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Media Studies · Media Studies: Reading, Questioning and Creating Media

Choosing Conventions and Techniques: Wireframes, Storyboards and Purpose Links

3.3About 70 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can identify a variety of conventions and techniques appropriate to the media form I plan to use.
  • I can plan them with a wireframe, storyboard or two-column script.
  • I can explain how each choice will help me communicate specific aspects of my intended meaning.

Words to know

wireframe
A plain sketch of a web page or app layout showing where each element goes.
storyboard
A sequence of sketches showing the shots of a video, with notes on sound and timing.
two-column script
A script with visuals or sound on one side and words on the other.
signposting
Words that tell listeners or readers where they are in a text (first, next, finally).
purpose link
A sentence explaining how a chosen convention or technique will communicate a specific part of your meaning.
colour palette
The small set of colours chosen for a design.

Hook: the blank page problem

You've chosen your form. Now you open a website builder or a video app and... freeze. Hundreds of fonts, layouts, transitions, filters, sounds. Which ones?

Expectation 3.3 gives the answer: choose conventions and techniques that help you communicate specific aspects of your meaning, and be able to explain why each one is there.

Conventions and techniques for common forms you might create

Web page

  • Clear title and navigation so visitors know where they are and where to go.
  • Visual hierarchy: headings, subheadings and white space guide the eye.
  • Consistent fonts and colours (usually two fonts at most) for a unified mood.
  • Images with alt text, captions, and good colour contrast for accessibility.
  • Hyperlinks and interactive features (comment forms, collapsible sections).

Podcast or audio piece

  • Cold open and theme music to hook listeners and set the mood.
  • Signposting ("First... next... finally...") because listeners can't skim.
  • Sound bridges and ambient sound to move between sections.
  • Voice techniques: pace, pause, emphasis and tone.

Video or PSA

  • Hook in the first seconds, shot variety (sizes and angles), captions.
  • Music and diegetic sound to set mood; editing pace to control energy.
  • A clear call to action at the end.

Poster or print ad

  • Focal image, headline, visual hierarchy, call to action, contact details.

Planning tools: the wireframe

In Grade 9 you used storyboards (sketches of shots) and two-column scripts (pictures on one side, sound and words on the other). For web pages and apps, designers use a wireframe: a plain sketch of where each element goes, without final colours or images. A wireframe lets you test the layout before you spend time on details.

SNOW, MOSTLY (site title)Home | Poems | About | Respond[photo: first snow onmy street]1. First SnowBehind the poem (tap to open)Share your winter memorytitle + brand:sets the moodnavigation:4 clear linksimage with alt text:connects to poemheading foreach poemshort lines:no awkward wrapscollapsiblenotescall to action:comment form
A wireframe (a plain layout sketch) for the anthology web page on a phone screen. Each label names a web convention and what it does for the audience.

From choices to meaning

For each convention or technique, write a purpose link: I will use [convention/technique] so that [audience] will [think/feel/do] [specific aspect of meaning].

Examples for the anthology:

  • I will use a soft, cool colour palette (pale blue and white) so that readers feel the quiet of winter that my poems describe.
  • I will put each poem under its own heading with short lines, so that phone readers see the line breaks, which carry meaning in my poems.
  • I will add a collapsible "behind the poem" note so that readers who don't usually like poetry get a way in, while others can skip it.
  • I will end with a comment form asking for winter memories, so that readers respond, which is my purpose.
Worked example

Let's plan conventions for a 15-second promo

The anthology writer also wants a 15-second video promo to share in the class group chat. Choose conventions and techniques and explain how each will communicate a specific aspect of the intended meaning.

  1. Intended meaning: small winter moments are worth noticing, and you can add yours.
  2. Hook (convention of short video): a close-up of boots crunching through snow, with the diegetic crunch sound loud. Purpose: a small, familiar moment grabs attention and shows the theme of noticing small things.
  3. Shot variety: a medium shot of the writer reading by a frosty window. Purpose: a human face builds connection; the window frame links inside and outside, like the poems.
  4. Voice-over reading one line of a poem with a pause after it. Purpose: gives a taste of the poems' voice; the pause lets the line land.
  5. Non-diegetic soft piano under the voice. Purpose: sets a calm, reflective mood.
  6. Captions on every shot. Purpose: many viewers watch with sound off; captions keep the poem line readable and make it accessible.
  7. Call to action on screen: site name + Add your memory. Purpose: achieves the purpose of inviting responses.

