Signs and Signifiers is an important part of semiology and can explain the meaning of certain things through images, gestures and sounds. Therefore, these key terms are vital in explaining semiology.
There are many different ways in which signs can be used and how different institutions use signs. For example, in paper-based media both text and images are signs and in moving image media, text all aspects of mise-en-scene, camera work, editing and sound can be seen as signs. Signs, like I said in my previous post, are everything that are seen or heard on the screen or seen on a page. It doesn't have to be the way we see it written down but also the by all the other ways mentioned above - essentially all the ways of which information can be communicated within a media text. An example of this could be the femme fatale's cigarette as this is a sign that she is seductive and dangerous. A picture of this example can be seen below.
This is shown below. The signifier in this image would be the cigarette, like I said previously, and this makes the viewer see the character as someone who is dangerous and rebellious as women in this time period would not have been stereotypically seen as people who smoke because it was seen as something bad and not the norm for females in this time period to have done.
This sign shows that you should stop to give way at a crossing when you are driving. It's in red because the red colour shows that danger and the stop sign in white on a red colour background makes the white writing stand out and therefore it is easier to see and grabs the drivers attention.
Signifiers and signs come in lots of different ways and can be represented in good and bad ways and in safe and dangerous ways. For example, if we see something as being red it can be shown to represent danger or it can be shown to represent romance and love. In film noirs, this colour would normally be shown on the femme fatale because they are dangerous characters but also seductive and need to show the romantic side because that is how they get their way out of certain situations. However, if we see a gun as a signifier it can be shown to represent danger and death as this is a weapon that when used can injure someone badly and therefore is not seen as a good thing unless the person who is using the gun is a good character in which case the representation of the gun (signifier) being good and potentially life saving.
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