Media Language

What Media Language covers

Media Language is examined in both written papers — the theoretical framework and the media contexts run through every section of the course and are applied to whichever set products a centre has chosen. It covers the language of media analysis: signs, codes and modes, denotation and connotation, Barthes, signification and myth, camerawork, framing and editing, mise-en-scène, colour and lighting, sound and music as media language, layout, typography and print design, codes and conventions of genre, Neale on repetition, difference and genre change, narrative structure and Todorov, narrative devices: enigma, character and point of view, Lévi-Strauss, structuralism and binary oppositions, Baudrillard, simulation and hyperreality, intertextuality, parody and pastiche and media language, ideology and developing technology.

The 15 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• The language of media analysis: signs, codes and modesTerm media language, term sign and two components of a sign.Open →
• Denotation and connotationDenoted by the central image of the Tide print advertisement, how a soundtrack alters the connotation of an image and one connotation of a low-angle shot of a character.Open →
• Barthes, signification and mythTwo levels at which Barthes said a sign can function and process of naturalisation.Open →
• Camerawork, framing and editingTypical effect of an extreme close-up, effect of a high-angle shot on a character and continuity editing.Open →
• Mise-en-scène, colour and lightingTerm mise-en-scène, four elements of mise-en-scène and how setting contributes to meaning.Open →
• Sound and music as media languageSound bridge, effect of silence in an audio-visual product and ambient sound.Open →
• Layout, typography and print designCover line, purpose of a pull quote and house style.Open →
• Codes and conventions of genreRepertoire of elements, term subgenre and genre hybridity.Open →
• Neale on repetition, difference and genre changeNeale's proposition about repetition and variation and genre changing under industrial pressure.Open →
• Narrative structure and TodorovEquilibrium in Todorov's model and todorov's third proposition.Open →
• Narrative devices: enigma, character and point of viewEnigma code, action code and multi-strand narrative.Open →
• Lévi-Strauss, structuralism and binary oppositionsBinary opposition, lévi-Strauss's proposition about the resolution of oppositions and difference between Lévi-Strauss and Todorov as narrative theorists.Open →
• Baudrillard, simulation and hyperrealityBaudrillard's proposition about images in a postmodern age, hyperreality outside the screen and pastiche and why is it considered postmodern.Open →
• Intertextuality, parody and pasticheDifference between parody and pastiche, generic intertextual reference and intertextuality in the Kiss of the Vampire poster.Open →
• Media language, ideology and developing technologyPreferred meaning, convergence and how does it affect media language and mode of address.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Media Language further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Denotation vs Connotation

  Denotation: the literal, common-sense meaning of a sign. Connotation: The set of associations a sign suggests beyond its literal meaning.

• Signifier vs Signified

  Signifier: the physical form of a sign, such as the word or the image itself. Signified: The concept a sign calls to mind.

• Diegetic sound vs Non-diegetic sound

  Diegetic sound: sound that exists within the world of the story and can be heard by the characters. Non-diegetic sound: Sound added for the audience only, which the characters cannot hear.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What does the term media language mean?

   Model answer

   Media language covers every element a product uses to communicate meaning. Camerawork, sound, editing, layout and typography all belong to it.

2. 2

   Define the term sign.

   Model answer

   A sign is anything that stands for something beyond itself. A red rose in an advertisement signifies romance rather than a plant.

3. 3

   What are the two components of a sign?

   Model answer

   The signifier is the physical form of the sign, such as a word or image. The signified is the concept that form calls to mind.

4. 4

   What is a code in media analysis?

   Model answer

   A code is a system of signs that audiences have learned to read. Codes work only where producer and audience share the convention.

5. 5

   Distinguish technical codes from symbolic codes.

   Model answer

   Technical codes come from equipment choices such as framing, lighting and editing. Symbolic codes are the objects, colours, gestures and settings placed in the frame.

6. 6

   What are written codes?

   Model answer

   Written codes are the language choices in headlines, captions, straplines and body copy. Word choice and register position the reader as firmly as an image does.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Media Language revision questions

What does Media Language cover in Eduqas A-Level Media Studies?

15 subtopics: the language of media analysis: signs, codes and modes, denotation and connotation, barthes, signification and myth, camerawork, framing and editing, mise-en-scène, colour and lighting, sound and music as media language, layout, typography and print design, codes and conventions of genre, neale on repetition, difference and genre change, narrative structure and todorov, narrative devices: enigma, character and point of view, lévi-strauss, structuralism and binary oppositions, baudrillard, simulation and hyperreality, intertextuality, parody and pastiche and media language, ideology and developing technology. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Media Language organised?

By the Eduqas A680QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.