powerpoint on the theory of meaning in media

1. Theory- Meaning
Abigail Long

2. Snake
• Denotation
• A reptile with no limbs, a
short tail and extendable
jaws.
• Connotation
– Cold-blooded, traitor, evil

3. Flag
• Denotation
– A piece of cloth or other
material typically rectangle
or square, attachable by
one edge to a pole or rope
and used as a symbol of a
country, institution or
decoration.
• Connotation
• Patriotical, celebration

4. Gun
• Denotation
– A weapon that shoots
bullets at high speeds,
normally with a loud noise.
• Connotation
– Dangerous, loud,
threatening.

5. Futuristic
because of the
minimalistic
design
Sleek
because of
the
reflection,
and the
shiny look to
all of it.
Scientific
because of
the cool
colors
Makes you think the portals are
linked, and they must do
different things because they
are different colors
Mysterious, because
the blackness makes
you wonder where the
portals lead
Quite puzzling with all the shapes around
The use of a
portal as an
O is very
creative, the
white letters
makes it look
clean, the
capitals
letters makes
it look
professional
and the
portal o
either side of
it makes it
look
symetrical

6. Adorable because
they’re round,
squashy, exited
looking,
Welcoming because they
look harmless and it’s very
bright and colorful
Warm colors
means good,
happy, fun.
Exciting because they look
very excited and alive, with
bright colors that draw
people in
Silly because of
the way they
look, round and
bouncy, very
happy
There are a lot of
pinks, which will
bring more of a
female audience,
but it balances out
with the blue
background.
The slimes
themselves are
not gender
specific, but the
colours might
conotate
genders, pink
and light colours
as girls and blue
and dark colours
as boys

7. Threatening because
of the atmosphere,
and the hand creeping
up at the table to
symbolize death
The drawers are towering
above everything, making
the character seem small
and weak
Warped look with
all of the drawers
towering at odd
angles, makes it
look like they’re
old.
Rotten wallpaper
symbolises that the
place is dank and dirty
Frightening with
everything being tall
and dark, the hand
creeping up in the
darkness and only a
small light to help.
Dark because
everything is
shadowed and
in dark colours,
and the only
illuminated
things are
because if the
light in the
characters hand.

8. Soundtrack
• Clip 1
– It sounds dramatic and action
wise with a dangerous sort
of feel thanks to the fast
paced music.
• Clip 2
– Romantic, happy, welcoming,
perhaps fantasy style, with
bells ringing sweetly.

9. Shining
• The narrator sounded friendly, as did the
music, which sounded lively and happy. Things
were edited together in a happy light, having
positive quotes overrunning the negative
quotes.

10. Scary Mary
• The sound created ambiance, the song that
played throughout was quiet and echoed,
which creates a sense of dread. The wind and
music built the atmosphere and the editing
focused on mostly negative or frightening
things, along with text cards instead of a
narrator which only further builds suspense.

11. Stereotypes
Men
• Lift weights
• Have big muscles
• Play and watch sports
• Eat bacon/drink beer
• Likes violent things
• Does handywork/DIY
• Hero type
Women
• Wear
dresses/makeup
• Take a long time
getting ready
• Cook/clean
• Is sensitive
• Needs saving

12. Stereotypes
Upper Class
• Have a lot of money
• Live in mansions
• Don’t care about the
poor
• Waste money on
unimportant things
• Are very posh/fancy
Working Class
• Have little money
• Live in small flats
• Barely have enough
to survive
• Lazy/unambitious
• Unclean

13. Stereotypes
Old People
• Don’t know how to
use technology
• Still get newspapers
• Hate kids
• Never leaves the
house
• Grouchy all the time
Young People
• Lazy
• Spend too much time
on the internet
• Selfish
• Irresponsible
• Get drunk/high all
the time

14. Iconography- Western
• Cowboys, with Stetsons and spurs on the back
of their shoes
• A sheriff with a big moustache
• Saloon bars
• Lots of horses everywhere
• Duels at dawn
• Small towns that are threatened by bandits

15. Iconography- Sci-Fi
• Lasers
• Aliens
• Space
• Spaceships
• Complicated lingo about spaceships that are hard
to understand
• Strange looking creatures
• Unusual alien languages
• Futuristic technology

16. Iconography- Fantasy
• Dragons
• Knights rescuing princesses
• Warlocks and Sorcerers
• Fairy tales
• Swords
• Kingdoms
• Evil kings

17. Narrative
• Narrative Definition
– A product’s storyline
• Linear Narrative Film Example
– Narrative that stays on one complete timeline,
beginning middle and end.
• Non-Linear Narrative Definition
– Narrative that doesn’t start at the beginning.
• Non-Linear Narrative Film Example
– Inception

18. Clip Analysis
• Costume
– We know who is good through the pale yellow/orange Kanan and Ezra wear, while Darth Vader wears black, along with a black
mask to hide his identity.
• Dialogue
– We know that Darth Vader is evil through some of the things that he says, for example “Your master has deceived you, you
believing you can become a Jedi.
• Props
– The colors of the light sabers help to see who is good and not. For example, Darth Vader uses red, which can mean danger, and
blood, while Kanan and Ezra use blue which can mean peace.
• Lighting
– The heroes are in a situation where they are well lit, while the villain is shrouded in a shadowy blackness most of the time.
• Camerawork
– The camerawork moves around to show the scene in the most dramatic way possible, switching between the heroes fighting the
villains, and other action going on in the background. It will become closer to a character if they are in a perilous situation.
• Editing
– There is a lot of expression in the protagonists faces, to show their struggle, and barely any in the antagonist to show how much
more powerful he is then them, and further make the audience question how the scene will end.
• Music
– The music is very dramatic, starting off light and then becoming darker and more intense when the fight begins, and lightening
up again when they escape.
• Colour
– The colors are mostly dark and grainy, to show the atmosphere they are in is dangerous, and it is lighter colors wherever it is
safe. For example, their ship is mainly light greys and oranges, while the battle place is mainly dark blues and greys.