Connotation, Denotation and Signifiers [as well as preferred and oppositional reading] & a film example: Psycho (1960)

This lesson was all about, as said above, connotation, denotation and signifiers.

A connotation is - an implied of suggested idea (can also be a personal interpretation -        individual differences - and it could also mean what we are seeing).

e.g. rose → love OR rose → danger/passion [based on past memories of an individual]

However, a denotation is - an intended meaning evoked by the director for the audience (basic interpresation).

e.g. Knife → cutting vegetables/fruits etc

 ↓

Death [possible weapon] - in gloomy, dark

"mise-en-scene" so audience knows what is

coming - only if knife has had a close up

Preferred reading - when the producers'/directors' connotation are seen through the audience's eye's

Oppositional reading -  connotations producer did not intend to make

e.g. McDonald's advert:  

Preferred Reading.: "I want one of those"

Oppositional reading.: "It looks fatty and unhealthy"

______________________________

Psycho (1960)

  
SIGNIFIERS:

1. The money in the enveloppe [great amount to fill enveloppe? Stolen money?]

2. Guilty about the money [second thoughts?]

3. Leaving with money [escape from problem?]

4. Villain wants money, tried to get it [character now in danger?]

5. Shower is an isolated place, no escape?

- The derelict house on the hill → pathetic fallacy [bad environment-bad event to come]

- Music is repetitive until murder [change in rhythm and speed]

Preliminary Task Evaluation

The USB

OUR PRELIMINARY TASK PIECE

This task was basically used to identify our present skills and interests. And wether we prefered being in front or behind the Video Camera.  Moreover, we had to prepare a storyboard to make the "making of" much easier.
  
Our filming techniques involved what we had learnt in the previous lessons.  For example: "Two shot", "Long shot" or "Close up".

However, we learnt many other techniques of which I did't know about until then.  Like "Match on Action", "Shot Reverse Shot" and the "180 Degree Rule Shot".

Our short clip was just about a man asking for his USB stick back in order to use it later.  The script wasn't written as we thought improvising would suit this task much better.

I thought we had done well as it was our first, and therefore "amateur" clip.

Camera Shot Types

To facilitate my learning, I listed all the camera shot types we have learnt in class below:

Extreme close-up (ECU) - this shows only part of the head, the area from the lips to the eyes, and is often used for highly emotional shots to increase dramatic effect

Medium close-up (MCU) - Close shot cutting just below the armpits

Close-up (CU) - used to show extreme detail or facial expressions. A character is framed from just beneath the shoulders with space left above the head. This shot is effective for showing an audience a character's emotions and reactions because it focuses their concentration on only one thing on the screen.

Medium [Long] shot (MS) - shows a character from the knees to waist or a full length seated figure. Most effective for showing the interplay between two characters and bridging the gap between a wide shot and a close up. [This shot can be adjusted to a medium long shot or a medium close up.]

Long shot (LS) - shows a character at a distance, spanning their whole height but leaving an area above and below them. This focuses the audience's attention on the character and their surroundings.

Other types:

Wide shot (WS) - used as the establishing shot as it is often included at the start of a scene to display the location where the action takes place [image to be added later]

Point of view (POV) shot [can also be associated to an over shoulder shot]- 
seen from the character's point of view

Two shot - a shot with two characters in it

 High Shot - shot used to make a character look "grand" or more powerful than the other characters in a film

Low Shot - opposite of the high shot, used to make a character look weaker or less valuable in a film [image to be added later]

Exterior (EXT) - outdoor shooting [image to be added later]

Interior (INT) - indoor shooting [image to be added later]