Below is a compilation of Thriller codes and conventions supplied by cross sectoral teachers in 2017.
‘What are codes?
Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. 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 a media text, for example the camera work in a film.
Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example, a character's actions show you how the character is feeling. Some codes fit both categories – music for example, is both technical and symbolic.
What are 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 a print article, but conventions are also genre specific.’ - New Zealand Ministry of Education
Life Writing
Purpose and Context:
- To educate
- To document, in order to preserve knowledge
- To express a personal perspective
- To expose controversy
- To advocate on behalf of a subject
- To reveal some aspect of a subject
- To allow viewers to experience what it is like to be the subject (vicariously)
- To entertain
- Hold particular social and political viewpoints
- Particular socio-cultural background
- Funding sources
Life Writing Codes and Conventions:
- Perspective: point of view, subject, bias, tone, memory/anecdote
- Structure: time, plot, conflict
- Context: temporal/historical, cultural, geographical (spatial), relational
- Archival documents/footage: primary sources, secondary sources
- Layout: physical design, fonts, illustrations, captions
- Editing:Text creators make choices regarding the inclusion or exclusion of written or visual information, leading to gaps and silences in the text. This is audience positioning and is a creative treatment of actuality.
- Language techniques: film language,written language,visual language
- Personification, motif, symbolism, metaphor, mood, dialogue, characterisation, mise-en-scene, etc.
- Authority: the idea that the subject, whose life is recounted, is represented truthfully and as unique. An authorised biographyis written with the permission, cooperation, and at times, participation of a subject or a subject's heirs. Dominant idea of ‘biography as the complete, true story of a human being, the last word on a life’ (Hermione Lee).
- Narratives are based on the truth, and are based on accurate and legitimate perceptions and memories. The character and their life events should be true – the story should concern real people; not fictional characters. In biography, there is a responsibility to faithfully represent the subject, whereas in autobiography, there is a responsibility to represent one’s own self accurately and reliably. Traditionally, life writing is about famous characters who, at the time of writing, are thought to have had some impact on society.
- The story should cover the whole life in a linear fashion, particularly in the case of the biography and traditional autobiographies.
- Transparency: the degree of revelation and concealment of information about a life. Traditionally, nothing should be omitted or concealed in a life writing text – no censorship or idealisation; emotional honesty is valued. Contemporary avoidance of hagiography and resistance to authority; we do not want to treat leaders with reverence; we think their lives should be open to inspection. This can lead to a serious, honest, authentic, emotive, and reflective tone.
- Life writing texts provide in-depth character studies of one singular character –– their psychology drives the narrative. Usually a revelation of private thoughts and feelings. Often delves in to a person's formative years, exploring early influences on the subject's later life. Often has the effect of understanding the subject or the world in a new or better way.
- Often contains a struggle of or for identity: ‘who am I?’ (whether this is self-understanding or the self in the context of external societal struggles, e.g. recognition of identity groups) and involves a series of lessons learned through challenging experiences.
- Often uses pictures, maps, photographs, or other historically available documents to lend credibility and truth value to the narrative.
Sub-genres/ Modes:
- Bio-pic - a biographical film, that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used.
- Biography – a detailed description of someone’s life, written by a third party.
- Autobiography – a written account of a person’s life, written by that person.
- Memoir - a special kind of autobiography, usually involving a public portion of the author's life as it relates to a person, historic event, or thing. The text is about the personal knowledge and/or experiences of the author.
- Letters – often used as primary sources of information, letters between everyday people or important historical and cultural figures provide details of historic events.
- Diary/journal – a daily record of news and events of a personal nature.
- Reflective - an analytical practice in which the writer describes a real scene, event, interaction, passing thought, memory, form, adding a personal reflection on the meaning of the item or incident, thought, feeling, emotion, or situation in his or her life.
- Stream of consciousness - a literary style in which a subject’s thoughts, feelings, and reactions are depicted in a continuous flow uninterrupted by objective description or conventional dialogue.
- Expository - the primary purpose is to inform, explain and describe. They often seek to persuade readers as well.
- Monologue - the expression of a subject’s thoughts, feelings, and impressions in a narrative.
- Confessional - a first-person style that is often presented as an ongoing diary or letters, distinguished by revelations of a person's heart and darker motivations.
- Verbatim Theatre- represents historical events or people from multiple points-of-view
Biopic Codes and Conventions:
- A biopic is based on historical events /person
- It is primarily a reenactment
- It attempts to create a narrative, not necessarily in chronological order
- It has a clear connection to primary sources / evidence
- It is usually offered from the composer’s perspective
- It utilises the codes and conventions of film
- Mabo was made as a Telemovie to be viewed at home, alone or in a small group, in one sitting, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Mabo Case
Verbatim Theatre – Codes and Conventions
- Verbatim Theatre represents historical events or people from multiple points-of-view
- There is often the overarching perspective of the composer
- It is a reenactment which privileges the composer’s creative placement/juxtapositioning of the multiple points-of-view
- Real words of real people which have previously been recorded are spoken but have been shaped by actors / director
- It utilises the codes and conventions of drama
- The Laramie Project was written to be viewed by an audience in public, in a theatre with other audience members, in one three act performance to raise awareness of hate crimes
Memoir – Codes and Conventions
- A memoir is itself a sub-genre of an autobiography
- It is written in the first person point-of-view
- It differs from an autobiography in that it is reflective thinking on significant aspects of the composer’s own life
- It may or may not span the composer’s whole life to the point of publication
- The composer is searching for or revealing their identity
- It utilises the codes and conventions of a written text
- Reckoning was written to be read alone, silently, at multiple sittings, over an extended period of time to convey the composer’s struggles with obesity, her sexuality and the legacy of the effects of her father’s war-time activities on her
Language Features and Common structural patterns:
- Diction, truth, revelation and concealment.
- Chronological order
- Order based around locations/journey
- Classification order – effects on different groups, environments
- Dilemma: problem and solution
- Cause and effect
- Circular structure
Topics:
- Social/historical
- Investigative
- Family history
References
Claremont College
Launceston College
Newstead College
The Scotch College
New Zealand Ministry of Education