Conventions & Codes

• Conventions are the generally accepted way of doing things, they are what the audience expects to see.
• Codes
• Codes are systems of signs, which create meanings. Codes can be divided into two categories - Technical and Symbolic
• Technical
• Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, for example camera work in a film.
• Symbolic
• Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example a characters actions show you how the character is feeling.
• Some codes fit both categories - music for example is both technical & symbolic