A brief summary of what I learnt from the Roland Barthes Semiotics Analysis video on how to read sign in films.
A sign is anything we can infer meaning from and could be anything from symbols and colours to camera angles and logos and Semiotics is the study of these signs and how we interpret them. An example given in the video is the Apple logo (which in this context is described as the signifier because it is what's creating the meaning).
There are two types of meaning that can come from a sign. The first is denotation which is the literal meaning and so someone may see this symbol as the Apple Computer Logo. The second is the connotations that are linked to this logo which means the associated meaning that people have for this symbol. So in this case, although it is literally a picture of an apple or a logo, it may also mean high-tech equipment, technology made in California, overpriced equipment or even Chinese sweatshops. There are multiple connotations of any symbol and people interpret each one differently because it depends on your ideology, background and culture and all these factors vary from person to person. The reason behind this is that signs are polysemic and so we can read all signs around us in many ways.
Within media, the importance of semiotics is all about understanding the signs used, what they mean and why a producer has decided to use them. There are 4 categories of sign we look for in film:
1. Mise-en-Scene (the set, hair, makeup)
2. Sound (sfx, music, accents and tone of voice)
3. Camerawork (the way the camera is framed, composition and movement)
4. Editing (how the clips transition)
The video talks about how the in film we rely on language to represent meanings and so the example they used was Terror for Tokyo as it was a film in a foreign language because it leaves you to use the other signs to understand what is happening.
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| Terror for Tokyo |
Signs expressed through Mise-en-Scene in this film are the narrow corridors which creates a sense of claustrophobia as well as the bare walls that present a cold, eerie and exposed feeling for the audience. As well as this, by using a young and innocent girl, the terror is emphasised as the audience can understand that the feeling of terror felt by a child is heightened so much more than when your an adult. The use of sound comes into play when we hear the voice on the other side of the door. Although we do not understand what is being said, the tone of the voice connotes aggression and creates the meaning that we should be afraid of whoever the voice belongs to. This works alongside the dissonant music which harmonically creates an uneasy feeling for the audience. The camerawork in the film consists of lots of wide shots/fish-eye shots which would've been used to emphasise the space and how small and exposed the young girl looks, helping to create sympathy for her. Finally, the editing is effective when we see the extended shot where there are no cuts which creates a held-breath sensation, therefore increasing and holding the tension. There is another cut where the camera moves from the girl's eyes terrified then straight to the door. This creates the meaning that whoever is behind the door is the reason behind the girl's terror.
Semiotics are used consistently in culture as the selection of signs can have a huge influence over the audience and control what emotions they are going to feel. Barthes argues that when this happens, signs can becomes myths (a widely accepted connotation of a sign). For example, bulldogs are an accepted sign (for British people anyway) symbolising Winston Churchill and 'Britishness'. This process of establishing myths by the media shaping people's ideology through repeated use of sign is known as naturalisation.
