Semiotic Analysis Of The Film Posters Of The Mummy And The Mummy Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor.
ABSTRACT
Dalam skripsi ini, saya menganalisis dua buah poster film petualangan, yaitu The Mummy dan The Mummy Tomb of The Dragon Emperor dengan menggunakan teori Semiotik (Ilmu Tanda). Topik ini bermanfaat karena dapat membantu kita untuk mengerti pesan dalam sebuah poster film.
Dalam menganalisis poster ini saya menggunakan dua buah teori Semiotik untuk mendukung analisis saya, yaitu teori Semiotik yang diformulasikan oleh Ferdinand de Saussure tentang signifier dan signified. Selain itu, saya juga menggunakan teori dari Roland Barthes yang mengaplikasikan teori Semiotik Saussure dengan menambahkan unsur mitos, yang terdiri dari dua sistem yang dinamakan first order dan second order. Saya juga menggunakan teori orientalisme dan teori Kress dan van Leeuwen sebagai teori pendukung.
Dalam menganalisis poster film ini, saya menemukan bahwa elemen semiotik di dalam poster film ini terbagi menjadi dua bagian, yaitu teks dan gambar. Kedua data yang saya gunakan mempunyai teks yang sama, yang ternyata adalah judul dari kedua film itu. Saya juga menemukan bahwa kedua data tersebut memiliki elemen gambar yang sama, yaitu adanya tokoh orang Barat, tokoh mumi dan latar belakang tempat.
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Setelah menganalisis elemen-elemen semiotik tesebut, saya menemukan mitos yang sama yang menghubungkan kedua data tersebut, yaitu bahwa orang Barat direpresentasikan lebih unggul daripada orang Timur.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS...i
ABSTRACT ... ii
CHAPTER ONE : INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study... 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem ... 3
1.3 Purpose of the Study ... 4
1.4 Method of Research ... 4
1.5 Organization of the Thesis ... 4
CHAPTER TWO : THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 Saussuran Model ... 6
2.2 Barthes’s Theory ... 7
2.3 Orientalism Theory ... 9
2.4 Kress and van Leeuwen Theory ... 10
CHAPTER THREE: SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF THE POSTERS OF THE MUMMY AND THE MUMMY TOMB OF DRAGON EMPEROR ... 12
CHAPTER FOUR : CONCLUSION ... 33
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 37
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
As social creatures we need to communicate with one another in our society. It goes without saying that we need language to speak with other people. Language is important in our life. It is because we use language as the communication system. By means of language, we express our thoughts, imagination, feelings and creativity. This is in accordance with the argument of Saussure, a Swiss linguist who states that language is ‘the most important of all of the systems of signs’ (Saussure 15).
In correlation between language and Semiotics, Saussure argues that ‘nothing is more appropriate than the study of languages to bring out the nature of the semiological problem’ (Saussure 16). Aside from Saussure, another linguist named Claude-Levi Strauss notes that ‘language is the semiotic system par
excellence it cannot but signify, and exists only through signification’ (Chandler 9).
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Nowadays people use technology as a way to support language as the communication system. By using technology, we can more easily express our creativity and imagination to reach our purposes.
One way of using technology is in visual signs such as radio, television, films, novels, newspapers, advertisements, pamphlets, magazines, books, photographs, and posters. People use technology, especially visual signs which contain some pictures with a special meaning to express their messages through the signs in the illustrative pictures.
What we routinely refer to as ‘signs’ in everyday life is such signs as road signs, pub signs and star signs (Chandler 1). The signs which are around us can be analyzed in semiotics as it includes the study of all these. Semiotics is ‘the study of signs’ (Chandler 1). Semiotics is not a thing and a name, but a concept and a sound image (Saussure 66). Therefore, the signs can also be visual signs, drawings, paintings, photographs, words, sound and body language (Chandler 1). This thesis is concerned with one of the visual signs, namely a film poster. A film poster can convey the ideology of the film maker to the audience. In my opinion, it is important for us to discuss the hidden meaning of the pictures in the poster by making a semiotic analysis.
