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Semiotic Analyze of "Lost in Translation" -

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What some believe to be called „power of cinema” is, according to Peter Wollen, aesthetic richness and it originates from simple fact of all three demensions of a sign: iconic, indexical and symbolic are being used (Wollen, 1998, p. 83). In this work, whereby I make a semiotic analysis of a still scene taken from film „Lost in Translation” (Sofia Copolla, 2003), I will explain notion of this classification, and, using Roland Barthes's model, show layers of denotation and conotation, explicitly pointing out compotents of a sign – signifiers and signifieds. Concepts of denotation and conotation as layers of meaning are described by Barthes. Denotation is simply „meaning of the image refering to it's literal, discriptive meaning” and …show more content…

In this case whole picture is an icon of a real life, real situation, it's not a cartoon, but an accurate projection. Second in this triad is an index, „sign by virtue of existential bond between itself and its object”. (ibidem, p. 83). Analyzing the picture, we can make fair assumptions – if the woman is wearing a youth clothing, such as hoodied blouse, and she has no wrinkles, she's probably young, man with wrinkles and receding hair is old. If two sofas are arranged to face each other and, the room is a resteurant or a bar. Third category is a sign, defined as „”contract” by virtue of witch the symbol is a sign, the symbolic sign eludes the individual will” (ibidem, p.83). A smoking dish standing on a table has been a symbol of waiting. Watch, well exposed and shiny on the background of black sweater, symbolizes mans position and luxuriance. Woman with her arms crossed stands for attitude of impatience and both is well known as a hand structure of self-defense (not in a physical, but mental way). Hands are also very intresting in a mans bodylanguage – he's protecting his lower parts of body, like a man who expects a punch in a very sensitive area. Age can be inficated even by the color of hair and clothing, bright for young, dark for elder. Those colours have been also used in the history of cinema for describing the good and the bad characters. In conlucion, viewers are looking on a scene, which is beautifully composed (harmonic structure

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