Lesson 6

1. Lesson Six
Wednesday 28th
September 2016
Media Language –
Codes and Conventions

2. The Shining (re-release trailer)
The Shining (spoof trailer)

3. Learning Intentions
• To understand “the rules” of
visual media.
• To consider how media products are designed
to make sense to audiences.
• To learn the “language” of images.

4. Success Criteria
• I will:
– Understand what media codes and conventions
are
– Consider how codes and conventions are used
within visual media
– Learn how to analyse images

5. Codes
• What is a code?
– A method of communication which must be
cracked?
• Each medium has its own code
– You need to learn the code to understanding the
meaning.

6. Decode…
• What codes
are present
here?

7. Decode…
• Clip from Skins (Channel 4)

8. Decode…

9. Conventions
• What is a “convention”?
• The “accepted” way of doing things
• The “rules”
• What are the conventions
of TV drama?
– Characters
– Settings
– Plots

10. What are conventions of…
• Quiz shows?
• Tabloid papers?
• First person shooters?

11. End of Lesson Six

12. Task
• Work in pairs/ threes
• You are going to “pitch” a new TV drama
– You can choose any genre
– You need a basic plot
– You need at least four characters
– You need a clear setting
• You will “pitch” your idea at the beginning of
Wednesday’s lesson
• You will need to explain how it fits the codes and
conventions of your chosen genre.