Semiotics Preliminary Exercise 2

Ferdinand de Saussure's Theory of Semiotics 

Another concept introduced in class was Ferdinand de Saussure's Theory of Semiotics. Ferdinand de Saussure's is a swiss linguist who theorized that a sign is made up of two key elements, the signifier and the signified. A signifier is a sign's physical form like sound, printed word, motion, a gesture, event, pattern or image. On the other hand, the signified is the meaning or idea expressed or conveyed by the signifier. For example, a vase of roses can be seen as the signifier, while the idea that love is conveyed through the flowers is the signified part. Ferdinand De Saussure believed that semiotics is a scientific discipline and referred to it differently as semiology. Emphasizing how written or spoken language is the primary form of communication between people, but not the only form.

The Hunger Games Katniss and Peeta Reaping Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3PJ3Du_zDc

To get a developed understanding of Ferdinand De Saussure's theory of Semiotics, my class did a chart examining the characters, costumes, acting, setting, costumes, color, lighting, or audio of a scene from Hunger Games MockingJay. The Hunger Games is a trilogy that takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic nation in North America. The country consists of a wealthy Capital City that rules over twelve lower class districts, and every year two random people are picked from each district to participate in a death match known as Hunger Games. The games are broadcasted across all regions, mainly for the entertainment of the capitol, and rewards the winning survivor and their district with food, supplies, and riches. The scene showed a representative from the capital city, which ruled over 12 colonies, picking two random people from district 12 to participate in a death match game.  The main protagonist in this film is Katniss Everdeen. As her sister is called to be in the hunger games, Katniss Everdeen screams in panic to volunteer in place of her and ultimately saves her life. The signifier being the panicked sound Katniss makes and the signified being an act of love to save her sisters life. The costumes in this scene included citizens wearing bland clothing and the representative from the capitol wearing a red dress. The signifier being the impoverished clothes and luxurious red dress being worn; While, the signified is that the people who wear bland clothing are lower class citizens and the women wearing the red dress is apart of the wealthy population. The color in the scene is gloomy and gray, the signifier being the dimmed lighting of the atmosphere and the signified being a feeling of sadness or pain. These are some of the many examinations of characters, costumes, color, lighting, and etc. in the Hunger Games Mockingjay scene. More can be seen below in the picture.