Analysing Multimodal Texts
Modes: The various processes of communication. Texts may use the written, visual and auditory modes or a combination of them.
Multimodality: Combination of two or more communication modes.
Examples of multimodal texts: Feature films, documentaries, short films, promotional posters, print and television advertisements, webpages, political cartoons, graphic
novels, picture books, brochures, newspapers, magazines and magazine covers, PowerPoint presentations, infographics, social media pages etc.
You might like to memorise the acronym WAVE: This stands for Written, Audio, Visual modes & their Effects
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W
Written
Figurative language (e.g.
similes, metaphors,
personification)
Descriptive language (e.g.
adjectives, adverbs,
sensory detail)
Sensory Imagery (e.g.
visual, auditory, tactile
etc.)
Connotative language
Rhetoric (inclusive
diction, direct address,
high modality language,
emotive language etc.)
Register
Subtitles
Captions
Cover lines
Titles & Subtitles
Punctuation
Masthead
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A
Audio
Soundtrack
Voice-over
Auditory special
effects (e.g.
sounds of thunder)
Spoken dialogue
Volume
Pitch
Silence
Accent
Pause
Background music
Theme song
V
Visual
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Composition
Mis en scène
Proximity
Shot type (e.g. wide shot, extreme close-up)
Camera angle (low angle, birds eye etc.)
Scene transition (e.g. dissolve, fade out, cutback)
Camera movement (e.g. dolly, handheld etc.)
Depth of field and focus
Costuming
Stage layout
Scale and proportion
Angle
Body language
Facial expression
Colour
Juxtaposition
Framing
Vectors
Typography & font type
Props
Lighting
Tonal contrast
Salience
Gaze
E
Effects (of the features in other columns)
This column is the largest because it is the most important part
of any analysis. The features in the other columns may have the
following possible effects:
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To create symbolic meaning
To immerse or engage an audience in an experience
To communicate ideas, attitudes or viewpoints
To create a comparison between different aspects
To highlight the difference between aspects
To evoke empathy or sympathy in an audience
To control the pace of a text
To generate audience interest
To create a sense of realism or authenticity
To persuade an audience to accept a particular viewpoint
To surprise or shock an audience
To create sensory detail
To confront an audience
To establish a sense of relatability
To be aesthetically pleasing
To conform to a particular genre
To defy audience expectations of genre
To build suspense or foreshadow later plot development
To develop a character or setting
To enhance the detail of a description
To place emphasis on one or more aspects of a text
To craft a specific representation
Rossmoyne Senior High School English Department
Rossmoyne Senior High School English Department