Each convention or technique is chosen for a reason linked to the intended meaning: the close-up and crunch show small moments; voice and piano set mood; captions make it accessible; the call to action drives responses.

1 0:00-0:05CLOSE-UP: bootscrunch in snowSOUND: crunch +soft piano begins2 0:05-0:10MEDIUM: me readingby a frosty windowVOICE: "First snowerases the street..."3 0:10-0:15TEXT ON SCREEN:site name + linkVOICE: "Six poems.Add your memory."Captions on every shot; 15 seconds total; ends with a clear call to action
A three-panel storyboard for a 15-second promo of the anthology. Each panel pairs a shot with its sound, and the conventions are chosen to send viewers to the site.

The purpose test

If you can't explain why a technique is there, cut it. A flashy transition with no purpose is noise.

Just for fun

The golden rule of fonts: one font is clean, two fonts are stylish, and seven fonts look like a ransom note written by a very confused snowman.

Hands-on activity

Wireframe and storyboard

You need: paper, a pencil, a ruler, and the planning brief from the last lesson (or a new idea).

  1. Draw a wireframe (if your form is a web page, poster or infographic) or a storyboard of 3 to 6 panels (if it's a video), or a two-column script (if it's audio). Keep it plain: boxes and labels, no final art.
  2. Label at least five conventions or techniques on your plan.
  3. For each, write a purpose link sentence: I will use... so that...
  4. Show your plan to someone at home. Ask them to point at the first thing they notice and to tell you what mood they expect. Does that match your intention?
  5. Revise one choice based on their feedback.

What to look for: conventions that truly belong to the chosen form, five purpose links that name a specific aspect of meaning, and one revision explained.

Your turn

1

What is a wireframe?

2

Name three conventions of a web page.

3

Why do podcasts need signposting?

4

Complete a purpose link: I will use a slow editing pace so that...

5

Why does the promo use captions?

6

Why does the anthology page use short lines for poems?

More practice: warm-up

1

Which planning tool is best for a video: a wireframe or a storyboard?

2

Which planning tool is best for a web page?

3

What is a cold open?

4

How many fonts do designers usually recommend at most for a simple page?

5

Name one convention of a poster.

More practice: on your own

1

Explain how colour palette could communicate a specific aspect of meaning in the anthology.

2

Choose two conventions for a podcast about a local winter tradition and explain how each communicates meaning.

3

Why might a creator break a convention in their own text? Give an example.

4

A student wants to use a dramatic movie-trailer voice for the poetry promo. Evaluate this choice.

5

What makes a call to action effective in a 15-second video?

Challenge

1

Create a two-column script for a 30-second audio promo for the anthology. Include at least four conventions or techniques and a purpose link for each.

2

Explain how the same intended meaning (small winter moments matter) would require different conventions in a poster and in a podcast.

3

Choose any media text you might create this year. Plan five conventions or techniques and justify each with a purpose link. Then identify one technique you rejected and why.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A plain layout sketch of a web page is called a...

2.

Which is a purpose link?

3.

Why does the promo open with a close-up of boots crunching through snow?

4.

Which technique best suits listeners who can't skim?

5.

Which choice would most likely clash with a quiet, reflective meaning?

6.

Alt text mainly helps...

For parents and teachers

What this lesson teaches: expectation 3.3: identifying a variety of conventions and techniques appropriate to a planned media form and explaining how they will help communicate specific aspects of the intended meaning. Students use wireframes, storyboards and two-column scripts and write purpose links for each choice.

How to help at home:

  • Look at your teen's sketch and say what you notice first.
  • Ask: "Why that font? Why that music?" and expect a reason linked to meaning.

Common difficulties:

  • Choosing techniques because they look cool. Use the purpose test.
  • Vague purpose links ("so it looks good"). Push for what the audience should think, feel or do.

Facts used: the anthology web page and promo are invented examples.