Semiotics part two

Lets recap from 22nd September

Semiotics
The study of signs, codes and conventions in film is
called semiotics.

Semiotic analysis is a way to explain how an audience

makes meaning from codes.

Who is Roland Barthes?

What is Denontation and Connotation?

How do cultures and upbringings effect the way we read

signs? Click here
Explain naturalisation?
 Ferdinand de Saussure
A key thinker, Ferdinand de Saussure, theorised that the
sign is composed of two parts:
The signifier and the signified.
The signifier is the physical existence or representation
of the sign.
The signified is the associated mental concept.

Together they create the signification: referring to

something in the world (the referent).
 Ferdinand de Saussure
He argued that there were no apparent direct links
between the signifier and the signified

For example the word dog D-O-G says nothing about what it actually
is, its just a word that we associate with it through cultural belief -
language)

What does this symbol mean

In groups:
หมา ?

One person pick a noun and try to explain to the rest of the group what
it is without saying the word itself:
one person explain by sound, one by drawing and another by action
 Charles sanders Peirce
Charles sanders Peirce suggests that there can be a link
between the signifier and the signified

3 types of sign, what do you think they mean?

 Charles sanders Peirce
Icon - anything with a physical resemblance like a
drawing or photograph of a dog

Index - a link to the signified by a direct relation -

smoke implies there is a fire, a puddle indicates
that may have been rain ( a cause or link to help us
understand the meaning)

Symbol - no defining link other than as a society we

have decided they should be linked (language is a
great example the word DOG or traffic lights, no
inherent link but we understand it)
Click here
 Add to your website...
Page: Visual Workshops
Title: Semiotics Part Two
Explain Polysemic?
Explain Barthes theory of naturalisation in relation to
semiotics?
Who is Ferdinand de Saussure and what was his theory?
Who was Charles sanders Peirce and why did he disagree
with Saussure?
Describe the following signs ICON, INDEX & SYMBOL give
examples of each to support your points

Annotate and illustrate your work

Next lesson
Film analysis

3 easy steps to
analyse motion
pictures