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m e s s a g e m e a n i n g m e d i a
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c o n t e n t s Introduction Week one:
The Science of Signs and Semiotics Exercise: Sentance, word, symbol Sign, Signifier and Signified Ways of meaning Week Two: Signs, systems, language Exercise: Save Icon / Emojitales Text, speak, Story Exercise: Analyse movie covers Weasel Words Week three: The shift from words to pictures Exercise:
Fairy Tale
I n t r o d u c t i o n The Science of Signs and Semiotics Semiotics looks at the logicality and assessment of meaning within signs, symbols and signification. This semiotics theory was created and refined by Ferdinand de Saussure a Swiss Linguist and Charles Sanders Pierce an American Philosopher. Pierce is considered the founding father of Semiotics and is responsible for creating the ‘signifying’ thought where a sign is “something which stands to somebody for something in some respect or capacity”. Pierce has three categories for signs: icons, index and symbol. Saussure is responsible for creating the sign, signifier and signified concept in which signs fall into two categories; a signifier which is the form in which a sign takes and then we have the signified which is the concept the sign shows. This visual diary takes us on the journey that explores signs and semantic conventions within communication systems and media.
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s e n t e n c e w o r d   s y m b o l We were given the task to analyze a newspaper article which we then summarized down into a sentence and then furthermore into a word and finally into a symbol. UK Penguins being medicated for depression due to gloomy weather. Word: Trick Noun 1.a cunning act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone. The article was based around an experiment in which penguins were given antidepressants to help elevate their moods when there was long periods of cold weather in the UK, we found that the penguins were being tricked into feeling happy by the antidepressants and so we decided that Trick was an appropriate word for our article. The symbol we have used is a penguin coming out of a magicians hat just like a trick.
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s i g n i f i e r s i g n i f i e d
The sign is to signify that there are currently auditions being held for dancers to show off their dancing skills.
The sign is to signify that if we are driving a car we need to slow down because there are ducks crossing.
s i g n s i g n i f i e r s i g n i f i e d The system of signs and symbols are created and shared and work together as long as there is a social agreement that the symbols carry the representation for the meaning. Sean Hall explains that signs can be literal, analogical or metaphorical and we use these signs in various formats as a way to communicate and this works well as long as everyone is of the same understanding to what each sign means.
This sign is to signify that the lemonade has been made with freshly squeezed lemons.
A Sign can be a signifier-a symbol,sound or image (as a word) that represents and an underlying concept or meaning. A sign can also be signified-a concept or meaning as distinguished from the sign through which it is communicated.
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w a y s o f m e a n i n g
BELOW: ‘As fast as a Cheetah’ ABOVE: ‘As cool as a cucumber’
A Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole thing. 1. Mickey Mouse’s Ears We have all grown up with Disney movies and as a result we can make reference to a whole movie culture, or just the mickey mouse figure with this pair of ears. 2. Marilyn Monroe Lips The lips have become an almost iconic logo for the late actress Marilyn Monroe. Although she died in the 60’s her trademark beauty features are recognised by everyone. Upon seeing the image of the lips the viewer automatically conjures the human form image of Marilyn Monroe in their minds.
Simile is the direct comparison of two different objects, often used with the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. The idiom ‘as cool as a cucumber’ refers to a person who is calm and relaxed, especially in a difficult situation. The phrase also draws upon the senses of sight and touch as majority of people would be familiar with what a cucumber is as well as what it feels like and this experience will support the idea that a cucumber is always cool to the touch. The runner was ‘as fast as a cheetah’ uses the comparison of the runner with qualities of the cheetah to emphasize a point. Cheetah’s are one of the fastest animals when they sprint and we then liken the runner to have the same qualities when he runs to that of a Cheetah.
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AT&T
s i g n s s y s t e m s l a n g u a g e Design a save icon, that can be used and adapted by different pieces of software and on different devices. You will need to produce an icon, displayed in black and white, at 3 different scales, as well an example of the icon in use (e.g. as part of Safari browser using the native look) The save icon can be used across multiple platforms. The logo displays the original save methods i.e. to the hard drive but it also incorporates our ability to save to wireless locations via the internet.
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s i g n s s y s t e m s l a n g u a g e
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t e x t s p e a k s t o r y
FAR LEFT: The Descent 2005 A woman goes on holidays with her friends and they get trapped in a cave with blood thirsty creatures a lack of supplies they struggle to survive . LEFT: The Descent 2007 A woman is assaulted by a good friend and her personality changes. She becomes withdrawn and looks towards drugs to blur her reality.
This task was to tell an Emoticon story about The Bourke and Willis expedition. I found this task quite easy and rather fun and the task resembled a game that I play with a small group of friends. We challenge each other by sending and receiving text messages with our mobile phones only using the emoticons to express what we would like to say, most conversations can be very funny to interpret and a large amount of conversations are misunderstood and require a follow up phone call. Our group we came up with a short story and then the extended version. The expedition started off with fifteen men who had camels and horses and enough food for two years. At some point the group split up which meant that six men with 15 camels continued on the journey, the numbers of the men decreased down to four with the food supplies ending, one of the group dies while the others go into the local town to get supplies only to find that there aren’t any. A letter is written and buried in the sand and the remainder of the group die apart from one sole survivor.
Analyse two film posters and demonstrate how meaning is implied, look at the use of colour, texture and lighting. There are many ways in which we can use images and visual language to communicate and imply meaning and this is reflected in the film poster for The Descent (left) where the main image uses human bodies strategically placed to portray a skull this creates the impression to the audience that the film will have an element of death or danger in it. However the light behind the skull implies that there may be an element of hope or light at the end of a tunnel. Even though the titles of these two films are the same they have very different story lines and this can be seen when both of the posters are side by side. In the Descent (right) poster we are presented with an image of an upside down girl which could convey a message of instability and loss of social identity, this could represent her perspective of her life in which the world has been turned upside down as a repercussion of what she has experienced. The image also gives a macabre or ‘death like’ impression of the protagonists future, it symbolises her new frame of mind as she has left her old life behind and has been has possibly been reborn or has found what she has been searching for.
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Sunkissed Glamorous Near perfect
Skinny Boost
virtually London look
w e a s e l w o r d s Collect 5-10 weasel words and write a few sentences summarising what you have found and how the imply meaning. “Sunkissed looking skin” “near perfect teeth whitening” “you deserve a skinny boost” “Leaves dishes virtually spotless.” “Listerine fights bad breath” “Get the London Look” Weasel words and phrases are commonly used in marketing and advertising to convey an impression of meaning without actually saying it. Weasel words are an effective way to create a false idea, mislead, confuse or misrepresent a product to the consumer which make you believe things that haven’t actually been said or to simply accept what has been said as the truth. ‘Near perfect’ and ‘virtually’ are interpreted by consumers to be an exact representation of what their product will do. Weasel phrases like ‘Sunkissed looking skin’ or ‘get the London look’ are vague claims where the outcome simply isn’t clear but still have appeal to the consumer because of the representation behind what the London look could be especially if someone like Kate Moss is endorsing it.
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w o r d s t o p i c t u r e s Choose a classic Fairy tale and create illustrated instructions for a particular scene, focus on a section of a story and reduce it to a series of steps or actions (5-6 max). options:
Red riding hood Hansel and Gretel
Jack and the bean stalk 1
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m e l o d y s i n c l a i r