Codes are systems of signs, which create meanings. Codes can be divided into two categories - technical and symbolic. Technical Codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in an advert, for example all the camera work in a film. Technical codes include camera angle, iconography, shot, lighting, editing, sound, lighting, computer graphics, music and special effects. Symbolic Codes include the dress, language and actions of characters. Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example, a characters actions show you how the character is feeling.
Iconography is an important aspect of genre. It refers to the traditional or conventional images or symbols associated with a subject. Some codes fit both categories - for example music, is both technical and symbolic.
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 the print article, but conventions are also genre specific. TV adverts are almost all the same length and end with the brand's logo being featured.
Case Study: Hair Dye
Adverts advertising hair dye have developed a very clear set of codes and conventions.
L'Oreal
Schwarzkopf
Schwarzkopf
Nice n Easy
Revlon
Analysis
All the adverts I have chosen are hair dye products I chose this because of I know I could find many codes and conventions because they are all very similar in one way or another. To start they all have a female model, this being because the audience is mostly targeted at women because in today's society it is more likely that women dye their hair more than men.In most of hair dye adverts the women are mostly attractive and have long glossy hair which gives the affect the customer if they were to buy this product they would get the same results and have the same hair as the model. The technical codes within the hair dye are all very similar, in the use of camera angles etc... The flicking of the models hair, the fairly close up shots.Another technical code would also be how the hair dye companies use scientific information within the advert zooming into the hair showing molecules and other hair dye information.
The symbolic codes within the adverts are also the same within each advert an example being, how all the models are happy with the hair, running their fingers through it, flicking it around etc. Now looking at the dress styles their wearing, its mostly kind of fierce and also classy showing that if you dye your hair you can look like this. Now moving onto Iconography of the adverts, For the music i would say it's similar because the music is all quite upbeat with also a hint of classiness.
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