Analyzing film posters is interesting because when we pay attention to a film poster, we can understand the main idea of the film. People usually take a look at the film poster before deciding to watch a film. The pictures in a film poster usually depict the story of the film. There are a number of semiotic elements worth analyzing in the poster of an adventure film such as how the excitement of the adventure is clearly and interestingly illustrated in the poster.
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I take the data from the posters of two adventure films which I find appropriate for my research. I use the posters of The Mummy film series entitled The Mummy and The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. I choose those films because they have the same myth, which can be seen from the historical background and the cultural background. In addition, those films are about the battle between good and evil in Hollywood movies.
The significance of this topic is that it can enable people to understand the message of the film by analyzing its poster. The audience can imagine the story and the ideology of the adventure film before deciding to watch the film. It will also enable the film maker to communicate with the audience better and to explain as well as inform the main story of a film simply by looking at the film poster. The research in this thesis deals with linguistics, particularly semiotics. The main semiotic theories that I use in this research are the theories by Ferdinand de Saussure, who creates the two-part model of the sign and those by Roland Barthes, who focuses on the model of signs using myth as a semiological system of sign. Besides, I also use the theory of Kress and van Leeuwen as well as Said’s Orientalism to support the semiotic analysis of the two posters.
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1.2 Statement of the Problem
In this thesis the problems analyzed are formulated as follows:
1. What semiotic elements are found in the posters of the films The Mummy and The Mummy Tomb of the DragonEmperor ?
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1.3 Purpose of the Study
This research is conducted:
1. to find the semiotic elements in the posters of the films The Mummy and The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
2. to analyze the myth applied in the film posters.
1.4 Method of Research
In writing this thesis, first I choose a significant topic to analyze. Afterwards, I find the references in the library and browse the Internet to enrich my knowledge about semiotics. I choose the adventure film posters for my data. After that I analyze the film posters. In the end, I write the research report.
1.5 Organization of the Thesis
This thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter One is Introduction, which consists of Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method of Research, and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the presentation of the theories which are put forward by Ferdinand de Saussure and Roland Barthes, and which are used to analyze the data in Chapter Three. Chapter Three contains the analysis of the data. Finally, Chapter Four is Conclusion, which is followed by Bibliography and Appendix.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
In this chapter, I would like to draw a conclusion based on the findings I have in Chapter Three concerning the semiotic elements found in the film posters The Mummy and The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and the myth applied in the film posters.
The semiotic elements found in the film posters can be divided into two parts, namely text and image. Both of the data I use have the text in the form of the titles of the films, The Mummy and The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. These titles are illustrated in a similar way in the posters. They are placed at the top and in the central position. They are also capitalized, which means that the text is very important in those film posters. Moreover, the letter “M” in the middle of the word Mummy in both posters is glowing, which creates a stronger impression of the mummy figures. This also gives me the clue that the mummy figures are important characters in both films. Seeing that both titles are similar in shape, I am of the opinion that the two films are sequels.
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Another semiotic element in the film posters is the image. When I analyze the data in Chapter Three, I find that both of the data I use have the same elements. They have the Western people, the mummy and the setting, which I think have some similarities as well.
The position of the Western people in both the data is the same; they are placed on the left, which means that they are the context of the story and they are also the important characters in these films. On the other hand, the figures of the mummies in both film posters are always placed on the top and in the central position, which is the focus of attention. This shows that the mummies are the important characters in the two films. It is also supported by the fact that the pictures of the mummies refer to the characters who have considerable power to fight against the Western people. If we see the image of how those mummies are illustrated, I think it can be concluded that the mummies are the bad or the virulent figures.
I think the portrayal of the evilness of the mummy in the second data is more obvious than that in the first data. It can be seen from the fact that the number of signifiers of the second data referring to the portrayal of the evilness of the mummy is greater than in the first data. The signifiers in the second data referring to the portrayal of the evilness of the mummy are the cracking nose, the cheek, the lower jaw and the teeth. So, there are four elements of the signifiers which show the portrayal of the evil mummy in the second data. On the other hand, the portrayal of the evilness of the mummy in the first data is just shown from two signifiers, the eyes and the mouth.
