Vehicle Strand Interpreting Media

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Vehicle StrandInterpreting Media
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Introduction ? today tough session ?
vehicle strand media as vehicles/channels?
meaning in media messages ? using semiotics
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Branston Stafford ? semiotics (sign,
signifiers, signifieds, and differences)?
structuralism (binary oppositions, e.g.
Titanic) ? denotation and connotation? codes
(shared meanings) ? discuss these on Module
Forum? U75100 Human Communication
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Session Objectives ? the essential basis of
semiotics? practice with example The Matrix ?
key terms sign, semiotics, paradigm, syntagm
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Essence of Semiotics? meaning is difference
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Semiotics and Signs ? semiotics the study
of signs? sign anything that conveys meaning?
e.g. Neos finger
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Signs ? finger sign, conveying a meaning ?
anything can become a sign? cultural
understanding? so how do signs convey meanings?
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Differences? differences between signs
make meaning possible? meaning depends on what a
sign isnt? two semiotic terms paradigms
and syntagms
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Paradigm? a set of signs that go together
e.g. all possible starters in a meal
samosa, soup, fruit salad, etc e.g. all main
courses vegetable curry, spaghetti,
stew, etc e.g. all deserts sorbet, sponge
pudding, fruit salad, etcMatrix example
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Paradigms in The Matrix? interrogation
scene e.g. all possible lead actors
Keanu Reeves, Will Smith, Angelina
Jolie, etc e.g. all possible costumes
suits, jeans, floral dresses e.g.
all possible sets bare room, shopping
mall, Eiffel Tower
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Syntagm? a combination of particular signs?
each drawn from a paradigm e.g. samosa veg.
curry sorbet e.g. fruit salad spaghetti
sorbet
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Syntagm in The Matrix? the scene as a whole
is a syntagm? Keanu suits bare room
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Meaning? the meaning of a sign depends on ?
its selection from a paradigm? its combination
within a syntagm ? the meaning of a sign depends
on ? all the signs which werent selected? all
the combinations not madeMatrix example
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The Meaning of The Matrix? interrogation
scene (syntagm) ? Keanu (not Will or Angelina)
? suits (not jeans or dresses) ? white room
(not shop or Eiffel Tower) ? different choices
different meaning? different combination diff.
meaning ? meaning is generated by differences Any
Questions?
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ExerciseIn your 2 minute presentation ?
explain which scene you are rewriting ? explain
which element in the scene you are changing ?
explain how this change alters the meaning of
the whole scene Try also to point out ? from
which paradigm you have made a new selection ?
what the syntagm is here
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Semiotics and Meaning? behind every choice
are all the choices you didnt make? the
meaning of a message (syntagm) depends on how
it differs from all others Any Questions?
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Environment StrandVisual and Acoustic Space
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Introduction ? McLuhan on writing and
printing? two media which create new
environments ? key terms visual space,
acoustic space
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McLuhan on Writing? invention of writing
changes culture, society and individuals?
creates a new environment? move us from acoustic
space to visual space
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Visual Space? the stuff around objects? eye
focuses on objects abstracts object from
surroundings? space is what is between objects
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Acoustic Space? how can you have acoustic
space?? consider hearing ? we are immersed in
sound We cannot bid the ear be still ?
attention/focus unimportant ? orientation
unimportant ? demonstration
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What is Acoustic Space?? a way of thinking
about how we exist in the world? not in
visual but acoustic space ? acoustic space is
immersive inclusive interactive
instantaneous
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Immersive Inclusive? immersive all
around us, perceive it all ? inclusive
youre open to everything youre connected to
everything no boundaries, undefined, unified ?
interactive and instantaneous
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Early Acoustic Space? before writing everyone
exists in acoustic space? focus is on hearing
not sight ? listen, interact, converse (no
reading)? interactive and instantaneous
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Writing and Visual Space? arrival of writing
(4th millennium BC) shift to seeing instead
of listening? solitary reading possible? we
begin to think more visually? move into visual
space
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Printing? 200AD? intensifies this tendency?
handwriting personal? printed book uniform
text, unknown reader? less personal,
interactive
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Evaluation? McLuhan isnt judging just
different environments? writing and printing
encourage individualism, segmentation?
society, i.e. the environment, changes Any
Questions?
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Electronic Media? acoustic space emphasises
immersive, inclusive, interactive,
instantaneous? visual space emphasises
distance, fragmentation, isolation, delay ?
electronic media a return to acoustic space
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Telephone, Radio, Television? telephone
acoustic, interaction? radio acoustic?
television simultaneous broadcast ? cyberspace
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Cyberspace? online technologies ? email?
instant messenger, e.g. MSN? chat rooms?
forums? blogs MySpace ? written but still have
acoustic qualities
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Cyberspace? interactive instantaneous
instant messenger, chat rooms (even websites,
email forums) ? immersive inclusive all
webpages connected (hypertext) worldwide web
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Essence of Cyberspace? is the internet
fundamentally acoustic in nature? ? websites
arent text but data? this can be read or spoken
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Essence of Cyberspace? Dragon
NaturallySpeaking ? Opera browser ? the future
is Star Trek?
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Summary? writing and print shift us from
acoustic to visual space ? acoustic space
immersive, inclusive, interactive,
instantaneous? visual space distance,
fragmentation, isolation, delay ? society and
individuals segment and separate? electronic
communication a return to acoustic space Any
Questions?
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Case Study Brief? Handbook (pp. 10-11)?
Objective explore in detail ? Vehicle Strand
artefact theory e.g. semiotics Daily Mail
cover e.g. genre Simpsons episode ?
Environment Strand medium probe e.g.
extension environment iPod e.g.
visual/acoustic space mobiles
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Case Study Criteria? restriction semiotics
U75100 Human Communication ? Assessment
Criteria (p. 13)? Research (reading)? Writing
(grammar, structure)? Understanding (of
theory/probe)? Application (to artefact/medium)
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Case Study Specification? 1500 words (50)?
references? word-processed ? numbered pages
(not in pockets)? SAE for feedback ? use Cover
Sheet
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Case Study Advice? research not
Wikipedia or encyclopaedias? images? new
examples (not from classes)
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Case Study Help? website weekly pages for
tips? tutorial (Tuesdays Thursdays)? Module
Forum ? Upgrade (p. 15) ? deadline 12.30pm,
Friday 31.10.08 (Week 6)
Refectory postbox (not me)
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Module Forum? key themes sign, semiotics,
paradigm, syntagm acoustic space, visual
space? reply, or start a new topic
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Matrix (1999)Part 2
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Before Next Week? read Ch. 3 of Branston
Stafford on Genres and Other
Classifications? register on the Module Forum