Visual Semiotics and its Limitations in a Methodological Study of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land (2016)

Abstract

Aim: The paper examines the prevalence of C. S. Peirce’s semiotics in the analysis of visual-based communication models, with a specific focus on film color systems.  In the study of film colors through the semiotics of Peirce, the paper wishes to achieve two overarching objectives. It demonstrates the challenges in the application of Peirce’s triadic sign system of icon, index, and symbol to film color. The paper strives to express the nuanced elusiveness of the systems of film color and its defiance of being categorized through a conventional set of meanings.

Methodology: The argument employs a multifaceted methodology that combines aspects of semiotics, film theory, visual hermeneutics, initiating a closely led interrogation of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land (2016) as the primary text. The theoretical model revolves around the triadic system of Peirce – consisting of the Icon, Index and Symbol for the reading of the film, and observe its limitations as a by-product.

Outcome: The primary outcomes of the paper are derived through the mapping of Peirce’s semiotics, which do not always transpose directly upon film. Furthermore, it depicts the challenges in attesting color schemes such as warm-cool colors and complementary colors as conventional symbols, as their origins lie in index signs.

Conclusion: The argument references various films that meet the given conditions to illustrate the layered semiotic dynamics of film color. The paper highlights the solidity of Pierce’s semiotics for visual analysis. Simultaneously, it interrogates the susceptibility of color to be neatly categorized under this framework and questions the practical applicability of semiotics in tackling visual narratives.