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The last image found in the posters is the setting. Both posters suggest that the battle is the main story of both films because both the film posters have the setting which shows the battlefield of the Western people and the mummies. When I compare the signifiers of the two battlefields, I find that they have the same signifiers which support the battlefield situation. Those are the soldiers, the fire blasts, and the smoke. Based on the explanation in Chapter Three, the signifiers give a clear impression of the condition in the battlefield.
However, I also find the differences between the two battlefields. It is clear that in the first data the location is in Egypt and it can be seen from the signifiers of the pyramids and the desert. In the second data the location is not so obvious. It may be in China and it may be in other places because I cannot find the Chinese-style buildings or other Chinese-related elements which can support the interpretation that the setting in the second data is in China. The opinion that the setting is in China is concluded from the interpretation of other signifiers, such as the title and the Eastern man in a dragon emperor armor. Therefore, I think the location of the first data is clearer than the second data.
The image of the Eastern man only appears in the second data and the Eastern man is actually a Chinese dragon emperor. The position is on the right-hand side, which means that he is the main character of the story. I think his figure is also important in this film poster. The figure of the Eastern man in the second data helps me to find the relationship between the Eastern man and the mummy. This signifier is also important to figure out the myth applied in this film poster. Thus, I think it is easier to find the myth applied in the second data than the first one.
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The next concluding point concerns the myth applied in the film posters. After I have analyzed the signifiers and the signifieds in the first and second orders, I find the same myth, which is the West is always superior to the East. In my opinion, this is due to the fact that the two films are produced by the same producers. It suggests that these films have the same Western mindset.
In my opinion, the myth in the second data is clearer. Here the Chinese mummy is a royal person, not just a common person. He is illustrated as the Great Dragon Emperor, but he is made and illustrated as a bad person with great power. Moreover, this emperor can be defeated by a common Western man who is actually weaker and less powerful than him. Hence, this condition clearly shows the myth that the West is superior to the East.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
References:
Barthes, R. Mythologies. New York : The Noonday Press, 1991. Chandler, D. Semiotics : the Basic. London : Routledge, 2004.
Eco, U. Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language. Hampshire: The Macmillan Press Ltd.,1985.
Kress, Gunther and Theo van Leeuwen. Reading Images the Grammar of Visual Design. New York : Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
Said, Edward. Orientalism.New York:Vintage Books, 1994.
Saussure, F. Course in General Linguistics. Trans. Roy Harris. London : Duckworth,1916-1983.
Websites:
Ancient Egypt. “Egyptian Mummy Facts”. 25 September 2010.http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egypt-mummies.html
Baglole, Joel. “F/A-18 Hornet Fighter Jet”. A part of the New York Times Company.2011.23 June 2011.http://usmilitary.about.com/od/fighter/a/f18.html Chinese Armor. “Chinese Armor Dingjia Brigandine”. Chinese Swords Guide. 25 February 2011. http:/www.chinese-swords-guide.com/Chinese-armor.html
Dragon Swamp. “Chinese Dragon”.2009. Creature Swamp. 25 February 2011. http://dragonswamp.com/fantasy/Chinese/php
Fang Wei, Li. “Ancient Chinese Mummy”. 31 October 2005. 25 February 2011. China Empire. http://china-empire.blogspot.com/2005/10/ancient-chinese-mummy.html
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IMDB.com: The Mummy Tomb of Dragon Emperor. IMDB Production. 11 November 2009. http://www.imdb.com.title/tt120547/
IMDB.com: The Mummy. IMDB Production. 7 May 1999. 15 November 2009. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120616
Manning, Sue. “Unwrapping Secrets of Chinese Mummies” The Associated Press.
