Media and Information

Languages
Alnazer P. Ayaay
Kent Andrew T. Malig-on
Ej B. Sumagaysay
Pre-Test

1. It refers to the various interpretations that 2. They are the people who initiate, plan,
the text suggests to the audience. and produce media texts.
a. Connotative meaning A. Audience
b. Denotative meaning b. Media directors
c. Media language
c. Media producers
d. Media producer d. Stakeholders
Pre-Test

3. They refer to the people or organizations 4. The meaning of the product is not based
that share the same interests or intentions. on the product itself but on the
interpretation of the audience.
a. Audience
a. Form conventions
b. Media directors
b. Symbolic codes
c. Media producers
d. Stakeholders c. Technical codes
d. Written codes
Pre-Test

5. It is a symbolic code that means 6. It refers to the time and place of the
“everything within the frame”. narrative or a specific scene.
a. Acting A. Acting
b. Color b. Color
c. Mise en scene c. Mise en scene
d. Setting d. setting
Pre-Test

7. It refers to the portrayal of the actors in 8. Considerations on this are highly

creating media products. connotative when it comes to
interpretations. It is also usually associated
a. Acting with cultural aspects.
b. Color A. Acting
c. Mise en scene b. Color
d. Setting
c. Mise en scene
d. setting
Pre-Test

9. This points out that the knowledge and 10.This type of convention refers to
connotations of different camera angles and
how the types of media codes are
shots make sense when looking at films and
photographs but mean nothing outside those expected to be arranged.
forms.
A. Form conventions
a. Form conventions
b. Genre conventions
b. Symbolic codes
c. Story conventions
c. Technical codes
d. Written codes d. Technical conventions
Pre-Test

11.It is the process of looking into the 12.This refers to the exact information (not
demographics (age, gender, social status, expectations) which the audience brings
etc.) and psychology (values, beliefs, about the media output.
attitude) of the audience.
a. Audience Engagement
a. Audience analysis
b. Audience Expectations
b. Media product planning
c. Audience Foreknowledge
c. Media research d. Audience Identification
d. Product analysis
Pre-Test

13.This refers to the monitoring of the 14.This refers to the reaction of the
audience before, during, and after the audience to the media text. Different people
production of the media text. react in varied ways to the same text.
a. Audience Analysis A. Audience Analysis
b. Audience Foreknowledge b. Audience Engagement
c. Audience Placement c. Audience Identification
d. Audience Research d. Audience Placement
Pre-Test
15. This refers to the connection built by the media text to the audience.
a. Audience Analysis
b. Audience Engagement
c. Audience Expectation
d. Audience Identification
Media and Information
Languages
Alnazer P. Ayaay
Kent Andrew T. Malig-on
Ej B. Sumagaysay
Objectives:
At the end of the lesson the students are expected to;
• understand media language;
• know the different media codes and conventions.
Media and Information Languages

