Semiotics


Who are the two linguistic philosophers that semiotics is developed from?
De Saussure and Pierce
Which French ‘Structuralist’ recently developed this media concept?
Roland Barthes
The two methods:

Describing the TEXT is called Denotation

Myths and associations with the TEXT is called Connotation

What quest is at the heart of the semiotic approach?
The quest for meaning
Identify the factor that is given for readings of a media texts that determines the variety of meanings it can give?
The cultural position of the reader (receiver)
What word is given for OPEN TEXTS ?
Polysemic
Popular and mass culture e.g. mass media texts are known as closed texts.
Anchorage where words, captions or logos are used to direct a reader towards a particular meaning.
Preferred Meaning is when a text prefers one particular meaning. These can be a result of media producers agendas and assumptions.

Define Stuart Hall’s THREE main types of audience decoding.

DOMINANT
When the reader accepts the full preferred meaning of the text.
NEGOTIATED
Where the content of the message is adapted to fit a special social condition to the reader to form a new meaning.
OPPOSITIONAL
Where the dominant reading is contested and a reading that opposes it is produced
How media texts speak to an audience is known as Mode of Address

Describe how this is applied to FILMS and TELEVISION

FILM
Impersonal, audience rarely acknowledged. Spectator placed in privileged position of often 
knowing more than the characters. Audience addressed indirectly through narrative viewpoints. 
Plots usually resolved. Little sense of author/producer outside credits. Audience invited in 
to experience another world.
TELEVISION

Personal, direct address to viewer who is acknowledged. Works to attract our attention 
because viewing can be casual, texts such as News, soaps, sitcoms refuse resolution. 
Viewers assumed to be members of a family. As a 
national audience, more specialist audiences 
beginning to be addressed.
Define what the MALE GAZE is ?
Where females in media texts are made to look like objects
What is Semiotics?
The study of signs
How could you apply this to a MUSIC VIDEO ?

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