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April 1998, Week 3

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Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
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From:
Michael Gant <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 21 Apr 1998 13:50:13 +0100
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Leona
 
I think one of the problems you are going to have with trying to use
semiotics for this type of analysis is that semiotics tends to produce
rather transhistorical readings.  The situation you will be in using
semiotics will be that of taking a film as a historical artefact and then
subjecting it to an analytical method which treats it as if it can be read
as having some essential, universal meaning.
 
This problem is one I am very interested in as it is one I have to find a
way of overcoming in my own work.  I have found some interesting ideas in
Sean Nixon's book "Hard Looks" where he adopts Foucault's ideas about the
discursive formation of subjectivity to produce a reading of men's
fashion magazines which is rather more sensitive to historical context
than a semiotic account would have been.  You might also find Janet
Staiger's book on interpreting historical audiences (I think it's called
"Interpreting Audiences") useful.  I have also been wondering about the
potential of using Barthes' ideas in his "S/Z" phase to illustrate the
potential openness of the text to a wide range of readings and then
attempting to position those readings within a wider discursive formation
using other forms such as magazines, but I haven't fully thought the
implications of this through and I think there may be problems with trying
to do this.
 
I'd be interested to know what ideas you come up with and what other list
members might think.
 
Mike
 
Mike Chopra-Gant
Media and Communications Department
Goldsmiths College
University of London
 
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On Fri, 17 Apr 1998, Leona Geudens wrote:
 
> Dear List-members,
>
> I wish to prove that film can show the ideas that live in society at a certain
 moment of time. I am not thinking about propaganda films, but just of ordinary
 fiction films, that reflect in a subtle way the culture of viewers.
> What do you feel are the most important theories/ academic views that could
 help me prove this theory ? Maybe there are also websites at the internet that
 could help out ?
>
> A semiotic method seems the best way to analyse these films, which I consider
 to be true historical data. Does anybody know of other methods ?
>
> If you take it to be so that films are a mirror to and of a nation, you wonder
 whether it wouldn't be possible to use film to create a more international or
 universal union ? Of course this might just remain a philosophy. You either
 need a lot of power or a lot of money to be able to influence the products of
 the film, but this could be an interesting topic for just discussion. It is a
 fact that American films often show this type of stories where people are
 willing to fight and die for uncle Sam and are always proud to be an American
 citizen. European films just portray our ideas of regionalism and
 individualism, so you can wonder if we cannot become a truely United States of
 Europe, if you transfer the principles of most American films ?!
>
> Leona Geudens
> [log in to unmask]
>
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