Semiotics

 

1) What meanings are the audience encouraged to take about the two main characters from the opening of the film? From the opening the characters may seem to appear as rude and obnoxious because they completely ignore those around them.

2) How does the end of the film emphasise de Saussure’s belief that signs are polysemic – open to interpretation or more than one meaning? The use of the banana conveys 2 different meanings. 1 of them is implied through the shopkeeper. He may have seen the banana as a gun through his perspective and thought it to be a robbery.

Media Magazine theory drop: Semiotics 

Greenford Media department has a subscription to Media Magazine - a brilliant magazine designed exclusively for A Level Media students and published four times a year. We strongly recommend you read it regularly and also set plenty of work for the course based on the articles inside. You can find our Media Magazine archive here and for this task need to go to MM68 (page 24) to read the introduction to Semiotics. Once you've read it, answer the following questions:

1) What did Ferdinand de Saussure suggest are the two parts that make up a sign?
The two parts that make up a sign are the signifier and the signified.
2) What does ‘polysemy’ mean?
  open to interpretation/ more than one meaning.
3) What does Barthes mean when he suggests signs can become ‘naturalised’?
When symbols are commonly understood all around the world.
4) What are Barthes’ 5 narrative codes?
The 5 narrative codes of Barthes is hermeneutic,proairetic, cultural, connotative and symbolic.
5) How does the writer suggest Russian Doll (Netflix) uses narrative codes?

The writer uses cultural code to make Nadia learn a vital lesson. She learns that her family history is something she must accept as it is.

Icons, indexes and symbols

1) Find two examples for each: icon, index and symbol. Provide images or links.

Icon: a literal sign. e.g cat, dog

Index: an implied sign eg. stop light and traffic ahead sign

Symbol: learned sign eg. McDonalds M and KFC

2) Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts?
These key elements help us to understand the narrative of media texts in a better way.
3) Why might global brands try and avoid symbols in their advertising and marketing?
You actually need to learn what those symbols represent so for new buyers they will not understand. Using a icon will be much simpler.
4) Find an example of a media text (e.g. advert) where the producer has accidentally communicated the wrong meaning using icons, indexes or symbols. Why did the media product fail? (This web feature on bad ads and marketing fails provides some compelling examples).

5) Find an example of a media text (e.g. advert) that successfully uses icons or indexes to create a message that can be easily understood across the world. McDonalds uses The iconic M symbol to convey their brand out to a wide audience of people.People all around the world recognises this symbol and will understand it conveys their food.