Semiotics

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

From the opening of the film the meanings the audience is encouraged to take about the two main characters is that they are stereotypical young gangsters that are seen as nuisance by older generations and intimidating by the company they are surrounded by. The setting as well reflects how the audience may believe the two main characters are gangsters as the setting seems run down, gloomy reflecting the working class demographic. 

2) 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 end of the film emphasises de Saussure's belief that signs are polysemic as at the beginning we believed that the young teenagers were just typical arrogant teenagers yet at the end we find out the two main characters are actually deaf and use sign language to communicate, the subtitles help us find out this polysemic meaning which is people don't think before they speak.

Media Magazine theory drop: Semiotics 

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

Ferdinand de Saussure suggested that the two parts that make up a sign is the signifier and the signified. 

2) What does ‘polysemy’ mean?

Polysemy means that any text can have multiple meanings and is open to interpretation. 

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

When Barthes suggested that signs can become "naturalised" he means that certain meanings are created about in society and once people know enough about these newly constructed meanings, they become accepted/ "Naturalised". 

4) What are Barthes’ 5 narrative codes?

-Hermeneutic code (Enigma code)

-Proairetic code (Action code) 

-Semantic code

-Symbolic code

-Cultural code

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

The title of the series acts as a symbolic code as the Russian doll helps the audience make sense of the narrative as well as the camera shot of fruit rotting acts as an enigma code. 

Icons, indexes and symbols

1) Find two examples for each: icon, index and symbol. Provide images or links.

Icon: Rubbish (Bottle)

Index:  Throwing rubbish in bin

Symbol: Recycling logo

2) Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts?

Icons and indexes are important in media texts as they communicate meaning to the consumers to what the text is trying to convey and improves their understanding of the media text. 

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

Since symbols have no resemblance between the signifier and the signified and have to be culturally learned global brands may not want to create a symbol as no one would be able to understand and can cause controversy if the symbol is misinterpreted by the consumers. 

4) 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?

Here we can see that this advert on Mother's Day is telling women to go back to "The job that really matters" which is cleaning in this case as it is a cleaning brand. The icon in this advert is the women and little girl as well as the man in the corner which is the logo of the brand. The index is the sponge that the women is using to clean the mirror as it has a link to her stereotypical role which is a housewife and mum. The symbol is the text and logo as we know by Mr.Clean it is a cleaning brand. 

5) 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.

Here the icon as we see is a hot sauce bottle which is quite easy to see as it is a red colour which we connote with hot, spicy things. The index here is the fire extinguisher pump attached to the hot sauce bottle which signifies that the sauce is very hot and anyone can realise this as a fire extinguisher is a universal thing.