What are codes?
Codes are signs within a piece of media which create meaning: There are two types of codes these are symbolic codes and technical codes.
Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used, for example the camera work in a film, the editing or the use of sound (diegetic and non-diegetic), for example a low camera angle may be trying to set a mood / make you feel intimidated
Symbolic codes however are not as obvious; Symbolic codes are usually seen through aspects of miss-en-scene. For example, a character's actions show you how the character is feeling, a character's costume can be decoded to help us understand what type of person they are, certain props have suggestions or connotations which can be de-coded by an audience, etc. For example - a character in an all black costume has the connotations of being dull and dark
Some codes fit both categories – non-diegetic music for example, is both technical and symbolic.
What are conventions?
Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something. There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of interviewee quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific.
How codes and conventions apply in media studies
Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre – it is not enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work, without saying how it is conventionally used in a genre.
For example, the technical code of lighting is used in some way in all film genres. It is a convention of the horror genre that side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense – an integral part of any horror movie.
