Semiotic's
SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS
This painting was made by Rene Magritte, a member of the Surrealist school of painting. this painting is called ' The Treachery of Images' . The words underneath translate "This is not a Pipe". the reason behind the image is,if it isn't a pipe, then what is it? therefore our minds are caught between reason and its opposite.
Actually, its not a famous painting by Magritte:its a digital image of the painting
or, to be even more precise a digital image of a photograph of the painting.
All of which illustrates Magritte's point, which is simply that an image or sign of a thing is not the thing itself#
Semiotics applied to media studies
a genre relies on signs, signifiers and signifying practices.
signifying practices are what defines a genre.
E.g police T.V. dramas
police uniforms, realistic, naturalistic settings, tension, action relating the crime.
The sign -
all signs have two components or aspects.
Signifier - the physical object e.g a sound, printed word, expression or advertisement. In the example of the police drama, it would be a combination of the visual and sound elements of the text.
Signified - Meaning or mental concept conveyed by the signifier e.g police drama
SIGNICATION, which is often applied to the theory semiotics, the study of signs. semiotics can help us to analyse seemingly obvious meanings that circulate every day in the visual world, it comes from Structuralist theory.
sign
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signifier signified
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the physical form of the size the meaning from the physical sign
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denotation connotation
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first order of meaning (the obvious) \
the deeper meaning this is not "fixed"
Semiotics - is the study of signs
There are three different types of signs; Iconic signs, Symbolic/Arbitrary signs and Indexical signs. Semiotics are used for human communication 'our minds are caught between reason and it's opposite'.
1. Iconic signs - signs that actually look like what they represent.
2. Symbolic/Arbitrary signs - have a meaning that must be culturally learned because hey don't look like what they represent.
3. Indexical signs - have a convection to what they represent and are suggestive rather than directly resembling what they represent.
Semiotics in popular music.
"A sign is anything that can be used to tell a lie." - Umberto Eco
semiotics in popular music , is different from semiotics in other musical forms, because pop music denotes a cultural object.
popular music has many components and uses because it has many signs in itself. It also appeals to the emotions of a generation. Music is the 'logical expression' of feelings, a 'symbolic form'.
music videos are also considered multi-modal because one semiotic system is joined to another semiotic system, which results in a signified indexical meaning.
The process of music correlated with visuals can be described in terms of two basic mechanisms: temporal synchronicity and cross-modal hormology. incorporating the two modalities, sound and image, we can interpret it as a unified unit of work.
Invisible Editing
Many semiotic analysts have examined music videos to decode messages that are being sent to viewers. invisible editing, a semiotic term, that film editors use to almost decode the message for the audience using narrative actions.
An example of invisible editing in music videos would be in narrative style, which consists of a plot and story-line of events and characters. Michael Jackson's music video 'Thriller' is considered a narrative script, and it exceeds the song itself.
In this case, the context of visual narrative semantically over-powers the meaning of the song itself. Music videos that aren't formally organised usually have no segmentation markings that flow with the lyrics, and contain abstract images. Although may analysts explain the music video as being a narrative structure, there are many videos that defy narrative conventions.
Intertextually in music videos
intertextuality for media purposes, references other popular culture objects within their video, and then the audience creates their meaning of the video according to the intentional suggestion created with relationships between primary and secondary texts.
Generally, intertextuality is considered links within a context or medium that binds text to other text. Many editors and directors use intertextuality in music videos because it combines different cultural codes taken from previous texts that are sensible for any audiences. Using intertextuality in music videos allow viewers to identify with their theoretical framework of knowledge, and use it to define their identity.
Scorpophilia
scopophilia - is 'sexual pleasure derived chiefly from watching others when they are naked or engages in sexual activity; voyeurism'. The Laura Mulvey's theory covers the idea that humans are obsessed with ourselves and our egos, and that pleasure of looking has been split between the active male and the passive female. This is a combination of male protagonist and woman 'to be looked at-ness', which is how the audience identifies.
Mulvey wants to re-shape the media industry to use different strategies with alternative feminist methods - 'Film has depended on voyeuristic active/passive mechanisms'. The woman's image has continually been used and stolen. the decline in traditional film form has anything more than sentimental regret .
