3. Semiotics: blog tasks

 Part 1: English by Tarun Thind analysis

1) What meanings are the audience encouraged to take about the two main characters from the opening of the film?

The audience is encouraged to believe that the main characters are unfriendly and criminal characters through the use of background characters and what they say. This is also accomplished through their costumes and behaviour/expressions throughout.




2) How does the end of the film emphasise de Saussure’s belief that signs are polysemic – open to interpretation or more than one meaning?

At the end of the film we see the main character giving the old man who they seemed to have robbed earlier in the movie a fresh bunch of bananas and we also find out that both the main characters are deaf as they communicate through sign language. This shows how signs are polysemic because the signs throughout the movie can be seen differently depending on the person seeing them. Some people may have seen the signs that they were deaf but some may think that by ignoring people they were just being rude thuggish teens.

Part 2: Media Magazine theory drop - Semiotics 

1) What did Ferdinand de Saussure suggest are the two parts that make up a sign?
2) What does ‘polysemy’ mean?

Something that has multiple meanings 

3) What does Barthes mean when he suggests signs can become ‘naturalised’?

some signs are culturally accepted and therefore most people just agree on it and take them to have one dominant meaning 

4) What are Barthes’ 5 narrative codes?

Hermeneutic,proairetic,cultural,connotative,symbolic code

5) How does the writer suggest Russian Doll (Netflix) uses narrative codes?

Part 3: Icons, indexes and symbols

1) Find two examples for each: icon, index and symbol. Provide images or links.

Icon: 🚳🚷

Index: 🚦stop,go 🔥fire=smoke

Symbol: ? $

2) Why are icons and indexes so important in media texts?
Icons and indexes allow for meanings/messages to be conveyed quickly without the need for explanation.



3) Why might global brands try and avoid symbols in their advertising and marketing?
Some symbols may be polygenic and be offensive to some people.

 
4) Find an example of a media text (e.g. advert) where the producer has accidentally communicated the wrong meaning using icons, indexes or symbols. Why did the media product fail? (This web feature on bad ads and marketing fails provides some compelling examples).

This doll has on a necklace which many people thought resembled an inappropriate object even though it was meant to be a kids toy.

5) Find an example of a media text (e.g. advert) that successfully uses icons or indexes to create a message that can be easily understood across the world.

In this advert the use of the gun symbolises death as most people know that guns are used to kill people and therefore it’s clear that by comparing a cigarette to a gun they’re trying to say that smoking is equally capable of killing you. 

2. My media consumption

 Newspapers

• Which daily newspapers (if any) do you read?
• What sections of newspapers do you turn to first, and why?

• What sections do you never read, and why?
• What kinds of stories do you usually read and why?
• Do you, or someone else, buy the newspaper you read?
• Do you look at the online versions of any newspapers? Which newspapers? Why do you visit their website and not others?

Magazines

• What magazines (if any) do you buy regularly?  Why/why not?
• What sections of the magazines do you read and not read, and why?

Television

• Approximately how many hours a week do you spend watching television? 3
• What device do you use to watch television

• What times of day do you usually watch television?

• What programmes do you like best and why?
• Do you watch alone or with others? If you watch with others, who decides what you will watch?
• Do you watch 'live' TV or on-demand/catch-up? Do you use any other devices to watch TV (such as laptop or tablet?)

Radio

• Do you listen to the radio?
• If yes, what stations do you like best and why?
• Do you listen to podcasts?
• If yes, what podcasts have you listened to recently?
• Approximately how many hours a week do you spend listening to podcasts or radio?
• What times of the day do you usually listen to podcasts or radio?
• Where do you listen to podcast or radio?
• What other activities (if any) do you do whilst listening?
• Does anyone else in your house listen to the radio or podcasts? If so, when do they listen?

Film

• What films have you seen in the cinema in the last month?

Deadpool Vs wolverine 

• What films have you seen in other places – for example, through Netflix, Amazon Prime, satellite/cable film channels (free or otherwise) or streaming?

 

• Who else watched the films with you?

my friends/family

• Who decided what films to watch?

everyone decided together 

• What devices do you typically use to watch films: TV, laptop, tablet, phone etc.?

            TV
Online

• How often do you access the internet?

always 

• Where do you access the internet? At home, at school, commuting etc.

at home and school

• What are the main sites that you access?

not sure

• What are the main reasons for accessing these sites – for example, for information, to make purchases, communicate with friends or for entertainment?
• What other activities (if any) do you do whilst accessing the internet?

listen to music

• What different devices do you use to access the internet? What is your primary device for accessing the internet?

phone

• What social networks do you use regularly (e.g. Twitter, Instagram)? Why do you belong to these networks in particular?

tiktok and snapchat

Final section: reflection

• How can you develop the amount and variety of media you consume?

consume different types of media 

• What will you change in your media consumption habits this year as a result of studying A Level Media?

use less social media and read more news 

• List three sources of media (websites/newspapers/apps/TV programmes etc.) that you will start to access this year that you haven't engaged with previously.

online newspapers podcasts radio 

1. First blog task

 1) Why did you choose A Level Media Studies?

i didnt

2) Did you take GCSE Media Studies (either here at Greenford or a different school)?
no i did not 

3) If you answered yes to Q2, what grade did you achieve in GCSE Media? What coursework task did you complete? What would you say your strengths and weaknesses were in GCSE Media?


4) What grade do you hope to achieve in A Level Media?
B<

5) What are your current thoughts about your next steps after A Levels - university, apprenticeship, work?
apprenticeship

6) What do you think the biggest MEDIA story of 2024 has been and why?
israel vs Palestine as many people have started to spread awareness and stories about the conflict 

7) What media sources do you use to find out about news and current affairs?
social media

8) What was the last film you watched?
final destination 

9) What is your favourite ever TV series?
Osark/The Big Bang Theory

10) How many hours do you spend online in an average day? Is this too little, too much or about right? Why? (If you have an iPhone you can use Screen Time to get an accurate figure of how much you use your phone)

6 hours