Media Codes and Conventions Media codes and conventions are like the building blocks of all the media around us. Media codes generally have an agreed meaning, or connotation, to their audience. There are three types of media codes, symbolic codes , technical codes and written codes . Conventions are expected ways in which codes are organised in a product. Symbolic Codes Symbolic codes are social in nature. What this means is that these codes live outside the media product themselves, but would be understood in similar ways in the ‘real life’ of the audience. For instance, if you saw somebody receive a red rose in a film, you would assume there is a romantic relationship between the two characters. If you gave somebody a red rose in real life, you might be hoping the same. Symbolic codes in media include setting, mise en scene , acting and colour . Setting Setting is the time and place of the narrative. When discussing setting, you can describe the s