Technical Camera Movements (Video Presentations)

  • 8 Basic Types of Camera Movements:

    • Pan

    • Tilt

    • Dolly

    • Zoom

    • Dolly Zoom

    • Tracking/Truck-ing

    • Arc

    • Follow

Symbolic Codes

  • Symbolic codes show what lies beneath the surface of what we see (objects, setting, body language, clothing, color, etc.).

  • Types of Code: Technical, Symbolic, Written.

Symbolic Codes: Examples

  • Objects: Ring = commitment or love; Broken glasses = conflict or destruction; Dove = peace or hope.

  • Settings/Location: A dark alley = danger or mystery; A bright classroom = learning or safety; A palace = wealth and royalty.

  • Body Language: Crossed arms = defensiveness or confidence; Pointing = aggression or emphasis; Bowing = respect (cultural nuance).

  • Colors: Red = passion, anger, or danger; White = purity or peace; Black = power, elegance, or death.

  • Clothing/Costumes: School uniform = student identity; Suit and tie = professionalism; Dirty or torn clothes = poverty or hardship.

Purpose of Symbolic Codes

  • They convey deeper meanings beyond the literal visual content.

  • They help audiences infer attitudes, themes, and social contexts.

Written Codes

  • Written codes involve language style and textual layout (headlines, captions, speech bubbles, etc.).

  • Types of Code: Technical, Symbolic, Written.

Genre: What It Is and Why It Matters

  • Genre is a system of categorization for media texts, often organized into levels from broad to specific.

  • Major types: Entertainment, News, Information, Advertising.

  • Genres shape production, distribution, and audience expectations, and influence codes and conventions used.

Entertainment

  • Definition: Derived from the French word entretien, meaning to hold attention, keep busy and amuse; aims to grab and sustain audience attention and deliver pleasurable feelings through story, production, and visuals.

  • Subgenres (illustrative hierarchy):

    • Festival, Drama, Gaming, Comedy

    • Second-level subgenres: Music festival, Workplace drama, Professional sports, etc.

    • Third- and Fourth-level subgenres: Examples include annual music festivals (e.g., SXSW, Lollapalooza), forensic-themed crime dramas (CSI, Bones), hospital-based sitcoms (House, The Mindy Project), etc.

News

  • Definition: Stories with critical importance to community and national life; journalists report with objectivity, comprehensiveness, and bias-free presentation when possible.

  • Categories:

    • Hard News / Straight News

    • Features / Soft News

    • Investigative News / Investigative Reports

    • Editorial and Opinion (opinion pieces and columns)

Hard News

  • Characteristics: Serious, timely, and significant topics; typically found on the front page or top primetime news.

  • Two essential elements:

    • Seriousness: Topics critical to society (political/economic developments, crime, disasters, wars).

    • Timeliness: Current events and developments (negotiations, crises, public statements).

  • Objectivity: Fair, balanced, impartial; free of judgment or interpretation.

Soft News / Features

  • Characteristics: Lighter, lifestyle-oriented content; human-interest angles; longer, more elaborate formats.

  • Examples include travel, lifestyle pieces, how-to articles, and opinion-rich pieces.

Editorial and Opinion

  • Purpose: Expresses individual or organizational points of view; opinions not presented as hard news.

Investigative Reports

  • Focus: Uncovering information authorities attempt to conceal; in-depth investigation and reporting.

Advertising (as a Genre and Communication Form)

  • Definition: Messages created to sell a product or service; can be commercial, informative, or advocacy-based.

  • Subcategories:

    • Hard Sell: Explicit sales messaging; direct call to purchase.

    • Soft Sell: Associative messaging; links product to positive experiences (e.g., family happiness).

    • Infomercial: Combines information and commercial intent; educates while selling.

Information (Raw Material for News and Media)

  • Information: Raw material circulating that provides data about the world; basis for news and other genres.

  • Sources include blogs, wikis, and other data-driven content.

Cross-cutting Notes and Examples

  • Example of media production elements: Film credits and production roles (e.g., Mary Celine Cantal, Scoophobic sample) illustrate how written codes (credits) convey information about contributors and rights.

  • Visuals and branding: Logos and on-screen text (e.g., UTM Stadium, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia) illustrate how branding and institutional identity are conveyed visually.

Connectors to Practice and Analysis

  • When evaluating everyday media, analyze:

    • What codes and conventions are used?

    • How do these choices shape messages for different audiences (consumers, producers, stakeholders)?

    • What are the ethical, philosophical, or practical implications of these choices?

    • How do genre expectations influence audience interpretation and production decisions?

Information Sources and Literacy

  • Information literacy involves recognizing information sources (blogs, wikis, etc.) as raw material and evaluating their reliability, bias, and usefulness for constructing media narratives.

Quick Reference: Summary of Key Terms

  • Media Language: How meaning is constructed via codes, conventions, symbols, and techniques.

  • Code: Sign systems used to convey meaning.

  • Convention: Broadly accepted methods or practices in media.

  • Technical Codes: How media are technically produced (camera, lighting, editing).

  • Symbolic Codes: Deeper meanings conveyed via objects, settings, body language, colors, clothing.

  • Written Codes: Textual elements (headlines, captions, layout).

  • Genre: Categories of media texts (Entertainment, News, Information, Advertising) with subgenres.

  • Hard News vs Soft News: Severity and timeliness vs human-interest content.

  • Investigative Reporting: In-depth, accountability-focused journalism.

  • Hard Sell vs Soft Sell vs Infomercial: Different advertising tactics.

  • Information: Data and materials used to generate news and other content.

Final reminder

  • This set of notes is designed to reflect the structure and content of the provided transcript, capturing major and minor points, definitions, examples, and practical implications relevant to Media & Information Literacy.