Week 5: Visual Social Semiotics

Roger Stonehouse
An Odd Couple, 2012
Dimensions – 1280 x 583 px
Image Origin

Representational

Narrative
A story is able to be created by the viewer as there are vectors of motion
It can be classified as action because the narrative is mostly created by the bodies, clothes, environmental context. It is transactive because there is a clear interaction between the two represented participants (RPs)

The narrative created here directs the viewer to the strong juxtaposition between the attire of the participants and what it represents. It evokes contemplation on various cultural issues such as western influence on traditional cultures, clashes between ideologies, and humanity and commonality despite these differences.

Interactive

Contact – Demand
The two represented participants (RPs) are looking directly at the viewer, this accomplishes two functions as stated by Kress and van Leeuwen.
“In the first place it creates a visual form of direct address. It acknowledges the viewers explicitly, addressing them with a visual ‘you’…. And, the participant’s gaze (and the gesture, if it is present) demands something from the viewer, demands that the viewer enter into some kind of imaginary relation with him or her” (1996, p. 122).

The perspective of the shot is at a close social distance, on a frontal angle. This further encourages viewer engagement and connection as we do not feel above nor below the participants in terms of power.

Compositional

Placement The RPs are placed in the centre, which provides the majority of the information, and surrounding elements are only there to support.
Salience The salience is high due to sharp focus on RPs while the background is out of focus.
High modality The high amounts of colour and saturation, along with a fully conceived background provides contextualization, making the image feel very realistic as if a genuine moment in time was captured.

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A French soldier and a sergeant of the Royal Garrison Artillery toasting each other with wine at Boezinge, 18th August 1917. Image Origin

Representational

Narrative – A story can easily be created by the viewer and can be classified as action as the story is created by the vectors in the arms of the soldiers.

Interactive

The Image gaze is ‘offer’ because the RPs are looking at each other within the image, which causes them to become an object of contemplation for the viewer. Also, there is diminished engagement compared to the previous ‘demand’ image.

The close social distance and being shot from the waist up, makes the viewer feel like they are standing right next to the participants, watching the moment unfold.

Compositional

The composition of this image creates a very different feeling for viewers than the previous image.
This image has low modality, due to being black and white, with minimal background provides that little contextualization. This creates a slightly unrealistic effect, and comes across as unnatural or possibly staged.

However, I still consider it a successful image, as the content and narrative is strong. By having low modality, the photographer has allowed the viewer to imagine much of the context and craft their own narrative of the interaction.

Resources
Kress, Gunther, and Theo van Leeuwen. 2001. Multimodal discourse: The modes and media of contemporary communication. London, UK: Arnold.

Week 3 – Semiotics

Smoking is suicide – Kelly Ashcraft (right)

Artist – Kelly Ashcraft
smoking is suicide- noose
2007
Image Origin

All three types of relationships between the signifiers and signified in this image are utilized on some level to communicate a strong message.

The smoke emanating from the cigarette is an iconic sign that represents a noose; this is accomplished through the visual similarity in the shape of the smoke wisps to a noose’s loop and knotting.

The ‘signified noose’ then works in conjunction with the neck and head of the figure  as indexical sign for the signified concept of suicide. It is an index because of the relationship between a noose and suicide. This only works because the utilization of a noose around the neck of a human is a widely known method of suicide in our society.

As the concept of suicide is combined with the cigarette and smoke,  a causal relationship between smoking and self inflicted death is established. This results in the final message that smoking is a form of suicide.

Realistically, the notion that anybody smokes to commit suicide is absurd. However, as a viewer deduces the message, the message still appears logical since the health detriments of smoking are widely known. The image extrapolates this to an extreme conclusion through the clever use of visual semiotics. The text on the bottom of the image acts as a symbol to reinforce, and ensure the message is correctly conveyed.

Filter Your Life – Al Ain (right)

http://webneel.com/i/best-anti-smoking-ad/2-smoking-advertisement-by-ayalmeir/03-2013/d?nid=8703

The use of semiotics in this anti smoking advertisement is poorly utilized. Although the central visual element is visually interesting, the links between signifiers and signifieds are not clear and the elements are poorly placed.

The main icon is a combination of a tree shoot sprouting and the cigarette filter. The message that this conveys is very ambiguous. It could easily be misinterpreted, for example ‘cigarettes filters being a good fertilizer for plants’.

