What are codes?
Codes are systems of signs which create meaning, there are two
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, the editing or the use of sound (diegetic and non-diegetic)
Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. Symbolic codes are usually seen through aspects of miss-en-scene. For example, a character's actions show you how the character is feeling, a character's costume can be decoded to help us understand what type of person they are, certain props have suggestions or connotations which can be de-coded by an audience, etc.
Some codes fit both categories – non-diegetic music for example, is both technical and symbolic
What are conventions?
Conventions are ways in which an event, practice or task is usually done. There are general conventions like the use of interviewee quotes in a print article, but they are also genre specific
They are used together in any genre. It is not enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work and saying how it is conventionally used in a genre.
For example, the technical code of lighting is used in some way in all film genres. It is a convention of the horror genre that side and back lighting is used to create mystery and suspense
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