Thoughts and Reflections on Lesson 4

Semiotics - 6th October 

Set reading:
Bignell, J. (2002) Media Semiotics: An Introduction. Manchester; New York: Manchester University Press, pp. 190-202.
Chatman, S. (1980) ‘What Novels Can Do That Films Can't (And Vice Versa)’ in Critical Inquiry, Vol. 7, No. 1, On Narrative (Autumn, 1980), pp. 121-140.
Monaco, J. How to Read a Film: Movies, Media, and Beyond (4^th edn.). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 171-245.
So is This (1982) Directed by Michael Snow [Film]. 

Thoughts on the reading: The texts were helpful in understanding terms that I'd never actually heard of before such as Trope, Diachronic,  Synecdoche etc. And how they use them in films to evoke emotions and meaning from their audience. It is something we can identify with, creating some form of representation through gender, environment etc. 

'So Is This' by Michael Snow at first was quite difficult to watch, I didn't get what the director was trying to present but then realised maybe that's part of the point, the film made you feel a lot of things such as frustration as you had to concentrate on reading at all times. I found that as it went on it was very funny and an interesting take on an image that you can picture as text-visual language that can create a story.

Lecture: In the lecture discussion took place around the set readings, I felt that discussing what we had to read made it easier to understand as did watching clips of films where the specific codes and signs were used. This made it clearer about how to for example implement sound into a piece or jump cuts where it almost looks natural (Interested in using some of these styles in my short film to emphasise the passing of time or a long journey)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgCejsyS0t8

As part of the lecture I analysed the opening sequence of 'The Shinning', examples found- Sound/Music:The music is quite low and eerie, it a foreshadow of what is to come. Shots: Diachronic, it is a montage a time as the car is on the journey. We don't know who the character is at this point so it's quite ominous. In doing this I found it was helpful in creating ideas for my own film and how the choices of using specific codes will impact the way the audience views it. 

Independent Research:

For my own research I decided to look at some other scenes in films and do the same analysis process as I did in class. 

The first scene I looked at was from 'The Royal Tenenbaums' - Wes Anderson. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAlbylCwKAk

 In this scene the jump cut is used:  Diachronic-there is a modification of time (Montage) Builds up the scene and quick cuts create an atmosphere for the audience. 

The shot is a close-up, POV: we are able to focus on the characters emotions. The scene focuses on the visuals and soundtrack: The music in this scene is really important as it reflects the mood of the character and depressive tone of the scene. Limited dialogue with the key line 'I'm going to kill myself tomorrow'- really shows the audience the symbolism and the magnitude of his decision. 

For further research I also decided to watch a YouTube Video- 'Semiotics: What We Don't See In Movies' 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIEnAXUC-k

The Video discussed the symbolism, themes and icons etc. The video focused on Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' and Ridley Scott's 'Alien'. Knowing that I'd actually seen these movies it was surprising to learn that I hadn't really picked up on certain themes that ran throughout the film. Doing a bit of extra research was helpful in getting my head around these new topics and terms such as Semiotics that I'd never heard actually heard of before. 



Ideas/Development for Project: I have officially decided to stick with my idea of creating another diary film similar to the first one but focusing more on the sights, locations and my feelings. I think it will feel quite narrative but with no real set story line. After having the Semiotics session I know that I would like to include the jump cut in my piece as I think it will fit really well with exploring the city and doing it in a speedy pace and will also demonstrate the technical aspects for the criteria. I also want to use music in my piece as with no dialogue I feel it relies more on the visual language, which is what I want but the music will help to convey the specific emotions I am feeling throughout the piece and set a tone. 

Bibliography: 

FilmInTheMaking.(2016). Semiotics: What We Don't See In Movies. [Online Video]

Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Directed by Wes Anderson [Film]. Los Angeles, California: Touchstone Pictures. 

The Shinning (1980) Directed by Stanley Kubrick [Film]. London:Warner Bros.