How to analyse media texts

Analysing Texts:

Semiotic Deconstruction

Thursday, 9 April 2009

Analysing Texts

As the adjacent syllabus extract makes clear, your terrifyingly-imminent exam requires that you be able to pick apart a pretty wide variety of different media texts.

So, today we’re going to do just that. But what does ‘picking apart’ a text involve?

Media texts have become very complex things, filled with codes and signs designed to get certain information across to us quickly, often without us realising. When we pick a text apart, we are ‘deconstructing’ these codes, identifying the individual messages that work together to create certain effects.

This process is often referred to a ‘semiotic analysis’: semiotics is the study of signs.

Analysing Texts: Semiotics

Take this advert for example.

There are a ton of messages being conveyed here, that you have to get used to finding and commenting upon:

The girl herself is attractive and well-dressed, connoting wealth, sophistication and social success

The logo directly represents the tail of the plane

The kissing couple links the brand with romance and passion

The stylish shoes reinforce the association with sophistication and a high-class clientele

All of the cities mentioned here are ‘cool’ cities, which the brand is attempting to associate with

The headline pun links the flight with beauty

The colours and lighting evoke a neon nightlife - clubs, bars, etc.

The imperative ‘this is’ assumes an air of authority

The italicised text suggests movement

The font is modern and stylish - like the airline, we assume

The icon reminds us of the product being sold, the red linking both to the Virgin brand and to ideas of passion and sex

Pretty much any media text can be analysed and deconstructed in this way - you need to get used to identifying the meanings behind all of the different elements, and considering alternative interpretations.

Your task, then, is to do exactly that: ten texts, from a variety of different media forms, for you to semiotically assess as a group. Simply annotate every significant element, attempting to find a ‘meaning’ behind each.

Simply annotate every significant element, attempting to find a ‘meaning’ behind each.

That means:

- Colours

- Fonts

- Images (every aspect of them!)

- Logos/Icons

- Text/Language Devices

Analysing Texts: Representations

You’ll have noticed whilst you were doing that that each text was labelled with a different area of representation, in line with the syllabus requirements.

As a group, discuss how each text is presenting the group specified, and consider the messages being conveyed.

Some are more complex than others, but try to say as much as you can.

So anyway, about this film poster...

How to analyse media texts

Documents

911 Analyse Media 911

Theorie en Analyse van Audiovisuele Media 2

Junior Course Guide · Literacy Enrichment Program ... Students understand how media texts use text and language features to persuade readers. They analyse persuasion in media texts

Theorie en Analyse Audiovisuele media: Atonement

Media texts

Media Studies Creating Media Texts: Crabbe Missing Poster

MS1: Media Representations & Responses Learning Objective: To use media terminology to analyse texts, evaluating how meanings and responses are created

IBM Social Media Analyse 2012

Media Texts & Society Values

Real Media Texts Investigation

Analyse Online- en Social Media Activiteiten

Re:publica2012 Social Media Buzz Analyse #p12

Question one media ancillary texts

Media and Communication Texts Storyboard

Lesson 3 - Analysing Media Texts

Examples of other media texts

Real Media Texts A2

Untitled-1 [] · Album Cover Artwork with Decorative Patterns Create an ... - Genre Analysis - Ideological Criticism - Discourse Analysis Assignments Analyse Media Texts ... Semiotic

Real Media Texts

English Level 2 Evaluating texts - Wales Essential Skills...English Level 2 Evaluating texts Functional Skills Level 2 (Analyse texts in relation to audience needs and consider suitable