Lecture Notes: Semiotics
POSTED ON Monday, 11 February 2013 AT 11:21 \\
se•mi•ot•ics (ˌsi miˈɒt ɪks, ˌsɛm i-, ˌsi maɪ-) 
n. (used with a sing. v.)


1. the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing.
2. a general theory of signs and symbolism, usu. divided into the branches of pragmatics, semantics, and syntactics.
(definition from the free dictionary)
CLICK TO ENLARGE (source)

 Examples in our culture:
  • Traffic lights: Red = Stop, Green = Go (red is a universal indicator of danger)
  • Toilet signs: Ladies toilets are represented wearing a skirt


Analysis of semiotics takes place in three ways:

  •  A "LINGUISTIC" MESSAGE: this is the use of words alongside an image
  •  A "NON-CODED" ICONIC: this is the identifiable object in the image (symbol)
  •  A "CODED ICONIC" MESSAGE: the connotations

Use of semiotics in art, photography & film

Johnny Cash - Hurt

In some cases of film and video, dialogue and sound isn't the sole contributor to making a situation understandable. The lyrics to the song Hurt talk of loneliness and pain: "everyone I know goes away in the end". The lyrics are significant in the impact that they have on the music video in the same way that a linguistic message or the use of words has on a sign. Words and dialogue provide meaning and explanation, but it is also the visual aspect that shows this. Watching the music video on mute provides a somewhat similar effect that watching with sound would have by the use of symbols, such as the disappearing photoframe, the flash backs to Cash's earlier life and career. The bleakness, the regret and the despair can still be felt through the imagery of the video without the music. Semiotics are a useful tool used by artists and photographers to convey a meaning to an image. Photographers who heavily stage their photographs such as Gregory Crewdson is just one example of this.

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