Convention Of Thrillers
Roland Barthes was French literary theorist who attempted to explain the structure of certain types of stories like thrillers and he also tried to explain how meaning is communicated in media texts. Furthermore he was also a critic and a semiotician.
He was born on the 12th November 1915 and died at 25th March 1980 at the age of 60.
Hermeneutic Code
This is also known as the enigma refers to mystery within a film where clues are dropped but no clear answers are given.There being mystery in a film which avoids telling the truth or revealing all the facts in order to drop clues throughout to create a mystery however no clear answers are given so its based on the audiences own imitations of it.
This would lead to unanswered questions being created and often appearing at the beginning of the story, thus creating a tension that engages the audience.
For example:
At the beginning of the film someone vanishes into thin air for no apparent reason.
Or perhaps a hero appears to be killed at the beginning
Proairetic Code
The way the tension is built up and the audience is left guessing. This can be applied to any action that implies a further narrative action. Suspense is created by action rather than the audiences wishes to have mysteries explained.
For example:
A person is walking down the street and all the audience can do is wonder where they are going
A tile falls off the roof of a building and this may lead this to landing on someones head but we don't know who..
Semantic Code
This is a code which refers or suggest to additional meanings within the story.
It also refers to extra layers of meaning in addition to it literal meaning. This could create tension and suspense within a thriller by the use of connotations of certain thrillers.
For example:
Within our film there is an image of an eye crying which could perhaps suggest the film will contain some elements of unhappiness throughout.
Symbolic Code
This code is about symbolism within the text. It exercises opposites to show contrast and greater meaning also creating tension and drama. It also causes character development through the conflict of ideas. This also shows what is beneath the surface of what we see.
For example:
A character's actions show you how the character is feeling like how someone offers kindness within a film.
Referential Code
This looks at the audiences wider cultural, scientific, historical knowledge. This code refers to a world outside the narrative of the text as it expands the audiences knowledge and creativity as it may not refer to reality itself.
For example:
We know Zombies to be slow and very stupid however a film called '28 days later' changes that perspective
Who is Roland Barthes?
How codes are used in film posters:
