Media and Information Languages

• Language can cause misunderstandings, according to Marshall McLuhan in 1964.

Media and Information Languages

• Media and information languages are being explored

Media Literacy

• Media literacy involves understanding and using mass media assertively and non-passively
• This entails the informed and critical understanding of the media's nature, techniques, and impacts.
• Information, ideas, and meanings are conveyed by different media and information providers.
• Libraries, archives and the internet contributes towards becoming a media and information literate person.

Languages

• Languages pertain to technical and symbolic elements used by media and information professionals to communicate ideas and knowledge.

Media Language

• Media language conveys meaning in a media text to audiences.
• It includes codes, conventions, formats, symbols and narrative structures to convey meaning to an audience

Audiences

• Audiences are the groups of consumers for whom a media message is constructed
• Audiences includes anyone else who is exposed to the message.

Target Audience

• Target audience refers to the specific group to whom a media text is primarily directed.
• The target audience is based on age, gender, profession, class, etc.

Active Audience

• Active audience refers to the theory that people interpret media messages through their own history, perspective, and experiences.
• Different groups may interpret the same message in different ways.

Producers

• Producers are the individuals involved in creating and assembling media content to produce a finished media product.

Stakeholders

• Stakeholders includes libraries, archives, museums, the internet, and other relevant information providers.

Messages

• Messages is the information sent from a source to a receiver.

Types of Media Language

• Written language represents spoken or gestural language through a writing system.
• Language generates meanings and captions to present a story and generate interest in verbal language
• Verbal language involves how the language is delivered, and its contexts are key to meaning
• Verbal language is commonly used in broadcasting, television, radio, and films.
• Non-verbal language includes body languages such as gestures and body actions.
• Visual language uses visual elements to convey meaning or ideas and graphicacy is important
• Graphicacy is the ability to communicate visually and is important as both literacy and numeracy
• Visual Language can be found in paintings, drawings, symbols, or simply lines and shapes arranged for a specific effect
• Art provides visual language through paintings, sculptures, pictograms and ideograms
• Aural Language is the second most basic language skill aside from oral and refers to the language as it is heard.

Media Languages Defined

• Media languages are codes, conventions, formats, symbols, and narrative structures.
• Media languages indicate the meaning of media messages to an audience.

Codes

• Codes are systems of signs creating meaning when put together.
• Semiotics represents the study of signs.

Types of Codes

• Symbolic codes
• Written codes
• Technical codes

Symbolic Codes

• Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface, including objects, setting, body language, clothing, color, or easily understood iconic symbols.
• A red rose commonly symbolizes romance or love.
• A clenched fist may symbolize anger.
• A traffic light symbolizes; Red (stop), Green (go), Yellow (ready)

Pigpen Cipher

• Pigpen Cipher is a geometric simple substitution cipher.
• Pigpen Cipher exchanges letters for symbols which are fragments of a grid.

Reverse Method

• The reverse method is done by reversing the word itself, for instance, LOVE- EVOL

ROT13 Cipher

• ROT13 Cipher is a simple letter substitution cipher replacing a letter with the 13th letter after it.
• The ROT13 Cipher is a special case of the Caesar Cipher developed in ancient Rome.

The Number Replacement Code

• The number replacement code replaces letters of the alphabet with numbers.
• With this type of code you write down your coded message, instead of the real letter, by finding that letter in the alphabet and counting forward.

Shifted Alphabet Code

• Shifted alphabet code uses the next letter of the alphabet.

Other Symbolic Codes

• Setting is the time and place.
• Mise en scène is a French term for everything within the frame
• Mise en scène describes the set design, costume, props, staging and composition.
• Acting involves portraying characters in media products and contributing to character development while creating narrative tension.
• Actors portray a character through facial expression, body language, vocal qualities, movement, and body contact.
• Color has cultural and strong connotations.
• Dominant color, contrasting foils, and color symbolism are parts acting

Written Codes

• Written codes use language style and textual layout, including headlines, captions, speech bubbles, and overall language
• Written codes are formal written languages used in media products.
• They advance a narrative, and communicate information about a character or issues and themes
• Written codes include printed (text) language and spoken (dialogue and song lyrics) language.

