Lesson:

Evaluating
Messages and
Images
Multimodal
- having or involving several modes,
modalities
Multimodal texts
- texts which communicate their message
by using more than one semiotic mode or
channel of communication
 Multimodal Texts
Combination of two or more modes such as written
language, spoken language, visual (still and moving image),
audio, gestural, and spatial meaning

(The New London Group, 2000; Cope and Kalantzis, 2009).

 Multimodal Texts
A multimodal text is often a digital text but can be a book,
such as picture book, information text or graphic text.

Multimodal texts require the processing of more than one

mode and the recognition of the interconnections between
modes. This process is different from the linear reading of
print-based texts.
Examples:

➢ Magazine articles which use words and

pictures
➢ Websites which contain audio clips alongside
the words
➢ Film which uses words, music, sound effects
and moving images.
Magazine Articles
Website
 “
A text may be defined as multimodal
when it combines two or more
SEMIOTIC SYSTEMS.
 Semiotic
➢ The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation.
It explores how words and other signs make meaning.

➢ In semiotics, a sign is anything that stands in for something other

than itself.
The word 'semiotics' dates back to ancient Greece, but its use
in modern linguistics was propelled in the 19th century with the
research of Ferdinand de Saussure.

Saussure was a Swiss linguist who contributed greatly to the study

of semiotics, also sometimes referred to as semiology.
 Five Semiotic Systems
❑ Linguistic
❑ Visual
❑ Audio
❑ Gestural
❑ Spatial
 ○ comprise of written text, delivery,
Linguistic vocabulary, metaphor, structure,
modality and coherence

VOCABULARY – Words to convey a message

METAPHOR – Technological figurative language (i.e.
recycle bin, window, cut, paste, desktop)
STRUCTURE – Organisation of presentation
VARIOUS MODES – Auditory, print, video, graphics,
animation
 ○ comprising aspects such as
Visual colour, vectors and viewpoint in
still and moving images

COLOUR – Mood and Emotion, Cultural

significance
PERSPECTIVE – Depth and dimension
VECTORS – Directional lines to focus attention
FOREGROUND – Giving power by positioning
BACKGROUND – Creating the setting or the
scene
 ○ comprising aspects such as
Audio volume, pitch and rhythm of
music and sound effects

VOICE – Electronic, own voice, natural speech

MUSIC – Selected or composed music
SOUND EFFECTS – Selected or created sounds
 ○ comprising aspects such as
Gestural movement, speed and stillness in
facial expression and body
language

BEHAVIOURAL – Gestures
SENSES – Creating atmosphere
BODY CONTROL – Positioning and movement
EMOTION – Conveying feelings
KINESICS – Body movements to communicate
 ○ comprising aspects such as
Spatial proximity, direction, position of
layout and organisation of objects
in space.

ECOSYSTEM – Interaction of all components of the text

GEOGRAPHICAL – Layout and landscape
ARCHITECTURAL – Construction, composition and
organisation
Types of Multimodal Texts

