Semiotics in Film

 The whole semiotics talk has me a bit confused. I took a class on signs in art so I understand the signifier and signified some but at first was lost on how this translated into film.

 Initially I was immediately reminded of the silent film era and how without sound, the film spoke to the viewer. Then I thought about signs and how certain things that we know, when shown on film would not need an explanation. I envisioned a street scene, where cars are stopped at a traffic light. The red light prompts the cars to step on the brakes and hold tight until they see the green change. This to me is an example of how signs could work in film. The meanings are implied by what we know about the colors red and green. 

Another example could be sound in a film. With the film series Jaws, sound is a crucial part in triggering the audiences sense of danger. 

 In the film Halloween, the theme song is played whenever Michael Myers is near, symbolizing the danger and ultimately a whole lot of knife slashing is about to come up. Cover your eye's kids!

 Another way that semiotics can be portrayed on film is through the narrative. The writer/director can convey a message without stating the obvious. An example of this would be in Star Wars. Actually there are tons of examples in these films but lets focus on Darth Vader. 

His costume is black and cold metal looking. He is taller than most people in the film. He is powerful to the viewer’s eye without having to be told. We know from the first frame that he is the bad guy.