Semiotics - Roland Barthes

    Hello everyone! Today we will be talking about the media theory Semiotics created by Roland Barthes. Semiotics is really the use of signs and symbols and how they set up expectations. For example, if we see a person dressed in camouflage and carrying a weapon, we expect them to be in the military. 

In this post I will be analyzing the opening of Punch-Drunk Love for semiotics.

Sign: The sign is The car crashing and the harmonium placement together. 

Signifier: The signifier is the harmonium, its the physical thing that is being put in front the viewer.

Signified: This signifies that there is going to be something big happening to the characters life.  

Denotative: The harmonium is a mini organ like instrument with bellows.

Connotative: The car crash represents a big, sudden change in the characters life. The harmonium represents music or the calmness of what happens after the event. 

Code: The code is the room we see the character in. It is mostly empty with only a desk and chair, and painted a dull color to show how the character is sad with his life. He feels depressed and lonely. 

The purpose of this extract is to set up the story for the rest of the movie. The empty room, car crash, and harmonium are all pieces of how the characters life is going change over the course of the movie. The character starts out sad and lonely, there is a big event "crashing" into his life, and then he is peaceful and happy with his new life.