Media Studies - Hollywood Film Semiology Task
Media Studies - Hollywood Film
Semiology Task Task: »» Tell the story behind this picture. »» Use the information that you have been given in the image. Consider the composition of the scene.
What information have you been given?
Who/what is in the foreground and the background?
Location - time/place?
Where is light coming from?
Relationships?
What iconography is used?
Sense of narrative?
What clues to character are we given?
Genre?
Character?
Action Codes
These are codes of action that help viewers to place details in plot sequences.
Enigma Codes
These involve a series of minor and major questions which keeps the viewer’s interest in the plot by promising resolution.
Semic Codes
These are adjective signs that help to describe characters or settings through mise-en-scene.
Referential Codes
These are indexical of time and place.
Symbolic Codes
These are codes that stand for more than what they are and connote extra meaning.
© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2017
1
Media Studies - Hollywood Film
Roland Barthes was a theorist who cultivated a system for deconstructing media texts. Roland Barthes identified five narrative codes that we can use to analyse narrative construction. Task: Watch the trailers for your case study texts. Using the table overleaf, make a list of codes used in the trailers. When you have done that, write up your findings, explaining how each trailer uses codes to relate information to the audience.
© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2017
2
Semiology Task Task: »» Tell the story behind this picture. »» Use the information that you have been given in the image. Consider the composition of the scene.
What information have you been given?
Who/what is in the foreground and the background?
Location - time/place?
Where is light coming from?
Relationships?
What iconography is used?
Sense of narrative?
What clues to character are we given?
Genre?
Character?
Action Codes
These are codes of action that help viewers to place details in plot sequences.
Enigma Codes
These involve a series of minor and major questions which keeps the viewer’s interest in the plot by promising resolution.
Semic Codes
These are adjective signs that help to describe characters or settings through mise-en-scene.
Referential Codes
These are indexical of time and place.
Symbolic Codes
These are codes that stand for more than what they are and connote extra meaning.
© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2017
1
Media Studies - Hollywood Film
Roland Barthes was a theorist who cultivated a system for deconstructing media texts. Roland Barthes identified five narrative codes that we can use to analyse narrative construction. Task: Watch the trailers for your case study texts. Using the table overleaf, make a list of codes used in the trailers. When you have done that, write up your findings, explaining how each trailer uses codes to relate information to the audience.
© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2017
2