❑ Simple Multimodal Texts

❑ Live Multimodal Texts
❑ Complex Digital Multimodal Texts
 ○ Comics/graphic novels, picture books,
Simple newspapers, brochures, print advertisements,
Multimodal posters, storyboards, digital slide presentations
(e.g. PowerPoint), e-posters, e-books, and
Texts social media.
○ Meaning is conveyed to the reader through
varying combinations of written language,
visual, gestural, and spatial modes.
○ Podcasts are also simple to produce, involving
combinations of spoken language, and audio
modes.
Live
Multimodal ○ Include dance performance, oral storytelling,
and presentations.
Texts
○ Meaning is conveyed through combinations of
various modes such as gestural, spatial,
audio, and oral language.
 ○ Live action films, animations, digital stories,
Complex web pages, book trailers, documentaries,
Digital music videos.
Multimodal ○ Meaning is conveyed through dynamic
Texts combinations of various modes across written
and spoken language, visual (still and moving
image), audio, gesture (acting), and spatial
semiotic resources.
○ Producing these texts also requires skills with
more sophisticated digital communication
technologies.
 Examples of Multimodal Texts
Infographics.
 Examples of Multimodal Texts
Posters.
 Examples of Multimodal Texts
Campaign
Posters.
 Examples of Multimodal Texts
Quote Cards.
 Examples of Multimodal Texts
Memes.
 Examples of Multimodal Texts
Advertisements.
 Examples of Multimodal Texts
Editorial
Cartoons.
 Examples of Multimodal Texts
Comics.
 Evaluating Messages
The importance of evaluating the effectiveness of our
messages is by developing and using strategic questions to
identify strengths and weaknesses.
Four Main Qualities of an Effective
Message
❑ Simplicity To evaluate whether a
message is effective, we can
❑ Specificity ask ourselves a series of
questions which reflect a
❑ Structure messages’ simplicity,
specificity, structure and
❑ Stickiness stickiness.
 ○ * In order to ensure that our messages
have simplicity, we should ask ourselves
Simplicity two questions:
○
– is my purpose evident?
– Is my core message clear?
 ○ *Refers to our choices of language and
its usage in order to ensure language is
Specificity specific we may ask ourselves:
○
– is my language specific?
– is my language concrete, rather than
abstract?
– am I using words which have
additional meanings and could perhaps
be misconstrued?
 ○ *Ideas should be organized and
Structure easy to follow.
○
– does my messages have a
STRUCTURE?
– is there a more effective way to
arrange my ideas?
 ○ *Anything about a ‘message’ that
encourages a visitor or client to stay
Stickiness longer. A message (multimodal text) is
sticky if a visitor or client tends to stay
for a long time.
○
– Does my messages ring a bell?
– How my message will retain in the
minds of the visitors or clients?
 Evaluating Images
It is important to critically evaluate images you use for
research study and presentation images should be
evaluated like any other source, such as journal articles or
books, to determine their quality, reliability and
appropriateness. Visual analysis is an important step in
evaluating an image and understanding its meaning and
also.
Three Steps in Evaluating an
Image
❑ Identifying Source
❑ Interpret contextual information
❑ Understand implications
Guide to analyse and evaluate
Image
❑ Content analysis
❑ Visual analysis
❑ Contextual information
❑ Image source
❑ Technical quality
 ○ What do you see?
Content ○ What is the image all about?
Are their people in the image?
Analysis ○

○ What are they doing?

○ How are they presented?
○ Can the image be looked at different
ways?
○ How effective is the image as a visual
message?
 ○ How is the image composed?
Visual ○ What’s in the Background and what
Analysis is in the Foreground?
○ What are the most important visual?
 ○ Where did you find the image?
Image ○ What information does the source
Source provide about the origins of the image?
○ Is the source reliable and trustworthy?
○ Was the image found in an image
database or was it being use in another
context to convey meaning?
 ○ Is the image large enough to suit your
Technical purposes?
Quality ○ Are the color, light and balance, true?
○ Is the image a quality digital image
without pixelation or distortion?
○ Is the image in a file format you can use
?
 ○ What information accompanies the image?
○ Does the text change how you see the image?
How?
Contextual
○ Is the textual information intended to be
Info factual an inform or is
to intended to influence what and how you
see?
○ What kind of context does the information
provide?
○ Does it answer the questions where, how and
why?
 Key Concepts in Evaluating
Images and Messages
❑ All media messages are “constructed”.
❑ Media have embedded values and point of view.
❑ Each person interprets messages differently.
❑ Media have commercial, ideological or political interest.
❑ Media messages are constructed using a creative language
having its own rules.
 Media have Each person
All media
embedded interprets
messages are
values and messages
“constructed”.
point of view. differently.
• What is the • What lifestyles, • What message do
message of the values and points of you perceive from
text? view are the text?
• How effectively represented in the • How might others
does it represent text? understand it
reality? • Who or what is differently? Why?
• How is the message missing?
constructed?
 Media have Media messages are
commercial, constructed using a
ideological or political creative language
interest. having its own rules.
• What is the purpose of the • What techniques are used
text? and why?
• Who is the target • How effective are the
audience of the text? techniques in supporting
• Who might be the messages or themes
disadvantaged? of the text?
• Who created the text and • What are other ways of
why? presenting the message?
 EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES OF DIFFERENT
TYPES OF TEXTS REFLECTING DIFFERENT CULTURES

