Codes and Conventions

Codes:

Media students identify three categories of codes that may be used to

convey meanings in media messages:

Technical Codes:
Which include camera techniques, framing, depth of field, Mise en scene, editing,  lighting and sound;

Symbolic Codes:

Which refer to objects, setting, body language, clothing and colour.

Written Codes:
In the form of headlines, captions, speech bubbles and language style.

Conventions:

Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something, and in the case of media texts, they are generally accepted patterns of code that communicate a particular message.

There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific. For example, in Westerns fights scenes are generally shot from a low angle, the setting is usually dusty and desolate, and even the sounds used within the scene are conventional.