2. A t the e n d of this m o d u l e , y o u c an:
1. Describe the nature of genre in relation to understanding c o d e s and conventions.
2. Evaluate everyd a y me d ia a nd informat ion w it h regard to codes, convention, a n d messages; in regard to the audience, producers, a n d other stakeholders.
3. Discuss popular med ia tropes, specifically, television tropes.
4. Pro d uc e a nd assess the codes, conventions, a n d me s s a ge s of a group of presentation.
5. Differentiating Media Codes Through
Genres
• Genre is a French word for “type” or “kind.”
• It is a major component in understanding
literature, theatre, film, television, and other
art and media forms.
• The grouping into recognizable categories of
content of these forms is what characterizes
genre.
• Each of these categories is further marked
by “particular set of conventions, features,
and norms.”
7. COMMUNICATIVE EVENT COMMUNICATIVE PURPOSE
It is the nature of media exposure such
as reading a book or a newspaper,
watching a film or television show, or
surfing the internet
It is the intention of the me d i a
messages that you are exposed to.
Example: A news report informs you of
an event thus utilizing the principles of
newswriting to do so.
9. For this activity, you are to do a research of the
k n o w n or m o r e c o m m o n g e n r e types u n d e r the
following media:
10. Roles of Genre in Understanding Media
Messages
• Genre helps us understand the text by merely
looking at those signs that you can recognize and
interpret.
• A genre is not fixed or static. The factors that may
influence h o w messages m a y be understood are:
• One’s role in the society
• Group purposes
• Professional and organizational preferences
and prerequisites
• Cultural constraints
11. “Genre analysis is pattern-seeking
rather than pattern-imposing.”
(Bhatia, 1993)
12. Tips that Bhatia (1993) suggests when you
analyze genre that you may be unfamiliar
with:
13. Codes in Media Messages
• Social and cultural values and beliefs are reflected in media content
Codes consist of signs that have meaning
and the meanings are dictated b y agreed
rules of interpretation.
• Codes guide the w a y a message m a y be interpreted, it is not guaranteed that all people will understand the
same way the others would because of certain factors like culture, personal biases, and level of knowledge.
14. Three Kinds of Knowledge Required by
Interpreters of a Text (Chandler, 2014)
15. Chandler’s Typology of Genre Codes
Major Code Subcode
Verbal Language -Phonological
-Syntactical
-Lexical
-Prosodic
-Paralinguistic
Bodily Codes -Bodily Contact
-Proximity
-Physical Orientation
-Appearance
-FacialExpression -
Gaze
-Head Nods
-Gestures
-Posture
Commodity Code -Fashions
-Clothing
-Cars
Behavioral Codes -Protocols
-Rituals
-Role-playing
-Games
Social
C
o
d
e
s
16. Chandler’s Typology of Genre Codes
Major Code Subcode
Scientific Code
Aesthetics Codes Within the
Various ExpressiveArts
-Poetry
-Drama
-Painting
-Sculpture
-Music
-Artistic Expressions including
Classicism,Romanticism,
Realism
Genre, Rhetorical, and
Stylistic Codes
-Narrative
-Exposition
-Argument
Mass Media Codes -Photographic,Televisual,
Filmic, Radio, Newspaper, and
Magazine Codes
-Both Technical and
Conventional Codes (including
FORMA
T)
R
e
p
r
e
s
e
n
t
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
C
o
d
e
s
Textual
Codes
17. Chandler’s Typology of Genre Codes
Major Code Subcode
Perceptual Codes - Visual Perception
This code does not assume
intentional communication
Ideological Code -More broadly, these include
codes for “encoding” and
“decoding” texts.
-Dominant
-Negotiated
-Oppositional
-Individualism,Liberalism,
Feminism, Racism, etc.
Textual
Codes
Interpretative
C
o
d
e
s
19. Technical Codes
• W h e n equipment is used to tell the story in a
media text which consequently affects how you
can interpret the meaning of that text, you are
dealing with technical code.
• These are signs that are produced w h e n camera
techniques, framing, depth of fields, lighting and
exposure, and juxtaposition are utilized.
20. Visual/Symbolic Codes
• These are codes that are e mb e d d e d in the
technical codes such as objects, setting, body
language, clothing, and, color.
• These codes suggest or connote, rather than
explicitly state the meaning of a media message.
21. Written Codes
• The use of language and textual layout also
express meaning.
22. The Relationship of Codes and Textual
Features of Audio-Visual Messages
• Codes are signs and for you to interpret what they
mean, you have to be familiar with h o w these
signs operate.
• For us to be able to recognize the properties of a
particular genre, w e ma y consider some textual
features.
23. Textual Features and Distinctive Properties
Attributed to a Film Genre (Chandler, 2014)
TEXTUALFEA
TURE DISTINCTIVEPROPERTIESA
TTRIBUTEDTOAFILMGENRE
Narrative Similar plots and structures, predictable situations,
sequences, episodes, obstacles, conflicts, and resolutions.
Characterization Similar types of characters, roles, personal qualities,
motivations, goals, behaviour
Basic themes, topics,
subject matter. And
values
Social, cultural, psychological, professional, political, sexual,
and moral
Setting Geographical and historical
Iconography(echoing
the narrative,
characterization, theme,
and setting)
A familiar stock of images or motifs, etc,.
Filmic Techniques Stylistic or formal conventions of camerawork, lighting,
sound recording, use of color, editing etc,.
25. Conventions: Indicators of Content
Familiarity
• Formulaic messages are what they are because of
the use of conventions
A convention refers to the generally accepted
w a y of doing things that has formed into a habit
because of repeated exposure and experience of
these me s s a g e s .
• It is sometimes a hindrance in critically assessing
the media content or messages because people
ma y grow too accustomed to them.
27. Tropes in Television
• Television is a very popular media form as this is
perhaps the most “invasive” of all media
technology.
Tropes are story telling devices.
• In the study of literature, tropes are the figures of
speech that audiences recognize too easily
because of their occurrences in almost all
programs under a particular genre.
• In film language, these are called motifs or
recruitment themes.
• Tropes are tools that the creator of a work of art
t t h i i d t t h di
30. Audiences – a group of people exposed and
experiencing media. They can be physically
present at the event while others are not.
Mass Audiences – a convenient term applied to
huge numbers of people who constitute the
audiences of popular and / or mass culture.
Audience Fragmentation – a term used to
describe the creation of smaller and less
heterogenous.