The symbolism in the image, the main tag line “Filter your life” also does not help to anchor the image. As a viewer, I have interpreted this message to mean ; removing cigarettes from my life.

The designer has also decided to put a secondary tagline where only one should have been necessary, and this second tagline also does not help convey the message. “Stop burning our life” in this instance, life seems to imply our natural environment, which contradicts the previous use of ‘life’ in the main tagline.

Compositionally, it is very visually messy as a viewer does not know where to look. Different elements compete for attention, such as the red ‘X’ symbol, logos, text, and supporting graphics, yet they do not offer much in terms of conveying an idea or message.

Week 2: Moving Image Analysis

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Composition

The frames selected for this analysis are taken from ” Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey”, specifically the scene where Dave has to manually enter the space station as Hal will not open the pod bay doors for him.

This scene’s primary compositional elements are lighting and spacial organization. The key points of interest have high values, they are brightly lit to draw the viewer’s eyes towards the interaction between the mechanical arms and the hatch.Only the essential elements are included in the frames and even the less relevant parts of these objects are hidden in shadow and darkness so that it is impossible for the viewer not to focus their attention on the object of focus.

As the hatch doors slowly open, a bright red light emanates from the interior, this differentiates the exterior and interior and the colour signifies danger. This is relevant because although Dave has successfully opened the door, he is not clear of danger yet, as he will be vulnerable when he leaves the pod to enter the station. Additionally, the antagonist Hal9000 is waiting inside the station.

Monaco Film Theory

The scene is fixed, and shot in the 2:2:1 ratio. The screen frame is open, because this scene is depicting a pivotal point of danger in entering the spaceship, but the antagonist is inside the spaceship, so there is more to come.

The absence of sound adds realism to the experience as space lacks atmosphere no sound waves can travel.

The point of view is low angle to give importance to the unfolding actions. Kubrick has clearly employed compositional and film theory to add drama and suspense to a scene where the ‘action’ by itself is very ordinary and mundane.

Week 2 – Compositional Interpretation

Artist – Kilian Eng
Title – Unknown
2012
Image Origin

Composition

The image depicts a human figure on a cliff face in a very cold climate and employs several visual methods to create an aesthetically pleasing image. It is implied through visual cues that the figure is stranded after crashing an aircraft into the cliff face, such as the contrasting orange debris that represents the aircraft. The visual methods work together to establish a mood that the figure is stranded in a dangerous environment and is in a hopeless situation.

The lightening of bluish hues in the background suggest receding landscape, creating atmospheric perspective. The horizon line is centred in the image creating a flat effect.

The small scale of the participant relative to the rock face contributes heavily to the overall helpless feeling of the picture.

The spaces in the image are organized into different sections through the use of changing saturation levels of bluish colour. This visually informs us of the depth of the rocks on the cliff edge (darker sections being closer than lighter sections) but the end result still looks flat. The artist is otherwise making no attempt to create depth of view.

Artist – Zhichao Cai (2013)
Title- The JourneyImage Origin

Composition

The most interesting compositional element in the above image is the use of perspective to include a much larger environment than would otherwise be possible. The horizon line is warped, creating a visual distortion similar to a fish lens effect. This allows the viewer to feel the vastness of the fantasy world which the artist is depicting.

The artist has also set solid line of motion through the image so the viewers eye is guided effortlessly by the rice paddy, terrain and bridge.

The compositional techniques employed here contrasts with the previous image which is visually flat by comparison. Here, the perspective and environment is warped to create depth in the image.

Sources

Gillian Rose., (2001). Chapter 2: The Good eye. In Gillian Rose., Visual methodologies : an introduction to the interpretation of visual materials

Harrison, C. (2003) Visual Social Semiotics: Understanding How Still Images Make Meaning.Technical Communication 50(1). 40-60. http://www.candocareersolution.com/publication/0553.pdf

MacEachren, A. M. et al. (2012). Visual semiotics & uncertainty visualization: An empirical study. Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 18(12), 2496-2505. doi:10.1109/TVCG.2012.279

Jewitt, Carey and Oyama, R, (2001). Visual Meaning: A Social Semiotic Approach. In Van Leeuwen, Theo and Jewitt, Carey, Handbook of visual analysis, (pp.134 – 157).