EAB Media 19/01/10 Media Terminology Masterclass 1: Semiotics Language for deconstructing texts and discussing meanings: Texts are made up of a series ofsignsYour job is to decode these through close textual analysis Denotation is: the most specific or literal meaning of a sign Connotation is: an add itional sense or senses associated with or suggested b y a signifier. These meanings are arrived at through the cultural experiences a reader brings to a text. Semiologyor semiotics: the study of the meanings of signs how signs or codes communicate meaning. Look at these signs. What do they represent? The concept of media languages and the related ideas of narrative and genre are th e starting point for examining meanings the text carries. Once you have identified these elements (the written signs, visual and aural signs, the ways that the narrative is structured, how characters, ideas and events are portrayed) the oth er key concepts come into play. Then you deep en your exploration by thinking about wh y the tex t is so, who made it and for whom. Languages of the media = languages of the moving image and the languag e of print. First, lets remind ourselves of that Cgrade criteria for A01 (which accounts for 40% of this years grade and is assessed in both MS1 and MS2): A sound understanding of media texts and their conventions linked with a sound ability to analyse. Confident use of media terminology and a well-structured argument, possibly drawing on different approaches. Exploration of id eas to give valid interpretati on of the text appropriately supported.
