Explain how meaning is constructed by the use of media language in one of your coursework production
The product that I will analyses is my As film opening, “Demure”. The message that is constructed and delivered in such a short period of time, 3 minutes, depends a lot on the editing techniques and different symbols and representations used. The media language of this production is mainly based on the fast paced editing and strange soundtrack, the words of the character create a foundation for the atmosphere that will follow.
We used many symbols and subtle ways of expressing ideas in our film opening. We actually tried to focus on what each shot and its elements suggested to the audience. Ferdinand de Saussure put forward the theory of a media text including a signifier and a signified object or idea. This suggests that what we see directly can have various meanings and interpretations that are either agreed upon or different based on cultures and perspectives. For example, In “Demure” even the location it’s self has these two dimension. At first, the audience sees a dusty, abandoned room, with little furniture. However, understanding the theme of the film and placing the character in this setting, the room is seen as signifying the character’s loneliness. We suggested to the audience that he was abandoned and neglected, just as the place in which he sleeps. Of course, we did not use actual symbols, as defined by Charles Pierce. His more rigid definition of icons, indexes and symbols does refer to each of their signified meaning, but we used the entirety of mise-en-scene to send messages about our character and the story behind it.
The genre of our film was a hybrid between horror and surrealism, thus we had to include and respect conventions accordingly and send the right message intended for the target audience. The message of confusion and loneliness that we wanted to convey was greatly formed around the genre that we chose. We used non-linear editing and unusual sounds to mark key moments in the story. As Strinati mentions in his complex theories, confusion over time and space is a feature of postmodern texts. We did not offer many clues to the character’s location, and the passage of time is not clearly presented. We wanted to remove the character from any exact context, to allow the audience to focus on what he is feeling and experiencing as he has his dreams and hallucinations.
As mentioned before, the post production of our film opening was a huge part of the media language that made up our message. We used jump cuts and extreme close ups on the character’s eyes. We wanted to transmit the inner turmoil that he experienced. We first brought the audience closer to him by breaking the fourth wall in an extreme close up of his eyes and face, and then changed the pace of editing to raise tension. The soundtrack was made up of sounds from different songs or recordings, dripping sounds and strange bangs marked the beginning of his dream scenes by capturing the attention of the audience.
To sum up, the media language used in my As portfolio was based on genre conventions and editing techniques. The psychological struggles of the character were suggested through his location, music and direct address to the audience.
