Preliminary Exercise 1: Barthes’ Theory of Denotative and Connotative Signs Semiotic Analysis Table

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 Barthes Theory of Denotative and Connotative Signs 

The lesson was to teach us about Barthes theory, which was helpful when it comes to analyzing the positive and negative connotations in different types of media. Semiotics are the study of signs, items, and symbols to find the meanings behind something or a scene. Roland Barthes is the creator of the thesis that breaks down the reading of signs and their interpretation, creating the theory of semiotics. Things like a rose in a movie with dark tones and deep shadows would mean love, death, or infatuation. The color red could mean blood or something evil which ties into the death. The color red relates to the heart relating to love and affection.

  During the project we were assigned to analyze three images and what their connotations and denotations would mean. That way we would get our own understanding of what semiotics were with everyday items we would see. I learned that a rose would have good and bad meanings, similarly to a rose, black cats also have connotations and denotations. Understanding these connotations will help us with framing our movie by knowing what minor elements in scene may mean we can manipulate these objects or animals to create the perfect mood.