In our previous lesson we began to explore the concept of
semiotics/semiology.
Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior. We were first introduced to this concept through the analyses of everyday signs and their
connotations and
denotations. A connotation is the meaning behind an image, e.g. a woman is smiling which means she is happy. Whereas a denotation is the simple observation, e.g. a woman is smiling. Semiotics is a way in which we can analyse media texts and utilise these skills to attract or defer an audience and observe it's effects. We also briefly touched upon the use of
signs and
signifiers, objects or people that we associate clearly with an emotion or ideology, something the audience will associate with perhaps danger, or religion, something familiar and clear. E.g. a man holds a
gun. The signifier would be the gun as it is immediately associated with danger or criminals.
Here is an example of using connotations and denotations to analyse an image:
Denotations:
A woman lays on a bed holding a gun and smoking a cigarette. The bed is in disarray and there are open books in front of her, behind is a tilted lamp shade. She is dressed all in black with black hair.
Connotations:
The gun in the image immediately shows the woman has a sense of danger around her, as a gun signifies this. The cigarette also provokes a sense of rebellion and danger as it is often viewed as unfeminine to smoke. The way in which she casually holds the gun to the side of her suggests that violence is a casual thing, that she is comfortable holding a gun (which is also shown through her stance on the bed). The cloud of smoke suggests mystery and attractiveness as it is a common sign used on the original Femme Fatale character. The strewn books over the bed suggests the woman is quite careless about neatness and tidying, this is also shown as the lamp is tilted to the side. The woman's stance on the bed could be viewed as quite provocative and 'sexy' as she lays forwards showing her cleavage and heels in the air, which also holds connotations to sexuality and rebellion. Also the fact she is on a bed adds to the sexuality of the image. The figure is dressed entirely in black which has suggestions of evil and danger, as opposed to white which shows innocence and purity.
Putting the image into context with the film, the connotations with the image are quite similiar to the traits of the character herself, Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction. The character is surrounded by a gangster type lifestyle everyday, as her husband is the head of a 'gang', throughout the film stories of how a man is killed because he touched Mia's feet are circulated, creating a reputation of danger around the character of Mia. She also acts quite provocatively to her guardian in the film, Vincent Vega, through flirtatious behaviour and actions. The disarray of the room could link to how she doesn't have a care in the world as she is looked after constantly in the film, it could also be shown as a cry for help as her attention seeking behaviour could be a sign of lonliness as her husband is never seen with her. The mess of the room reflecting the mess in her life.
