Semiotics

Semiotics - meanings of things

Denotations are what we can see in an image, although many images have a deeper meaning behind them, this is known as a connotation. A connotation is what we understand from the image and the meaning behind what has been presented in front of us. For example, in this picture the denotation is that there is a beautiful red rose however, this rose has connotations that signify love, weddings, passion and beauty.

Stuart Hall

Hall suggests that media texts are encoded and decoded, the producers of a media project have encoded messages which are then decoded by their audience. Stuart Hall suggests that there are three different ways that audiences decode media messages:

- Preferred reading: Is how the creator wants the audience to view the text.

- Oppositional reading: When the intended meaning of the text is opposed by the reader.

- Negotiated reading: Where the reader takes on board the producers views whilst having their own view on the text to.

Denotation and connotations - The Vampire Diaries

Denotations from the image:
- There are seven ordinary looking people all dressed in black.
- By the feet of the people there is a coffin with a snake twisted in an infinity loop.
- One of the men is staring at the coffin whilst the girl linking arms with him is looking at him in a saddening manner.
- The image has been taken during the rain.
- The surroundings look desolate, the trees look eerie.
- Only the men are holding the umbrellas
- There is a black crow on the corner of the coffin.
- Looks as if there is only two official couples as they are linking arms with each other.
- Image appears to have been taken in the woods.
- Tallest man in the middle looks like he is in power and most likely the leader of the group.
- None of the people are looking at the coffin, they are either looking straight ahead, at one another or at the floor.

Connotations from the image:
- A dark black sky, the colour black signifies death which is then implicated by the coffin.
- The weather is bad, it's raining, the weather is able to portray a specific mood. In this scenario it's likely to be depressing the people as by the looks of it someone has died. (Pathetic Fallacy).
- The crow on the corner of the coffin has obvious connotations to a graveyard however, a deeper meaning could suggest that a crow is also a symbol of mystery and magic.
- Women are in between the men as men are known to protect women in an unhappy situation.