The de-construction of image, text and sound in audio/visual communication: a semiotic analysis of specific cultural examples

Abstract

[Abstract] The aim of this paper is to present how multiple layers of meaning are constructed, coexist and interrelate between image, text and sound using specific audio/visual communication examples. It will investigate this triangular relationship through a semiotic analysis of specific film stills from Alfred Hitchcock (1960) Psycho, Krzysztof Kieslowski (1993) Three colors-Blue and of selected work from a poster exhibition themed Walking-27 graphistes de Europe that took place at Paris airports in the summer of 2008 and was organized by CultureFrance. The paper will also explore how these three elements are structured to portray connotative meanings and investigate how this overlapping influences interpretation. The paradigms of film stills and posters are drawn as samples to suggest a platform for semiotic analysis. When meaning is decoded, it usually exposes various hidden intentions of the designer/producer. This revelation contributes towards a conceptual communication, which is often intertextual; it does not only intrigue the curiosity of viewers for other possible interpretations, but it also enhances, broadens perception and rises the level of creativity in audio/ visual communication. In Hitchcock’s film the text eroika/hero on vinyl is analysed in relationship with image and sound, and similarly in Kieslowski’s film, a background sign text au revoir a bientot/we meet again. In the case of posters, specific images (iconic or symbolic), will be analysed in relationship with the airport sounds, texts used or heard randomly in the specific environment