1. Roland Barthes' Semiotic
Theory
I am going to be talking about:
The 5 different codes of Roland Barthes semiotic theory and how to tell the difference between them.
-leyara

2. Cultural codes:
- Cultural codes is a part of a media product which could be in the form of clothing ,music ,symbols that an audience
will only come to understand of if they are a part of the set culture ,ethnicity ,country ,gender or age group that the
product/video is aimed at or presenting.
- An example of this in Beyonce's "formation" music video where only
people who know of the historical culture of black people in America
may only understand this reference of clothing in the music video.
- Roland Barthes argues that using cultural codes such as this is a good way of engaging and
targeting audiences as they will see themselves being represented which will make them
want to buy or watch whatever is being advertised to them as they feel a sense of
relatability and representation.
- However, Some could say using cultural codes limits your target audience as you are only targeting your
product/video to a certain group of people, meaning you are excluding the chance of making huge profit as not
everyone will feel inclined to buy/watch your product

3. Hermeneutic/Enigma code
-The word enigma means mystery; therefore, the enigma code refers to any "mysterious" part of a media text which
influences the audience/reader to want to find out more about the product due to curiosity.
An example of the use of the enigma code is in this 1950's tide advert, on the side of the
advertisement it states, "tides got what women want!" The enigma of 'what women want' re-
enforces Roland Barthes theory as it makes women curious as to what tide has to offer
which piques the readers interest, influencing them to buy the product to find out what
makes it so special.
Enigma code used here too.

4. Semantic codes
- Semantic codes are seen in media products which have a hidden meaning. For example, with horror movie film
posters you see a repetition of the colour red which signifies danger, giving the viewer an idea of the genre and
narration of the film that they are about to watch.
This whole poster adheres to the semantic code theory as the main
image in the poster could be symbolic and show the meaning that the
character will be 'broken' or go 'insane' later on in the film due to the
crack in her face.

5. Paoiretic/action codes
- Paoiretic codes are elements of media products which signify something is going to happen as a result of the prop/action that
is being shown.
For example, here is a photo of a woman pulling a gun
out of her bag. The action code here is that someone
may get hurt in result of this gun or there is some
criminal activity going on.

6. Symbolic codes
Symbolic codes are arguably the easiest part of Roland Barthes theory as they are seen everywhere in all media products and
are quite easy to spot. This theory just means that symbols connote meaning for the consumers, which helps them identify
media products quickly as they become easily understood.
heart connotes love and romance
bunnies symbolize easter
symbolizes anger
romance/gifts