What meanings are the audience encouraged to take about the two main characters from the opening of the film?
The audience's first impression of the two main characters are that they intend to create trouble. This hunch comes from their rather tattered and rough clothing choice as well as wearing something that may obscure their faces. In return, the audience would expect these two to create some trouble due to their appearance, fed by myths and connotations. The fact takes first character takes a harmonica from a lady who dropped it shows that he is bored and is quite sad. The second character is wearing a baseball cap and has threatening body language. This tells us about the dynamic of the group and how well they would work together.
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 ending shows that both characters are deaf.They then go on to talk about how people misunderstand words and that sometimes, we forget how valuable and meaningful words have the potential to be. This clearly supports de Saussure’s idea as the audience can take what they want from it because the ending states that words are about hearing what isn't being said. His theory about different meanings suggest that some people may pick up on things others could have missed.
Semiotics questions
What did Ferdinand de Saussure suggest are the two parts that make up a sign?
A signifier and the signified.
What does ‘polysemy’ mean?
The same signifier can have multiple interpretations.
What does Barthes mean when he suggests signs can become ‘naturalised’?
They have become the norm. Something that has a specific association due to popular culture and social media . It is the public who influences it and it is also the public who uses it.
What are Barthes’ 5 narrative codes?
Enigma code, action code, semantic code, symbolic code and cultural code.
How does the writer suggest Russian Doll (Netflix) uses narrative codes?
The title acts as a symbolic code as the dolls keep on getting smaller and smaller as you open them and in the film everyone dies and then it resumes to a specific time of day which shows that it is symbolic as the title is symbolic of the storyline. The camera also focuses on a bowl of fruit which stays there and remains unchanged throughout the show he watches which could be an enigma code.
Find two examples for each: icon, index and symbol.
Icon:
Index:
Symbol: LEWIS
Icon:
Index:
Symbol: MILLIONAIRE
Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts?
They usually are associated with a brand. Through using various forms of icons and index, a reputation/image of the brand is created as well as selling the product.
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?
The icon: pepsi can
The index: Funny attempt to advertise a popular brand which tackled various social issues in society.
The symbol: PEPSI ADVERT FLOP
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.
GOOD ADVERT.
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