Semiotics and epistemology of cinema and audiovisual media
The course aims at the in-depth study of the audiovisual mode of communication and expression, with a focus on its relationship with reality. It provides the tools for a critical approach to the mediated nature of audiovisual works, as well as the evaluation of the reliability of audiovisual evidence. It is based on the semiotics of the Saussurean tradition. The course is divided into three sections. The first concerns the levels of handling the audiovisual medium, and has a dimension of familiarization with the phases of creating an audiovisual work, along with the awareness of the way and degree that they shape the meaning of the final work. The second section studies concepts of semiotics, and how they are applied to the audiovisual medium. The last section, synthesizing the knowledge that has preceded it, addresses basic epistemological questions regarding audiovisual media. The course is assessed with two written comprehension exercises during the semester (25% of the final grade each) and a written essay at the end (50% of the final grade).
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to:
Structure of the course (per teaching week):
1/ Introduction to audiovisual communication and expression
2/ The manipulations of the pre-film
3/ The capture of the image
4/ The editing of the image
5/ Capture, editing and mixing of sound
6/ Saussure and the definition of the sign and the meaning
7/ Hjlemlsev and materiality
8/ Jakobson, the cycle of communication and semiotic functions
9/ Metz and the semiotics of cinema
10/ The illusion of reality
11/ The ontology of the photographic image
12/ Fiction and documentary
13/ The ethics of the evidence
Bibliography in the Greek language
