media language theories

Question 1

Semiotics - Roland Bartes

Answer 1

Texts communicate their meanings through a process of signification
Signs function at a level of denotation (literal)
Signs also function at a level of connotation (implied)

Question 2

Structuralism - Claude Levi Strauss

Answer 2

Narratives are driven by pairs of binary opposition
The way they’re solved can hold ideological significance

Question 3

Narratology - Tzvetan Todorov

Answer 3

All narratives share a basic structure that involves moving from one state of equilibrium to another
These states of equilibrium are separated by periods of imbalance
The way this is resolved can hold ideological significance

Question 4

Genre Theory - Steve Neale

Answer 4

All genres abide by a set of codes and conventions
They are established by repetition, variation and difference over a long period of time