Codes and conventions

Codes and conventions govern the way in which signs are chosen and combined.

For example , newsreaders sitting behind a desk as part of the set is a 'convention' of TV news. The choice of desks available, the meanings they create for viewers, and the way they fit in with other choices in the programme are all part of a 'code'. Conventions are the rules which describe predictable patterns. They govern which patterns a re normally appropriate, and can also predict the meanings which the patterns convey. A code is a sign, or system of signs, such as dress, speech or music, that make sense when arranged by a set of rules, or conventions, about how they are organised, for example conventional narratives (structured story lines) or themes (controlling ideas).

Consider as an example the filming of interviews. The traditional code of a TV or documentary film interview is to combine shots of the interviewee with occasional cutaways to the interviewer. The convention is that the shots of the interviewer show the putting of questions and the listening role the interviewer plays for the viewer. Behind the scenes in production, the interviewer shots are usually filmed separately, often after the interview has finished. The listening shots are called 'noddy shots' and are used to disguise edits.

Conventions can be broken and new or alternative codes set up . Recently some documentary film-makers have been making interviews breaking the traditional rules above. For example, they have been keeping the interviewee in shot throughout the interview and asking questions from behind the camera. This offers an alternative to the traditional interview code, and is developing its own conventional meaning as a new documentary technique.


References:
Books:
Nicholas, J., Price, J. (1998). Advanced Studies in Media. Nelson