Technical, print, symbolic and verbal codes — AQA GCSE Media Studies 8572
AQA GCSE Media Studies · 8572
Technical, print, symbolic and verbal codes
Media language
What you need to know
Technical codes in moving images and photographs: shot types, camera movement, composition, lighting, editing, and diegetic and non-diegetic sound and dialogue.
Print codes: colour, juxtaposition and superimposition, house style, fonts, grids and layout.
Symbolic codes, above all mise-en-scène: setting and location, costume, hair and make-up, props, lighting and the actors' performance.
Verbal and non-verbal codes: word choice, formality and complexity; dress, appearance, body language and paralanguage. Candidates often mix up the two.
How codes and conventions become established as styles or genres and change over time, with examples from the Close Study Products.
The Close Study Products for 2027 and 2028 exams are His Dark Materials ('The City of Magpies') and Doctor Who ('An Unearthly Child'); the Daily Mirror and The Times; Marcus Rashford's and Kim Kardashian's online presence; Lara Croft Go, with Blackpink The Game for 2027 exams and Lego Fortnite for 2028 exams; the Galaxy, Represent and OMO adverts; the Tatler and Heat covers; Black Widow and I, Daniel Blake; the Arctic Monkeys and Blackpink videos; and Radio 1's launch and Kiss Breakfast. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood was set only for 2025, so past questions on it are practice only.