Print Out Ads: DOVE

 EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES OF DIFFERENT
TYPES OF TEXTS REFLECTING DIFFERENT CULTURES

GUIDE QUESTIONS IN
KEY CONCEPTS MEDIA TEXT ANSWERS
ANALYSIS

1. All media 1. What is the message of the 1. The text says that in order to have a dry and flat hair the
messages are text? consumer must use this new Dove Oxygen & Nourishment
“constructed”. Shampoo and Conditioner.
2. How effectively does it 2. This product claims that when the consumer apply this product
represent reality? unto their hair they will achieve a dry flat hair and nourishment
plus up to 95% more volume. However, we can’t say if it’s really
effective to every individual who will use this since we have
different hair texture and hair sensitivity. It might be effective to
others but may not be effective for some. We can’t attain or
achieve this claim if we just use this product once but we might
see the result if we continuously using it.
3. How is the message 3. The message was constructed based on the raw materials that
constructed? is used to make the product and the concept was based on the
need and wants of the consumer.
 EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES OF DIFFERENT
TYPES OF TEXTS REFLECTING DIFFERENT CULTURES

GUIDE QUESTIONS IN
KEY CONCEPTS MEDIA TEXT ANSWERS
ANALYSIS

2. Media have 1. What lifestyles, values and 1. It picture out the natural beauty, neatness and the care of
embedded values points of view are every individuals to their selves.
and point of view. represented in the text?
2. Who or what is missing? 2. What’s missing is the cost of the product if it is affordable or a
little pricey for the consumers.
3. Each person 1. What message do you 1. What I perceive from the text is that this product was made for
interprets perceive from the text? dry limp hair to bring out again the beauty for it nourishes hair,
messages restores smoothness and adds volume.
differently.
2. How might others 2. Others may conclude that when they use this product once
understand it differently? they will achieve the healthy-volumed flat hair. Because we have
Why? this attitude that even we just used the product once we look for
a better result, and therefore we instantly judge the product’s
effectivity.
 EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES OF DIFFERENT
TYPES OF TEXTS REFLECTING DIFFERENT CULTURES

GUIDE QUESTIONS IN
KEY CONCEPTS MEDIA TEXT ANSWERS
ANALYSIS

4. Media have 1. What is the purpose of the 1. The purpose of the text is to advertise the product and
commercial, text? encouraged the readers to buy and use the product.
ideological or
political interest.
2. Who is the target audience 2. The target audience of this product are those who have a thin,
of the text? unhealthy dry limp hair.
3. Who might be 3. The disadvantaged of this product is those consumer who
disadvantaged? have a thick or volumed hair already and they don’t want to make
their hair thicker because they won’t able to use this product.
4. Who created the text and 4. The advertisement was made by Dove Corp. and printed out
why? by Summit Media and published in Cosmopolitan Philippine
Magazine.
 EVALUATING MESSAGES AND/OR IMAGES OF DIFFERENT
TYPES OF TEXTS REFLECTING DIFFERENT CULTURES

GUIDE QUESTIONS IN
KEY CONCEPTS MEDIA TEXT ANSWERS
ANALYSIS

5. Media messages 1. What techniques are used 1. The brand used convincing words and positive effects of their
are constructed and why? products in order to encouraged costumers. They also use
using a creative creativity when it comes to the graphical design of the printed out
language having its advertisement.
own rules.
2. How effective are the 2. The advertisement technique was quite effective since some
techniques in supporting the are really loves reading and scanning magazines and their theme
messages or themes of the is appropriate to the product they advertising.
text?
3. What are other ways of 3. Aside from the tag line or text used in the printed out
presenting the message? advertisement we can also convey the message through an
image or photo.
 ACTIVITY
GROUP WORK:
1. Group yourselves into five (5). Identify a leader who will present
your report.
2. Decode the ‘Messages’ in the Multimodal Texts using the
following questions as a guide:
a. What does the image and text depict?
b. What does the multimodal text trying to convey?
c. Is the framing of the message positive or negative?
d. Does the multimodal text affect or touches a specific culture?
e. Who do you think is the target audience of the said ad?
f. Is the manner of promotion appropriate? Or does it need
censorship?
 PORTFOLIO
1. Choose/Identify five types of multimodal text (posters,
memes, radio and TV ads, etc.).
2. Evaluate each multimodal text using/following the key
concepts in evaluating images and messages.
3. Format: Font type – Tahoma, Font Size – 12, Paragraph –
single space, Cover page – Name and Section
4. Submit the portfolio on ___________.
 There is a simple way to
package information that,
under the right
circumstances, can make it
irresistible. All you have to do
is find it. – Malcolm
Gladwell, The Tipping Point