• Media and information literacy involves a full understanding of how

information, signs, symbols, and meanings are being communicated through
various media. Language is considered to be one important medium to
communicate. As a medium of communication, language is defined as a
“system of arbitrary, vocal symbols that permit all people in a given culture,
or other people who have learned the system of that culture, to communicate
or to interact” (Finocchioro, in Jiang, 2010). Language carries various facets
and functions. In this module, you will learn one aspect of language: the
language as it functions in media and information.
Media Language
Media language denotes how media producers make meaning about a
certain medium (advertisement, TV show, film, etc.) they are producing and
how they transfer that meaning to their target audience. It allows the
audience to convey the meaning of the text through its signs and symbols.
These signs and symbols used in media text do not have a single meaning. It
is expected that audiences have different interpretations and will use
different meaning systems. In interpreting these signs and symbols,
audiences may interpret the media text denotatively or connotatively.
Media Language
Denotative meaning is the literal meaning of the media text while
connotative meaning refers to the various interpretations that the text
suggests to the audience which are often associated with their culture,
values, beliefs, etc. For example, the use of the nonverbal signal “thumbs
up” may mean “Job well done!” in western cultures but it is a rude gesture in
some countries in the Middle East.
Media Codes and Conventions
In interpreting the meaning of the media text, you have to be able to
understand two of the most significant aspects of media and information
language – the codes and conventions. Media codes and conventions are the
very foundations of all the existing media. Media codes commonly have an
established meaning, denotation or connotation, to the target audience.
Meanwhile, conventions refer to the possible methods in which codes are
organized in a product.
Types of Media Codes
There are three types of media codes:
•Symbolic Codes
•Technical Codes
•Written Codes
Symbolic Codes
• Symbolic codes are audience-based. The meaning of the product is not
based on the product itself but on the interpretation of the audience. For
example, a film with a scene waving a white flag symbolizes “retreat” or
“surrender”. In reality, the audience who sees someone waving a white
flag may interpret it the same way. The symbolic codes in media include
setting, mise en scene, acting and color.
Symbolic Codes
•Setting refers to the time and place of the narrative or a specific scene.
•Mise en scene is a French term that means “everything within the frame”.
It describes all the features (set design, costume, props, staging) within a
frame of media products.
•Acting refers to the portrayal of the actors in creating media products.
•Color considerations are highly connotative when it comes to
interpretations. It is also usually associated with cultural aspects.
Technical Codes
Technical codes refer to codes specific to a media form alone. The
knowledge and connotations of different camera angles and shots make
sense when looking at films and photographs but mean nothing outside those
forms. The technical codes include camerawork (camera operation,
positioning, and movement for desired specific effects), editing (the process
of selecting, operating, and ordering images and sound), audio (expression
and utilization of sounds), and lighting (the manipulation of light based on
the target mood).
Written Codes
Written codes are the formal written language used in creating a media
product. It includes the printed language (the text visible with the media
frame which is the text you can see within the frame) and the spoken
language which includes the dialogues and even the lyrics of the song.
Types of Media Convention
There are three types of media codes: symbolic codes, technical codes, and
written codes.
•Form Convention
•Study Convention
•Genre Convention
Form Convention
Form conventions are ways in which the types of media codes are expected
to be arranged. For instance, the title and main casts are expected to appear
at the beginning of a movie while the credits are expected to appear at the
end. A number of television series usually begin with a short recap of the
previous episode and end with a preview of the next episode.
Story Convention
Story conventions refer to the basic structures of narratives. Examples of
story conventions involve narrative structures, character constructions, and
point of view.
Genre Convention
Genre conventions refer to the common use of the elements of narratives
such as the characters, settings, or themes in a certain type of media. Genre
conventions can be formal or thematic and are usually linked to the
expectations of the audience.
Media producers, stakeholders, and audience

Aside from media language, media practitioners also look into other elements such as the
producers, the stakeholders, and the audience. The media producers refer to the people
who initiate, plan, and produce media texts. They need to have the skill in assessing the
media texts and a thorough understanding of the target product; and the processes that go
into creating the products. Meanwhile, the stakeholders refer to people or organizations
that share the same interests or intentions. The audience, on the other hand, is a
significant element in delivering media texts. All media texts are made with a target
audience in mind. Producersconduct an audience analysis before coming up with a media
text. Audience analysis is the process of looking into the demographics (age, gender,
social status, etc.) and psychology (values, beliefs, attitude) of the audience.
Media producers, stakeholders, and audience

Producers also consider the reaction of the audience by looking into the following:
•Audience Engagement. This refers to the reaction of the audience to the media text. Different people react
in varied ways to the same text.
• Audience Expectations. This refers to the anticipation of the audience about the text. Producers may satisfy
or shatter the audience’s expectations.  Audience Foreknowledge. This refers to the exact information (not
expectations) which the audience brings about the media output.
•Audience Identification. This refers to the connection built by the media text to the audience.
•Audience Placement. This refers to the strategies producers use to make the audience feel that the media
text is made specifically for them.
•Audience Research. This refers to the monitoring of the audience before, during, and after the production of
the media text.