Introduction
Storytelling in modern cinema aims to achieve a beautiful visual display of colour, sets, wardrobe and so on. In most cases, these few props, wardrobe or setting can have deeper meanings, or “symbols”. With the greater understanding of semiotics, modern cinema has evolved from just storytelling, to making use of more items (clothing, props, setting, etc) to add symbolistic meaning to the story and/or to modern times. Semiotics can be a great way to engage the audience into one’s story and greatly reveal more of the story in these small items.
Brief look Semiotics
Signs are all around us. A sign can be anything. Derived from the Greek word ”semeiotikos” meaning, an interpreter of signs. Briefly put, semiotics (or better known as semiology) is the study, or science, of signs. Its founders, Ferdinand de Saussure, Roland Barthes and Charles Sander Pierce, raised many theories for this field.
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De Saussure argued that a sign has a “signifier” (word, sound, image, etc.) and the “signified” (the concept or meaning). Many relationships can exist between the signifier and the signified.
Roland Barthes theories revolve around how signs have a cultural and ideological representation. These were represented into two ways: a denotative meaning (which is the literal meaning of the sign) and the connotative meaning (which is the implied or suggested meaning of the sign).
Charles Pierce had introduced icons, indexes and symbol. He had argued that signs can categorized in these three ways. He stated that: an icon is the signifier that resembles the signified; an index is a signifier that is indirectly connected to the signified; and a symbol is a signifier that does not resemble the signified.
Signs can be interpreted in many ways, have different representations in different cultures and so on. The role it plays in film, however, has grown greatly as it used to enhance stories and create more visually encapsulating motion pictures.
Semiotics and its role in films
As discussed earlier, a sign can be anything with a meaning. From colours of items, to items themselves. From wording to the physical object, anything can be a sign. Filmmakers have taken this study and applied it to their storytelling, enhancing subtle details that in turn, add more information to either the develop of the character/s or to the story itself.
The role of the study of signs is an influencer in filmmaking today. As filmmakers strive to engage audiences on a deeper and reflective scale. Thus representation. This is how film “represents” or reflects and manipulates this reality in order to convey their message or meaning.
Filmmakers use film language or techniques to bring out this representation. Be it in the characters wardrobe, the setting of the story, the colour of the set, actor movement etc. These subtle particulars can (and often do) represent society or a relay a message. A location in the story or setting could represent a certain part of society or a certain religion so on and so forth. It all depends on the filmmaker’s intention.
It is the work of the production design, the director, cinematographer, art director, hair makeup and wardrobe departments that bring about these hidden messages into films. Extensively using different film tools as mise-en-scene or the setting of the story.
What is mise-en-scene? This is a fancy way of saying everything the audience sees within the frame. With proper use of mise-en-scene and filmmaking tools, filmmakers are able to create worlds that are visually attractive and worlds that are meant to reflect a society and its era.
Everything or anything in a film can resemble or reflect the cultural or societal norms and use those subtle items or camera movements etc, to furthermore tell the story and enhance it. Using two films as examples that make use of these great features.
Representation through mise-en-scene and setting
From props to wardrobe and costume design to the actions of the actors to the set design to the location of one scene to the location of the entire story, with the combined efforts of the production design; the director of photography; a few other departments and the director, these filmmakers are able to develop a story beyond what is in front of them. Two films that are used for examples are “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel”.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
This visually vibrant film makes extensive use of mise-en-scene. The wardrobe, the set design, the colour scheme, actors’ movements, they all contribute to the making this film a masterpiece that is highly recommended to all audiences.
Set in the 1900s, it tells the story of how an old man came to own such a beautiful hotel such as the Grand Budapest. In this story, the audience is shown themes of friendship, love, loyalty and betrayal.
The use of colour and the production design makes for an attractive display of mise-en-scene. A certain colour reflects a certain attribute of the character. For example, in early scenes of the film, Zero, wears a purple colour blazer and the staff members also wear purple coloured clothing. Thus, revealing a relationship between Zero and the staff members which is later revealed.
The set designs furthermore enhance the background of the story and revealing more about the characters. But in total one could argue that the set design was meant to symbolise the era that this film was set in.
Using the items (props) that were used in that time period, transports the audience to that time period. The filmmakers (Wes Anderson) also makes use of the aspect ratio (the width of the footage) to represent the films that were made in that time period.
All these factors play an important role in telling this story in a beautiful audience engaging film.
The Dark knight Rises
In this final instalment of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, it looks at the final fall and rise of the dark knight. Facing his demons of the past, both physically and mentally. How he rises, to inspire the citizens of Gotham City to also rise and take their city back.
Although the setting of the film takes place in various sections of the Gotham City, unlike the other films in the trilogy, this Gotham City was meant to look much bigger as if the stakes in this film were larger than the others.
One of the most memorable moments of the film is the climactic fight scene between the followers of Bane and the Gotham Police. This scene takes place at dawn. This is meant to resemble how the Police and Batman “rise” to the opposition to take back their city. Using the setting to enhance the story.
Conclusion
It is the combined effort of the production team to make use if these elements to create and make better stories. Semiotics plays leading role in representation in film. By adding a few details to certain items they can then resemble something or someone, reveal a certain truth/element of the story and so on. Everything or anything can be sign. It should just have meaning.
References
- Brandt, P. A. (2011, December 31). What is cognitive semiotics? A new paradigm in the study of meaning.
- Conger, C. (2018, April 13). What is Mise-en-scene in Film? Quick Guide with Definition and Examples.
- Friedman, A., & Thellefsen, M. (2015, April 29). Concept theory and semiotics in knowledge organization. South Florida. Retrieved from ResearchGate.
- Hall, S. (2012). This mean this, This means that (A user's guide to semiotics). In S. Hall, This mean this, This means that (A user's guide to semiotics) (pp. 1-30). Laurence King Publishing.
- Prior, P. (2014). Semiotics. London, United Kingdom.
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