This document discusses key concepts in understanding media texts and language. It defines medialanguage as referring to expectations of a particular music video genre. It then outlines some technical elements of mise-en-scene, camerawork, sound, and editing that producers must consider to effectively communicate the intended genre to audiences. Finally, it introduces several theorists and concepts from semiotics, including the idea that a sign is composed of a signifier and signified, and different types of signs identified by theorists like Pierce and Barthes.

1. MediaLanguage:
Medialanguage referstowhatwe expectto see ina certaingenre of musicvideo.Producersneedto
make sure that theymake the audience understand whatsortof genre itis.
Technical elements:
Mise – en– scene – Everythingthatappearsbefore the cameraandits arrangement.
Camera– Framing,angle,type,movement.
Sound– Diegetic,non-diegetic– tell the audience how toreact.
Editing– Refereingtojoiningbetweenshots,make assmoothaspossible,needtomake sense.
In mediathe word‘text’isusedtodescribe anymediaproduct.One of the keywaysto
understandingthe meaningof textisthe use of codes.Meaningrulesorconventionsbywhichsigns
are puttogetherto create meaning.Inmostcasesthe textwill use avarietyof codes,visual,audio
and writtenthatfittogetherina certainwayto create a particularmeaning.
Semiotics:The studyof signs
Ferdinandde Saussure (1857 – 1913)
Thisis an attemptto create a science of the studyof signsystems andtheirrole of the construction
and reconstructionof meaningmediatexts.
Signifier+Signified=Sign
The form whichthe signtakes+ the conceptitpresents(whatitmeans) = Sign.
In orderfor itto work there mustbe a shared reference orexperience.
CharlesPierce (1839 – 1914)
- Symbol (Triangle)asignthat representsanobjectorconceptsolelybythe agreementof the
people whouse it.
- Iconic(Rock) Alwaysresemble whattheysignify.Thereisaphysical similaritybetweena
photograph,ora good drawing,of a dog and mostpeople’sexperience of these animals.
- Index (all) Lie betweensymbolicandiconicsigns.Indexical signshave some sortof direct
connectionwithwhatisbeing‘signified’.

2. RolandBarthes(1913 – 1980)
Appliedabstractideastodailylife andculture.
Bartheslookedathowsignstake on the dominantvalue systemof aparticularsocietyandmakes
these valuesseemnatural.The dominantvalue systemof societyisknownasideology,awayof
lookingatthingssharedbythe majorityof thatsociety.