Semiotics blog task

Semiotics

English by Tarun Thind

• What meanings are the audience encouraged to take about the two main characters from the opening of the film?

The short film encourages the audience to see them in a bad light. That they look like they are apart of the gang and a part of the lower class of the society. It is showed by their behaviour, the way they clothes and their situation that they are in.

• How does the end of the film emphasise de Saussure’s belief that signs are polysemic – open to interpretation or more than one meaning?

At the end of the short film, it gives everyone the narrative on what's really going on and gives a clear message. In the end the characters were deaf and had to act they way that they act because of how society works. Society see's them as gangsters, low life's that has nothing to do. But what they actually are is two deaf people trying to live in society which makes life really hard for them.

On the theory of semiotics

• What did Ferdinand de Saussure suggest are the two parts that make up a sign?

the signifier and signified. The signifier meaning the thing that does the communication, for example a picture of a dog. The picture of a dog is just a dog so it communicates you that it's a dog. The signified is the mental concept of it. So if we take the picture of the dog the signified could mean cute, cuddly, mean, aggressive.

• What does "polysemy" mean?

Meaning there two or more meanings in one particular sign.

• What does Barthes mean when he suggests signs can become ‘naturalised’?

Naturalised meaning there is a dominant meaning, like a myth. For example a picture of a women with training clothes has a dominant meaning of her going to the gym or the woman working out in the gym. So it has a main meaning but could have other meanings as well but it is overshadowed by that main meaning.

• What are Barthes’ 5 narrative codes?

Barthe's made these 5 narrative codes so they can give a better understanding to different narratives. There 5 codes but you don't need to use all of them at once, you mainly use 3 but you can use all of 5 of them.

• The first one is Hermeneutic code or 'enigma code', which is anything that is left as a mystery or unexplained. It raises questions from the viewers which can give a better understanding or leave some confused.

• Second is Proairetic code or ‘action code’. Its a order of events that happends that can suggest the future. For example a character which puts water in a coffee jug and puts it in the coffee machine, the proairectic code suggests that the character is going to make coffee.

• Next is Semantic code. Text that has a deeper meaning to it. Basically its connotations its has the same definition so you can say its the same thing.

• Then there is Symbolic code which is anything that symbolic. For example it could be a statue, a item, the lighting, etc...

• And finally there is the cultural code. Which is any meaning that is learned from a external source. For example a traffic stop lights up green, you wouldn't green was go unless you learned it from someone else.

How does the writer suggest Russian Doll (Netflix) uses narrative codes?

• Russian Doll is about a female character that is stuck in a time loop, when they die to go back to a certain point of time. Its just like the movie groundhog where there is a time loop as well. The magazine suggests that you learn the narrative pretty early on because of the different camera shot which shows different objects move through linear time. But also the title can show a symbolic meaning. Russian doll meaning more versions of yourselves inside of you, so people can read and analzyse different  codes to give a better understanding of the narrative.

Icon, Index and Symbol

Find two examples for each icon, index and symbol

Icon:

Index:

Symbol:

• Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts?

Icons and indexes are so important in media texts because it help and makes the audience understands what it wants to represent. It help with the narrative and gives the intended message it want to give instead of leaving the audience confused.

• Why might global brands try and avoid symbols in their advertising and marketing?

Because symbols might give the wrong message to some audience. Some audience might take it offensive because they have their own meaning.

• 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?

In April of 2017, Pepsi posted a add of the famous celebrity Kendall Jenner giving a can of Pepsi to police officers in a protest type of environment. This ad failed horrible and very controversial to a lot of their targeted audience. This was because people felt like Pepsi used the protests, riots as a way to earn money out of it instead of focusing on the important issues.

Additional Semiotics terminology

• The new Media specification identifies further semiotics terminology that could potentially appear in an exam question. Read this document with semiotic terms and definitions to become a true semiotician. 
• Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10c9M_BAuH8_vgy1AK-Hu-Tjqgglcpgne/view?usp=sharing

My Media consumption

 Newspaper

• Haven't been really interested in the newspaper so I don't read them at all
• I do read online news. Mainly the Norwegian news vg.no. It has everything I need in a list on also tells the news about my country which is interesting.

