Semiotics and Narration

Semiotics

• Signifier: The physical form of a sign, such as the word "tree" or its letters.
• Signified: The concept or idea represented by the signifier, like the concept of a tree.
• Sign: A unit of communication combining signifier and signified (e.g., "tree").
• Icon: A sign resembling the object it represents (e.g., a photo of a tree).
• Symbol: A sign connected arbitrarily to its object (e.g., the word "tree," no natural connection).
• Index: A sign with a direct relationship to its object (e.g., smoke is an index of fire).
• Connotation: Cultural associations of a sign (e.g., "tree" might connote nature).
• Denotation: Literal dictionary definition of a sign.
• Myth: Widely held belief reinforcing dominant ideology.

Narration

• Story/Narrative: Sequence of events told or recounted.
• Plot: Arrangement of events in a story.
• Narration: Process of telling a story, focusing on how an event is presented.
• Disparity of Knowledge: Different characters or audiences having varying levels of knowledge.
• Hierarchies of Knowledge: How knowledge is distributed among characters and audience.

Cross-Media Narration

• Adaptation: Transforming a story from one medium to another.
• Fidelity Discourse: Discussions about how closely an adaptation should follow the original.

Narrators

• Implied Author: Hypothetical creator behind a work.
• Visual Narrator: Controls image sequences.
• Auditive Narrator: Manages audio elements.
• Filmic Narrator: Regulates interactions between visual and audio.
• Internal Narrator: Diegetic (within the story) or non-diegetic (outside the story).
• Frame Narration: Story within a story structure.

Seriality

• Seriality: Narrative unfolding in multiple installments.
• Protagonists: Multiple characters often featured.
• Narrative Problem: Presented and resolved (partially or fully) in each installment.
• Narrative Enigma: Unresolved problem maintained throughout.
• Examples: "Friends" or "Game of Thrones".
• Vast Seriality: Many characters with diverse plots.
• Dense Seriality: Fewer characters, focusing on character growth.

Mise-en-scène

• Mise-en-scène: Arrangement of elements within a shot (set design, props, costumes, movement).
• Costumes: Clothing actors wear.
• Authentic/Stylised Setting: Realistic or designed to create a visual style.
• Color: Visual tool for mood, symbolism, and interest.
• Props: Used by characters.
• Décor: Furnishings and decorations used in setting.
• Framing: Composition within rectangular frame.
• High-Key/Low-Key Lighting: Bright, even vs. high contrast and shadows.
• Three-Point Lighting: Key light, fill light, backlight.
• Brechtian Staging: Emphasizing artificiality in performance.
• Transnational Cinema: Films reflecting globalized cultures.

Cinematography & Sound

• Contrast/Exposure: Difference in images' lightest and darkest areas, and how much light hits film/sensor.
• Perspective: Camera position and how objects relate to each other.
• Focal Length: Distance from lens centre to focus, affecting magnification and field of view.
• Depth of Field: Range within a scene perceived as in focus.
• Framing & Aspect Ratio: Composing a shot and its image proportions.
• Long/Close-up Shots: Showing full vs. detailed views of subject.
• POV Shot: Character's perspective.
• Dutch/Canted Angle Shot: Tilted camera angled.
• Leading Lines: Visual elements leading viewer's eye.
• Rule of Thirds: Composition guideline dividing the frame.
• Shot/Reverse Shot: Cutting between characters during conversation.
• Dolly Shot: Moving camera along a track.
• Diegetic/Non-Diegetic Sound: Sounds in/outside the story world.

Editing

• Editing: Assembling shots to create a cohesive film.
• Continuity Editing: Creating seamless and logical flow of events.
• Establishing shot: Wide shot of setting.
• Shot-Reverse-Shot: Cuts back and forth between characters.
• Re-establishing Shot: Returns to initial establishing shot.
• Match Cut: Using visual or thematic similarities to connect shots.
• 180-degree/30-degree Rule: Guidelines for consistent screen direction and camera movement.
• Elliptical Editing: Condenses time by skipping unimportant details.
• Anchored Flashbacks: Flashbacks clearly tied to present event.
• Discontinuity Editing: Intentionally jarring transitions.
• Kuleshov Effect: Mental phenomenon where shots combine to evoke meaning.
• Cross-Cutting/Parallel Editing: Simultaneous events in different locations.

Documentary

• Documentary: Real-life footage used to depict events.
• Expository Mode: Clear argument expressed; often with voice-over.
• Performative Mode: Emphasizes filmmaker's involvement or subjective experience.

Reality Television

• Reality Television: Unscripted situations of real people.
• Extra-Televisual Discourses: Surroundings of a TV program.
• Big Brother (1999-): Early example of 24/7 filmed reality show.
• First/Second/Third Generation Reality TV: Different kinds of reality shows.
• Cinema Verite/Direct Cinema: Types of documentary styles which focus on 'real' observation and involvement without script.

Games

• Play: Enjoyable and self-motivated activity.
• Homo Ludens: Encompassing human behaviour through play.
• Interactivity: Player influence on narrative.
• Interpretative Gaps: Allow players to create own meanings in certain content areas.
• User-Generated Content: Content made by users instead of creators.
• Narratology/Ludology: Study of narrative structure/game's workings.
• Rules/Gameplay: Guidelines and interactions within game.
• Perspective/Dimensions (Gamespace): Player vision/virtual environment.
• Gamification: Implementing game elements in non-game contexts.
• Off-Screen Space (Games): Game world elements which are not directly visible to player
• Vocalization: Sounds and voices in the game.

Postmodernism

• Modernity: Period of rapid change, often relating to the Industrial Revolution.
• Fragmentation: Breaking down traditional narrative structures.
• Heightened Subjectivity: Focusing on individual experience.
• Postmodernism: Rejection of grand narratives, emphasis on irony and self-awareness.
• Transnational Globalization: Interconnectedness and cultural exchange.
• Formal Realism: Realistic representation through aesthetics
• Social Realism: Focusing on social and political issues in daily life.
• Formal Elements of Modernism / Social Elements of Modernism: Techniques/changes related to art & society/culture

Social Media

• Creator Culture: Individuals creating and sharing content online.
• Platformization: Social media taking over in media and culture.
• Programmability: Platforms' ability to shape content flow.
• Popularity: Importance of likes, shares, and engagement metrics for platforms.
• Connectivity: Interconnections between users and content across platforms.
• Datafication: Transforming social interactions into data for analysis.
• Platform Vernaculars: Unique languages, symbols and practices of each platform.
• Remediation: How new media adapts and alters older media forms.
• Autoethnography: Qualitative method using personal experience to understand phenomenon.