Lesson 1 Role of language in media

Technical codes

Communication through movement, photographic techniques and equipment. For example, the use of a camera in a film. When analysing technical codes, focus on the following aspects:
Camera work includes elements such as:

• 
  Angles - Is it low angle, eye level, high angle, titled?
  
• 
  Movement - Is it steady or shaky? Is it zooming in or out? Is it tilted?
  
• 
  Framing - What is shown within the frame, or what is outside the frame?
  
• 
  Lens - Is it shooting close up or far away? Does it focus on the foreground or background?
  
• 
  Exposure - Is it bright or dark?
  

Editing refers to how the shots in a film are assembled and combined to create the finished product. This process includes four elements:

1. 
   Graphic - editing graphic objects such as images.
   
2. 
   Rhythmic - the flow between different shots controls the pace of the film.
   
3. 
   Spacial - the flow between different shots controls the space in a film.
   
4. 
   Temporal - the flow between different shots controls the time in a film.
   

Audio is the use of sound, such as dialogue, music, and sound effects. It can be:

• 
  Diegetic - sounds that come from within a film, e.g. character voices, object sounds, background noise.
  

• 
  Non-diegetic - sounds from outside a film's world (added in after filming) - e.g. sound effects, voice-overs, film soundtrack/score.
  

Lighting could be either natural (such as sunlight) or artificial (such as a lamp). Lighting can be used to highlight certain parts of a scene, drawing the audience's attention to them. Consider the following aspects:

• 
  What direction is the light coming from?
  
• 
  What is the light shining on?
  
• 
  Where is the light coming from?
  
• 
  What is the colour of the light?