[Media Homework]

(`v´)...Theories...Semiotics...(`v´)

Semiotics is the study of sign processes. Semioticians classify signs or sign systems in relation to the way they are transmitted. This process of carrying meaning depends on the use of codes that may be the individual sounds or letters that humans use to form words, the body movements they make to show attitude or emotion, or even something as general as the clothes they wear. Codes also represent the values of the culture, and are able to add new shades of connotation to every aspect of life. Denotation is the surface or literal meaning encoded to a signifier, and the definition most likely to appear in a dictionary. Decoding is more than simply recognising the content of the message. In semiotics, connotation arises when the denotative relationship between a signifier and its signified is inadequate to serve the needs of the community. As a signifier, i.e. it will have a form that a person can see, touch, smell, and/or hear, and as the signified, i.e. it will represent an idea or mental construct of a thing rather than the thing itself. Connotative meanings are developed by the community and do not represent the inherent qualities of the thing or concept originally signified as the meaning. If a signifier has only a single denotational meaning, the use of the sign will always be unambiguously decoded by the audience. Theorist Louis Hjelmslev (1899-1965) proposes that although the function of signification may be a single process, denotation is the first step, and connotation the second.

[Critical Investigation and linked production homework]

[•][•][•]Critical Investigation and linked production homework[•][•][•]


[•] Task: Select one critical production and linked production from the post it notes given to you during the lesson and rewrite the ideas in as much detail as you can. Select 5 keywords from the glossary which are relevant to the titles and explain how each word links in to the chosen titles.


Critical investigation title ► Looking at female representations in American Hip-hop music videos.
Linked Production title ► Creating a magazine article on a new album releasing with images of females and there stereotypical representation within the text.

[•] 5 Key words relating to Case study:

Binary Opposition: Binary opposition a term used by Claude Levi-Strauss that describes a pair of theoretical opposites. Binary oppostitions show that a narrative is structured around oppositional elements of human culture. For example: Good 'vs' Bad, Dark 'vs' Light, Feminie 'vs' Masculine, Old 'vs' new, etc.

Male Gaze: This is the term used by Laura Mulvey in her essay 'Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema' (1975), saying that sexism exists not only in the content of a text, but may also exist in how the text is presented. Theorists note the degree to which people gaze at women in advertisements that "sexualizes" a woman's body even when the woman's body is unrelated to the advertised product.

Sexism: Is the term a term coined in the mid-20th century used to describe the representations that discriminate on the basis of sex, especially against women, which is seen to derive from and sustain patriachy.

Patriarchy: Patriarchy refers to the role of men in society more generally where men take primary responsibility over the welfare of the community as a whole. This authority often includes acting as the dominant figures in social, economic, and political procedures. In simplier terms patriarchy describes male dominance in society.

Representation: a process whereby the media construct versions of individuals or groups in images, words or sounds in media text to an audience. Representations follow a paradigm in that they follow a framework of values and beliefs, which lead to steroetyping individuals or collectives with regards to their gender, social class, ethicity, etc.

Self Evaluation on Presentataion

Self Evaluation

As part of my summer research task, i was also required to put together a 3-5 minute presentation on key points from our research. We were being examined on four different areas for our presenatation, these were: Significance- why does it matter? Structure- Is it easy to remeber? does it link? Simplicity- Does it have too much text? colour scheme? and Rehearsal- Is it presenated well?

In these four ares i was awarded 2 marks each, with the marking cheme of 1: outstanding and 5: poor, therefore in all aspects i averaged a 'very good'. In terms of feed back, each member of the class gave a point for 'what went well' (WWW) and 'even better if' (EbI). For my WWW i was given acknowledgement for explaining each character individually and thoroughly, using sufficient amount of media terminiology such as, 'watershed', 'stereotype', 'binaray oppositions', etc. i was also acreditied for using good vocabulary words ssbiguous' as well as exending and elaborating on the media institutional research. The design and colour asortation of my slides were also part of the structure and simplicity which i chose to keep colour coordinated with a balance between the amount of text and images that were displayed on each slide. Also as part of my feed back, my previous research consisted of both primary and secondary research, where a sound amount was applied to both the presentation and my blog, moreover i managed to end my presentation with a strong conclusion delievering why Skins is a goo programme to watch and how it appeals to its audiences.

However,there were some EBIs, these were having a more detailed introdction to the text as i found not many people were either aware of or watched the text. Also i was criticised for using full sentences in some of the slides as elaborating on key words that triggered the sentences would have earned me better marks as well as improved my presentational skills. Also i could have exhibited a more intricate analysis on genre and audience by using other theories such as Uses and gratification. Though i was unable to apply Proppain's theory of roles as it did not contemplate my chosen text i was advised to explain why it did not fit my chosen text in future so that the audience are aware of this.