Barthes' Semiotics

Semiotic means the study of language
Roland Barthes argued that verbal language is just one way of communicating. Some of the ways are:
-Clothing
-Hairstyle
-Body Language
-Make-up

He said that that every sign comes from a signifier and a signified. You can not a have a meaningless signifier And there are three parts to every sign.
The signifier- The physical form of the sign, like a word.
The signified- The idea that the signifier produces.
The Referent- The real thing.
Example: signifier- a rose, signified- love

Signifiers are denoted and what is signified is connoted.
Denote- to deconstruct
Connote- to assess

Signifiers can be created through mis en scene- what is on set/on the screen like lighting, music, dialogue etc. There are two types of signifiers:
Objective- put there intentionally to give clues about how to feel or react.
Subjective- not intentionally put there but something that reminds an individual of something in their life or memories from the past.
The ability to pick yup signifiers depends on an audience's experience, emotional capacity and intellect. The less emotionally experienced you are, the less likely you are to pick up the subtle emotional signifiers.