Media Language

 

Media language is how media text/messeges is conveyed to audiences

Codes and covnention

Codes : the symbol, what is being used

Convention : What it means (the codes) generally accepted meaning

Messeges are sent through media by encoding them, and the audiences' job is to decode the messeges using the codes and conventions that apply.

Storyboard - Advert Analysis

Product: Durex Kondom

Durex Take The Lead - It’s Time 30

Step 1

Competitor:

1. Sutra kondom Iklan Kondom Sutra - Duo Biduan #EnaknyaSamaSama (2017)

2. Fiesta kondom Iklan Kondom Fiesta - Safety Airlines 60sec (2017)

- Media Language 

- Audience

- Representations

- Industry 

Step 2

Durex condom ad

Idea: The ad focuses mainly on the female taking lead

Media language

• The camera focuses on the female (camera)

• The female’s clothing is more glamorous than the male (Mise-en-scene)

• Uses female voice for narration (sound)

Audience

Target audience are females who want to ‘take the lead’.

Representations

The ad represents strong women who can take the lead, this is to break the

stereotype that women can

only follow men while they do all the work. This ad is a countertype.

Industry

I think the the production budget is pretty high because Durex is a well

known multinational company. It is distributed digitally because it is easier

to spread and because the topic of contraceptives and other

sexual products are still taboo in Indonesia, traditional ways of distribution,

such as using paper, is not viable. It is circulated on online platforms such

as YouTube in a form of video advertisement.

Sutra condom ad

Media language

The very casual clothing the man was using indicates that it is affordable

for everyone The Indonesian clothing they wear indicate that this product is

specifically targeted to Indonesians They make their own song with custom

lyrics, which is a very popular advertisement format in

• Indonesia and attracts a lot of attention

Audience

Target audience are people who prioritise safety over pleasure, as mentioned

by the actress. It also is

clearly targeted to Indonesians from the actors’ clothing and they dance.

Representations

The advertisement represents Indonesians in a stereotypically way, from

the type of dance and type of music, to the type of clothing. Everything

about the advertisement represents Indonesians, from the price to what

the product is capable of.

Industry

Sutra is a local brand which means that it might not be as well known

as its competitor, Durex. This means that it has a smaller production

budget which is evident in the advertisement as it feels low quality,

however, it is enough to satisfy the Indonesian audience. With the

same reasons as Durex, it is distributed digitally. It is circulated in

media platforms such as TV in a form of video advertisement.

Fiesta condom ad

Media language

Same as the Sutra advertisement, it is using the very popular

Indonesian format of making their own music and dance, which attracts

a lot of audience.The actors use normal clothes, which means it is affordable

and attracts people of all socioeconomic class

Audience

From the lyrics of the music, we can tell that the product emphasises on

the different flavours of condom and therefore its intended audience are

people who want different flavours. It is also intended for people

of all socioeconomic classes due to its affordability.

Representations

The advertisement represents the Indonesian people because of the

stereotypical advertisement format.

Industry

Fiesta, like Sutra, is not a well known brand and therefore it is not unfair to

say that the production budget is low, which is backed up by the very simple,

mundane, and lacklustre advertisement. As per usual, it is distributed online. 

Step 3

Concept development

Product: Durex Condom

Reason: To raise awareness about contraceptives and combat

overpopulation/unsafe abortion

Target audience

Age: Younger people 17-30yr

Hobbies: anything

Setting: Messy House

Music: Crying Baby noises

Script

Starts with a black screen and a sound of actress arguing with actor

because positive pregnancy test Actor sits in the middle looking sad

with a baby crying in the background and a messy house. Camera slowly

zooms into the actor’s face, the background baby sound becomes more intense,

house becomes more destroyed, maybe become poorer, the actress becomes

sadder and sadder, more depressed. After around 20 seconds, narrator warns about

sex without contraceptive.

How Audiences Consume Media

 Two ways to consume media: Actively, or passively

Active Audience

Audience question what they see and respond to it differently

Hypodermic Needle Theory

Theory which states that whatever message the producer is trying to spread is accepted by audience, basically brainwashed

Desensitisation

Audience is used to violent and shocking content, their effects are not as big as it used to be

Passive Audience

Audience believe whatever they see

Reception Theory

Media has encoded messages that should be decoded by audiences

Uses and Gratification Theory

We consume media to satisfy our social needs such as diversion, personal identity, relationship, and surveillance

Glossary

Media language 

Codes that producers put in media that will de decoded by the audiences using conventions

Mise-en-scene

Anything that the audience can see in a frame. There are several components of mise-en-scene: set design, costumes, composition, and lighting. These are all used to give meaning to a scene.

Camera Movement

How the camera moves. eg. dolly, track, tilt, pan, zoom, etc.

Editing

When scenes and clips in a movie are altered

Sound

What you can hear in a movie. There are two examples: digetic and non-digetic. Digetic: The actors can hear. Non-digetic: actors cannot hear

Code

Symbols that producer put to send messages

Convention

Generally accepted meaning of the codes

Connotate

What a word is associated with

Denotate

The literal meaning of a word

Diegetic sound

Sounds that can be heard by the audience and actors

Non-diegetic sound

Sound that can only be heard by the audience

Preferred reading

When the audience decodes and understands the codes exactly the way the producers intended them to be

Negotiated reading

Audience understand the message of the producer, but may reject some elements

oppositional reading

Audience reject the message

Diversion

Audiences' distraction

Personal identity

Relatable to audiences' personal lives

Social relationships

They can 

Surveillance

Staying up to date, to fulfil their curiosity

Demographics

The age, gender, occupation, social class, race, political leanings of the audience

Psychographics

The behaviour. values, interests, personality of audiences

Genre

Group of media based on their shared characteristics

Subgenre

More specific grouping

Representation

What the media represents

Industry

How the product is circulated, distributed