Codes: Reading a Text

Film Language

One of the first things to understand when starting to study film is the academic language that goes with it. One of the key theories is semiotics.

Semiotics is the study of signs and their meanings. Films are made up of thousands of these signs and it’s up to film students to decode them to discover their meanings.

For example, if we see the colour red there are meanings associated with it such as, anger, danger and heat. These meanings are the connotations of the colour.  While the colour, which is the literal thing, is the denotative.

·         Denotation/The literal. E.g. A large dark space filled with old trees.

·         Connotation/The hidden meaning. A creepy forest with danger lurking.

What do you think the denotations and connotations of these are?

 

Technical Codes
Visual Codes
Audio Codes
Written Codes

Technical

• Camera (Shots, Angles, Movements)
• Framing, Focus and Depth of Feild
• Lighting
• Editing

Camera Shots

• Ariel Shot (usually taken from a helicopter, looking down, often establishes a scene or conveys drama)
• Profile Shot (profile of the character, often deep in thought)
• Over the Shoulder Shot (looking from behind a person to the subject)
• Point of View Shot (looking from a characters point of view)
  

Camera Angles

Camera Movements

Deep Focus

Shallow Focus

 

Lighting

Low Key lighting

High key lighting





Mise-en-scene:

This is basically refering to everything 'in the scene'.

• Setting
• Props
• Costumes and Make-up
• Characters movement and expression
• Colour

Editing

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Analysing a film sequence

Boyz N the Hood

Analyse the following sequence, commenting on:

• Visual codes
• Audio codes
• Technical codes