Monday 10 October 2011

Generic codes and conventions

Codes and conventions

Code: A system of signs which can be decoded to create meaning.

In media texts, we look at a range of different signs that can be loosely grouped into the following:
  • technical codes - all to do with the way a text is technically constructed - camera angles, framing, typography etc
  • verbal codes - everything to do with language -either written or spoken
  • symbolic codes - codes that can be decoded on a mainly connotational level - all the things which draw upon our experience and understanding of other media texts, our cultural frame of reference.
  • codes can create feelings to the audience through effects and techniques, for example rain in a film and a woman looking upset can make the audience feel bad for the woman and be emotional.
Convention:
Is what you would expect to see in a certain genre, for example: in a fantasy genred film you would expect to see maybe unicorns, demons, hero's/villians, strange settings, basically things that are fictional and unreal in our world.

The codes and conventions in media can be separated into 3 groups -
- Technical (e.g camera angles, movements & shots),
- Symbolic (e.g clothing, colours)
- Written and audio (music etc).
These three distinct groups give the text meaning and determine the response of the viewer.

Generic codes and conventions of the:

Horror genre -

Some things you would expect to see in a horror genre:
  • blood
  • villian
  • damsel in distress
  • heroic male or female
  • weapons
  • dark colours
  • scary settings
  • undead people/monsters
  • bad weather
  • sound motif (specific characters)
Horror films are uncomfortable films designed to make the audience panic, be frightened, cause dread and awareness, invoke our most hidden worst fears, capture and entertain us in an emotional cleansing movie experience, and will probally conclude with a terrifying shocking finale.

In the majority of horror films there will be a lead character/victim that will most likely survive through out the film. the killer/monster will most likely have a specific style or trademark, in the way he/she or it kills victims or causes mayhem. its usually good vs evil in most horror films. the two characters will have a conflict. usually the outcome is that the good character defeats the killer/monster or solves the problem.



Western genre -
Western films usually have the same layout, they have a good guy and a bad guy. to resemble the good from the bad the costumes of the characters depict them from each over and give the audience an understanding of who they are. for example: the good guy will wear appropriate and sensible clothes (normally in a lighter colour than the bad guy) on the other hand the villain might wear inappropriate clothing and will be usually dark colours.

Westerns often portray how desolate and hard life was for American frontier families.
Western films often depict conflicts with Native Americans.
 The Western genre sometimes portrays the conquest of the wilderness and the subordination of nature in the name of civilization or the confiscation of the territorial rights of the original inhabitants of the frontier.



Some things you would expect to see in a western genre:
  • revolvers
  • cowboys (cowboy hats)
  • saloon doors
  • tumbleweed
  • open spaces
  • desert
  • horses and maybe cows
  • spurs
  • bar brawls
  • train robberies


Science fiction -
In a science fiction film you would expect to see:
  • aliens
  • spaceships
  • rockets
  • vibrant colours
  • high advanced technology
  • abstract outfits
  • silver and metal objects
  • futuristic sound's
  • wide range of different races and species
  • lasers
  • space setting
Science Fiction is a type of genre where by the premise is that the events being described are taking place in a reality other than the one you are currently experiencing. This is either Long Time ago (Star Wars), Alternate Present (The Terminator, Twilight Zone, Independence Day) or Future (Dark Star, Silent Running). Science Fiction usually deals with hardware, technology and aliens (or other species).

Thursday 6 October 2011

Media terms

Media may refer to:
Communications

Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data

    • Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising
    • Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass electronic communication networks
    • Digital media, electronic media used to store, transmit, and receive digitized information
    • Electronic media, communications delivered via electronic or electromechanical energy
    • Hypermedia, media with hyperlinks
    • Mass media, all means of mass communications
    • Multimedia, communications that incorporate multiple forms of information content and processing
    • New media, a broad term encompassing the amalgamation of traditional media with the interactive power of computer and communications technology
    • News media, mass media focused on communicating news
    • News media (United States), the news media of the United States of America
    • Print media, communications delivered via paper or canvas
    • Published media, any media made available to the public
    • Recording media, devices used to store information
    • Social media, media disseminated through social interaction
Mass media - refers to all media technologies, including the Internet, television, newspapers, film, and radio, which are used for mass communications, and to the organizations and companies which control these technologies.

Mediate - is a representation or reanacment of reality, for example: big brother, or football match highlights.

Modern media - is simply the most up to date media technology being used, . for example: facebook, ipad's and xbox kinect.

New media -  is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century that refers to on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content. Another important promise of new media is the "democratization" of the creation, publishing, distribution and consumption of media content. Another aspect of new media is the real-time generation of new, unregulated content.