A good point to start with is understanding the word "semiotics", which is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as "the study of signs and symbols, what they mean, and how they are used". This word originates from the Latin word ‘semeion’, the Greek word for “sign”. This theory of semiotics consists of three main parts which are:
The sign – An arbitrary factor that can only be identified when contrasted with other signs of the same nature.
The signifier – Any form of phonological sound that humans attach to the sign, which is generally uttered by the speaker.
The signified – The interpretation of the sound by the receiver (or hearer).
Moving on to the film, this concept of semiotics is applied practically most of the time, and the viewer consumes them without even noticing. The basic idea of this concept can be divided into two parts, the physical and the psychological. From simply a hairstyle to scars may be visual signs that give the viewer far more meaning and help him to set a judgment towards the character and the situation. This semiotic theory is a great tool for the filmmaker to pass on judgments and messages about the character, and also describe it without saying it out loud explicitly.
A good film that can be used as an example is Eyes Wide Shut (1999). As immediately from the opening scene of the film, one may notice that wealth and money are symbolized by the opening shot of an apartment in New York, and the main character looking outside the window onto the busy road. Looking at the way that they are wearing also adds up to the judgment that these people are of a higher class. And what makes up these judgments? Precisely all these symbols. A comment may be also made on the character’s name: Bill, which may symbolise a money bill or even a part of the word “billionaire”. Although the last one may be a bit farfetched. Then, we move on to Bill’s wife. In the same opening scene, Bill asks her if she knows where is his wallet, and she indicates him towards his bedside table. During the film, there are various occasions where Alice mentions other people’s money, and then, later on, during the same film, there is this scene where Alice is helping her daughter with a mathematical problem for her homework. She mentions different men and how much they have money. For the attentive viewer, this should ring a bell as well, which makes sense to the whole story.
What I can conclude from the above research certainly is that semiotics is another language that we use in everyday life, and that makes it an ideal tool for the filmmaker to pass on comments and, at times, puns to the viewer. These subtle messages may not be that clear, but for sure, when the story progresses further, there would be a high probability that the viewer will be able to join these subtle messages and make more sense out of the same story.
References:
Booker, M., 2017. Chapter 2. Semiotics of Films.
Perry Horton, H., 2016. The Symbiotic Relationship Between Semiotics and Cinema. Film Sch. Rejects. URL (accessed 11.11.21).
SEMIOTICS | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary [WWW Document], n.d. URL https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/semiotics (accessed 11.11.21).
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