Headlines

• Headlines are included in the content of written codes.

Captions

• Captions are included in the content of written codes.

Speech Bubbles

• Speech bubbles are included in the content of written codes.

Technical Codes

• Technical codes are how equipment is used to tell the story.
• Sounds, camera angles, types of shots, lighting, camera techniques, framing, depth of field, lighting, exposure and juxtaposition are all technical codes.

Camera Work

• Camera work refers to how the camera is operated, positioned, and moved for specific effects
• Aspects of camera work include positioning, movement, framing, exposure, and lens choice.

Editing

• Editing involves choosing, manipulating, and arranging images and sound.
• Editing is generally done for four reasons: graphic edits, rhythmic edits, spatial edits, and temporal edits.

Technical Codes

• Audio represents the expressive or naturalistic use of sound that is diegetic or non-diegetic.
• Dialogue, sound effects, and music are the three aspects of audio.
• Lighting is the manipulation of natural or artificial light to highlight specific elements.
• Elements of lighting include quality, direction, source, and color.

Camera Shots

• Extreme Wide Shot establishes location and showcases the character location in relation to another character.
• Wide Shot which is a little bit closer to the Extreme Wide Shot where in we can see the character’s full body but still focusing on the foreground and background.
• Full Shot displays the full body of the character from head to toe and is also known as full body shot.
• Medium Full Shot focuses on the subject/character from the knees up.
• Medium Shot a type of shot which that focuses on the subject from hips up, and we can see one half of our character.
• Medium Close Up is a Shot from chest up focusing on the character a tighter shot of the medium full shot
• Close Up is a tighter shot of the characters face, from the neck to the top of his head.
• Extreme Close Up focuses on one aspect of the character’s face.
• Point of view shots
• Cut-In Shots
• A shot that focuses and zoomed in to something.
• This is taking a shot looking to our characters perspective of what he sees.
• A shot that displays two people in the frame and see where they are and their relation with each other.
• Looking over the shoulder of one subject to the other displaying their engagement in the conversation.
• Focusing on one character in the conversation but you are not seeing the other characters shoulder or Cutting in closer to give emphasis on the character who is speaking.
• Shot that gives emphasis on the character who is talking to give an extra effect of suspense or something else to happen.

Camera Angles

• Establishing Shot captures the setting to give an idea of where the character is.
• Master Shot shows the geography of where each character is in relation to one another.

Conventions

• Conventions refers to a standard or norm that acts as a rule governing behavior
• Conventions are generally established and accepted ways of doing.
• Conventions are frequently depicted in action movies
• Conventions include time travel, space travel, aliens, and advance technologies in sci-fi movies.

Form Conventions

• Form conventions are expectancies for arrangement of media codes.
• Audiances expects the film title at the beginning and then the credits at the end
• Newspapers will have a masthead (banner) with main news on the front and sports on the back.
• Games typically start with tutorials.

Story Conventions

• Story Conventions are common narrative structures
• Examples: narrative structures, cause and effect, and character construction
• Genre Conventions points to common tropes/themes in media & often link to auidences expectations

Genre

• Media products can be classified into categories or genre.
• The word "genre" is the French word for “type” or “class”.
• Media genres appear within a medium (film, television etc.) and can be a “horror” film or the television “situations comedy”, for example
• A shared set of distinguishing features that a genre has are: codes and conventions.
• Genre’s style and content may be, for example, a particular setting, character types, or technical codes like lighting or music.
• Some media texts blur genre boundaries

Genre cont

• Audiences recognize features and therefore expect certain things
• At the end of a romantic comedy film, the two lead characters will realize they are in love
• Producers market texts according to niche audience that has already been identified -However, a genre is not static because it changes all the time
• Genre conventions result in hybrid or sub-genres and changing codes