22-02-2012 Media Analysis Project 1 | Semiotic Analysis & Feminist Analysis | Ellen Gough |

Part One: Semiotic Analysis
Defining and Explaining Semiotics 1. What is meant by Semiotics?
Semiotics is the science of signs. It helps us better understand how messages are constructed through different media forms like still images, film, television and other works of art. It is the study of social production of meanings using sign systems which helps us understand how certain things come to have certain meanings. Semiotics was developed as a method of analysis by 20th century by linguistic theorists such as Saunders Peirce, Ferdinand de Saussure and Roland Barthes.
According to Saussure, the fundamental unit of meaning was …show more content…

The first is an indication of the damage to the laptop from the drink being split on it: the laptop has crashed and the damage may be irreparable. The second indicates the trouble the little girl in the car will be in when the owner of the laptop (her mother or father no doubt) sees the damage she has inadvertently caused. It’s a warning of trouble, both the trouble the laptop is already in and the trouble the girl will be in soon. It also could be referring to possible danger when driving.
The car is another sign in this ad. Its main meaning is safety: the little girl is safe in the car after damaging the laptop, her parents can’t get at her to give out and/or punish her for it. This gives rise to another meaning, that the VW Polo is a safe car in any situation, and that if it can keep the girl safe in this situation, it’s a safe car on the road too. The car also signifes the kind of people being represented in the ad. It’s a small car, not very fast and conservative looking, but still with a bit of class, the kind of car driven by middle class/ upper-middle class people.
The girl herself adds to this representation of the people in the ad. She’s young, between the ages of three and six possibly, indicating that her parents are probably young professionals just staring a family. The laptop as well is another sign of this, it’s new enough, and it could indicate that whoever owns it works from home. So we have our representation of an