Magazines

• I don't read any magazines but I have been thinking to get MensHealth magazines because I'm really into health and fitness.

Television

• I usually spend 5 to 7 hours a week watching TV. It depends if there are any sports matches on or trying to binge-watch a series.
• I mainly watch TV in the afternoon. That's when it's not being used by my parents and can finish up any series I am currently watching
• I mainly don't watch on TV programmes but all I do is watch the daily news and spend time on the sports channel to pick up on any news that has happened this season.
• I watch mainly by myself or with my brother.
• No, I don't really do that because I mainly watch on live streaming services like Netflix

Radio

• I don't listen, I mainly use music streaming services like Spotify for my music. The radio gets heavily clouded with advertisements and music I don't like so I avoid it most of the time

Film

• The latest movie I have seen in the cinema is a movie called "TENNET".
• I watch films through Netflix and Amazon prime most of the time. But sometimes I watch films from Norway through a website called "NRK" which is the national TV service owned by the government, kinda like BBC.
• Mainly with my brother but sometimes we have movie nights with the whole family
• We either take turns to find a movie we want to see or all of us tries to find a movie we can all enjoy
• Mainly watch films through the TV but sometimes when I'm alone I watch it through my PC or phone

Online

• I go through the internet 90% of my day, it's basically a part of me.
• I access it everywhere. Through my PC, Through my phone. Mainly when I'm home but sometimes at school to check up on some few things.
• I mainly go through YouTube, Twitter, Reddit and sometimes other websites to check up on my friends if they are online or not.
• Mainly for entertainment. When I'm bored I access this website so I can have some fun. But I also use it to see what's going on around the world and check up on my friends.
• Play a lot of online games with friends. There is a whole community out there that I enjoy to play with friends.
• Primarily I use my PC but when I'm outside it's my phone that gets me through the day
• I mainly use Twitter a lot because it gives me more information about certain topics that I follow.

Reflection

• I feel like if I learn more about different types of media and how to use it efficiently, I see myself being more interested in different topics around the world
• If I spend more time on different types of media, for example, newspapers, magazines, television programs. I can my habits of going through a different type of media change throughout my life
• I will probably spend more time on different newspaper and magazines and watch more TV programmes. 

First Blog Task

First blog task

1.)  Media has always been a hobby of mine. And it goes well for my Computer Science course as well

2.)  I studied in Norway and the system is a lot different then the U.K. In Norway I studied what is called Advanced General studies with technology. Meaning I study advanced math, science, social studies, entrepreneurship, technology studies.

3.)  Didn't take GCSE so I can't answer this question

4.)  I'm aiming for A. I'm very interested in media and always have been. I've always seen it as a hobby so studying in my free time is always fun and won't get bored with it. So I'm expecting to achieve high.

5.)   My main goals in life are to study Computer Science at a University and become a Software Engineer. I've been planning this for a long time and because of the subjects I choose, if I do well in all three subjects then I will have no problem achieving my dream

6.)  I feel like the biggest media story of 2020 is the COVID-19 pandemic. It's been going throughout this year and it's always changing. I mean the first thing that would probably come up to your mind when you think of 2020 is the pandemic and the different kind of situations we have been in. And the media has been a big aspect of the pandemic. The media treats pandemic as if its the world ending situation but what the truth is, the pandemic as a lot smaller then the media portrays it.

7.)  Well for me I use vg.no mainly because 1 its Norwegian and 2 it's really easy to follow. It has all the main news of the world and I get to see what's going on in my home country. But regularly I use twitter and TV to also see what's going on but it could be heavily clouded with fake news and stories that are not important.

8.)    The last film I watched was a movie called "Robin and the 7 Hoods". Its a movie made in 1964 which stars the famous singer Frank Sinatra. Its about two different gangs building the biggest casinos to take over New York.

9.)    I've recently watched Breaking Bad and I have to say It's my all-time favourite.

10.)  Well, I'm on my computer most of my day. I still do other things like exercise, meet with friends, spend time with family and school work but I would say I am online for like 6 to 8 hours every day. Depending on how much free time I have.