Semiotics

 

Semiotics is basically "the study of signs". Stuff like words, actions, objects, images etc. are all relative to each other because each of these signs are trying to communicate something to the audience. There are also other different studies like denotation, connotation, signifier, signified, symbol, symbolic, icon, iconic, index and indexical.

Denotation: Denotation simply means what it is.
Connotation: Means it can either be a association or and emotional representation which can relate to an individual, group or culture.




Signifier: S.O.S (Save Our Souls)
Signified: Help.

Signifier: The form which the sign takes.
Signified: The concept that it represents.



Symbol: The Sign.
Symbolic: What it represents.



The sign means peace

Icon: Is something that is recognisable.
Iconic: It is something that is recognisable because of the Icon.

Icon: Bob Marley
Inconic: Music, Philosphy, Peace, Jamaica

Index: What it is.
Indexical: What it suggests.

Index: Chalk outline.
Indexical: Somebody died.

One popular media term is Mise En Scene. It is the French term from the theatre that literally means “what's put in the scene.” In the cinema it refers to the elements of a shot—the set, the props, the actors, the use of colour and light—and the way these elements are composed or choreographed.

One example is the coffins in the warehouse in the movie "Reservoir Dogs". the coffins are they to give clues to the audience on what's going on in the movie and what could happen. Obviously coffins represent death which is one of the main scenarios in this particular movie where a bunch on criminals try to discover which one of them is a cop after a burglary goes terribly wrong.

Reservior Dogs is definately one of my favourite movies and when I watched it for the first time I did notice a few importnat items that where in the warehouse, the main setting of the film. The coffins that you see in the background are always there at the begining all the way to the ending when it finally makes sense on why they were put thier in the first place. Thank you Tarintino!

The next freeze frame that I want to talk about is taken from the movie "Shaun of the Dead". In this movie the two main chracters are Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who potrays the lazy roomates who have nothing to do in their lifes. During this movie one asks "You want anything from the shop?" and the other replies "Cornetto". The cornetto is very important becuase they specifically want the strawberry cornetto which relates to the different scenarios in the narrative. Shaun, the main charcter (Simon Pegg), has broken up with his girlfreind all the while when a zombie apocolypse starts around his area.

He then vows to save his girlfriend from the zombies. Strawberry is red which could represent love and relationships I.E Shaun's relationship with his girlfriend and his mother. However the strawberry could also mean danger, blood ect. which ties in with the human eating zombies that are seen in the movie. It is a great example because we see the cornetto's and think "why are they using them in THIS movie", well, it does show the basic story just from one ice cream seen on camera.

The last freeze frame that I want to talk about is taken from the film "Hot Fuzz" which is also written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright and is directed by Edgar Wright, the same as Shaun of the Dead. Just like Shaun of the Dead the main chracter are played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They swap the ice cream from strawberry to vanilla. In the movie "Hot Fuzz" the two main PC's (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) are eating the Vanilla Cornetto flavour, which ties into Edagr Wrights (Director/Writer) and Simon Pegg's Ice Cream Trilogy.

 

The Vanilla cornetto represnts the good, this being the police. Another important detail is that Simon Pegg's Chracter is called "Sergant. Nicholas Angel", angel meaning god/heaven etc. and Saint Nicholas which is in the Holy Bible. They are wearing white shirts which also represents the same things as what the ice cream that they are eating represents.