The document discusses the various codes and conventions used in media, specifically focusing on music videos. It identifies three main groups of codes: technical (camera techniques and shots), symbolic (clothing, colors), and written/audio (music, lyrics). These codes and conventions give meaning to the text and influence the viewer's response. The document then provides examples of specific technical codes and techniques often used in music videos, such as close-up shots, crane shots, and editing techniques like jump cuts and cross cutting. Mise-en-scène elements in a music video are also discussed, including clothing, makeup, themes, props, locations, and facial expressions.

1. By Saba Chahil

2. The codes and conventions in media can be separated into 3
distinct groups:
 Technical (camera techniques & shots)
 Symbolic (ie clothing, colours)
 Written and audio (music etc).
These give the text meaning and determine the response of the
viewer. They can be used as a basis for simple text analysis.

3. A music video contains a lot of different camera styles and
techniques depending on the style of the music video such as:
 Close up shots especially in a performance music video.
 Extreme close up shots of the artist/band, their
instruments, face and lips.
 Crane shots which hovering over stage images.
 Low angle shots.
 Pans and tilts moving around, moving to different
performances.
 Tracking.

4. Editing and sound are a major thing when it comes to filming and
making the finished product. Editing involves things such as
jump cutting, putting scene sequences together, cross cutting
etc. Normally footage is edited to the match the music, it is also
edited so that the lip syncing looks right and fits with the music.
Editing can also include split screens, including diegetic sound
and changing the levels of sound.

5. The lyrics can help create a narrative for the music video, yet
sometimes the music video has nothing to do with the lyrics. In
most music videos a new meaning is added to the lyrics through
metaphorical language. Lyrics can be illustrated by visual
images, scenes etc. For example if the lyrics mention a couple
splitting up you will see a couple arguing and splitting up on the
screen.

6. The music is one of the main features of a music video, if their was no
music the music video would be a silent movie. The music makes the
video, the video is either based around the music and it’s lyrics or
nothing to do with it at all. A music video can include images which are
bound together to go with the beat/rhythm and other musical features.
The musical elements can help shape the moving image, movements
such as footsteps, tapping, walking or dance are often synchronised
with the beat of the song, showing the people in the music video to be
in synch with the music which we can only hear, it sometimes looks as
if they can hear it to.

7. Mise en scene of a music video can depend on the genre of the
music, lyrics and the type of music video that is being filmed.
Mis en scene can include, clothing (certain outfits for different
people, artist, band) , make up, themes, props, performance
equipment, artist merchandise, locations (concert
halls, venues, streets houses etc) and facial expressions.