MULTI-SEMIOTIC FEATURES OF FILM DISCOURSE

Аннотация

Cinematography is one of the most influential means of mass communication. This unique cultural phenomenon is characterised by rapid development, global distribution and impact on the audience worldwide. Being a complex multi-semiotic formation, film discourse consists of systems of signs that form a certain hierarchy. In this article, multi-semiotic nature of film discourse will be analyzed and clarified with bright examples. Key words: multi-semiotic nature, semiosphere, synergetic feature, film semiotics, sign system, index, film frame, Cinematographic code, onomatopoeia, protagonist. Film discourse is a symbol system that seems to arise from the interplay between different discourses in the semiosphere and texts in the discourse sphere. It refers to the analysis, discussion, and interpretation of films as a form of communication and art. In other words, it can represent the things that are illustrated in the literary discourse by showing another linguistic layer in a different way. It involves examining how films convey meaning, emotions, and messages through visual, audio, and narrative elements. Film discourse is a vivid example of synthesis of different types of signs in a common semantic, functional and structural sphere. The combination of simple signs produces complex signs of the first order which, in turn, form even more complicated signs of the second order (Mechkovskaya, 2017). Film discourse encompasses a wide range of approaches, including formal analysis of film techniques, critical analysis of themes and representations, and cultural analysis of how films reflect and shape societal norms and values. Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and how they are used to convey meaning. When applied to film discourse, semiotics looks at how the visual, auditory, and narrative elements of a film work together to create meaning for the viewer. Here are some key concepts in the semiotics of film discourse. In film, signs and symbols are used to communicate meaning to the audience. Signs can be anything that stands for or represents something else, such as an object, gesture, color, or sound. Symbols are signs that have a specific 20 ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference cultural or conventional meaning. Semiotics examines how signs and symbols in film are arranged and combined to create layers of meaning for the viewer. Iconicity refers to the resemblance between a sign and what it represents. For example, a close-up of a character's face in distress is an iconic sign of sadness. Indexicality refers to signs that have a causal or correlational relationship with what they represent. For example, smoke is an indexical sign of fire. In film, these concepts are used to create visual and auditory cues that guide the viewer's interpretation of the narrative. Film relies on various codes and conventions to convey meaning to the audience. These codes include visual codes (such as lighting, framing, and composition), auditory codes (such as sound effects and music), and narrative codes (such as editing, continuity, and genre conventions). Semiotics helps analyze how these codes are used in film to create specific meanings and evoke particular emotional responses. Intertextuality refers to the ways in which texts refer to, quote, or mimic other texts. In film, intertextuality can involve references to other films, genres, or cultural texts. Semiotics helps analyze how these references shape the viewer's interpretation of the film and contribute to its overall meaning. Polysemy is the idea that signs and symbols can have multiple, layered meanings. In film, different viewers may interpret the same sign or symbol in different ways based on their personal experiences, cultural background, and knowledge of film conventions. Semiotics helps uncover the diverse meanings that can be generated by a single image or scene in a film. Multi-semiotic and synergetic features of film discourse are studied by film semiotics – an approach in which the film is viewed as a ‘specific sign system or set of sign systems.’ Film semiotics is based on structural linguistics, poetics, ethnology and is a consistent approach to the description of linguistic, visual and other means that affect the viewer’s perception of a film. Film discourse is an open, multi-semiotic system that is harder to characterize than any stable system, whose changes over an extended period of time are negligible. An endless supply of visuals, or iconic signs, that may be combined in numerous ways with other signals to convey the open-ended character of film discourse. According to Mitry (2000), images do not always have explicit meanings, and their role is not limited to expressing one and the same meaning every time. In addition, the openness of film discourse is connected with its multimedia character (which allows the viewer to individually determine the strategy of perception) and with the operation of many codes