28 March 2010. 27 February 2011.
http://www.dailynews/lalife/ci_14769963?source=rss
McClatchy. “Mummies Found in China Shed Some of Their Political Sensitivity”. Tribune News Service. 27 February 2011. http://www.boluderweekly.com/article-3636-mummies-found-in-china-shed-some-of-their-political-sensitivity.html Orcutt, Larry. “Why were the Pyramids Built”. Catchpenny Mysteries. 2006. 25 September 2010. http://www.catchpenny.org/whybuilt.html
Rottgering, Jeroen. “Who were the most uncivilized and the most civilized
people.” Historium. 5 May 2011. 22 June 2011.
http://www.historum.com/general-history/24315-who-were-most-uncivilized-most-civilized-people-2.html
Singh, Amardeep. “An Introduction to Edward Said, Orientalism and Poscolonial literary. 24 September 2004. 26 September
2010.http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2004/09/introduction-to-edward-said.html The Telfort. “Death and the Afterlife”. 26 September 2010. http://www.the-telfords.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/egypt/afterlife.html
Umich. “What are Mummies”. 27 September 2010. http://www2.si.umich.edu/chico/
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
In this chapter, I would like to draw a conclusion based on the findings I have in Chapter Three concerning the semiotic elements found in the film posters The Mummy and The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and the myth applied in the film posters.
The semiotic elements found in the film posters can be divided into two parts, namely text and image. Both of the data I use have the text in the form of the titles of the films, The Mummy and The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. These titles are illustrated in a similar way in the posters. They are placed at the top and in the central position. They are also capitalized, which means that the text is very important in those film posters. Moreover, the letter
“M” in the middle of the word Mummy in both posters is glowing, which creates a stronger impression of the mummy figures. This also gives me the clue that the mummy figures are important characters in both films. Seeing that both titles are similar in shape, I am of the opinion that the two films are sequels.
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Another semiotic element in the film posters is the image. When I analyze the data in Chapter Three, I find that both of the data I use have the same elements. They have the Western people, the mummy and the setting, which I think have some similarities as well.
The position of the Western people in both the data is the same; they are placed on the left, which means that they are the context of the story and they are also the important characters in these films. On the other hand, the figures of the mummies in both film posters are always placed on the top and in the central position, which is the focus of attention. This shows that the mummies are the important characters in the two films. It is also supported by the fact that the pictures of the mummies refer to the characters who have considerable power to fight against the Western people. If we see the image of how those mummies are illustrated, I think it can be concluded that the mummies are the bad or the virulent figures.
I think the portrayal of the evilness of the mummy in the second data is more obvious than that in the first data. It can be seen from the fact that the number of signifiers of the second data referring to the portrayal of the evilness of the mummy is greater than in the first data. The signifiers in the second data referring to the portrayal of the evilness of the mummy are the cracking nose, the cheek, the lower jaw and the teeth. So, there are four elements of the signifiers which show the portrayal of the evil mummy in the second data. On the other hand, the portrayal of the evilness of the mummy in the first data is just shown from two signifiers, the eyes and the mouth.
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The last image found in the posters is the setting. Both posters suggest that the battle is the main story of both films because both the film posters have the setting which shows the battlefield of the Western people and the mummies. When I compare the signifiers of the two battlefields, I find that they have the same signifiers which support the battlefield situation. Those are the soldiers, the fire blasts, and the smoke. Based on the explanation in Chapter Three, the signifiers give a clear impression of the condition in the battlefield.
However, I also find the differences between the two battlefields. It is clear that in the first data the location is in Egypt and it can be seen from the signifiers of the pyramids and the desert. In the second data the location is not so obvious. It may be in China and it may be in other places because I cannot find the Chinese-style buildings or other Chinese-related elements which can support the interpretation that the setting in the second data is in China. The opinion that the setting is in China is concluded from the interpretation of other signifiers, such as the title and the Eastern man in a dragon emperor armor. Therefore, I think the location of the first data is clearer than the second data.
The image of the Eastern man only appears in the second data and the Eastern man is actually a Chinese dragon emperor. The position is on the right-hand side, which means that he is the main character of the story. I think his figure is also important in this film poster. The figure of the Eastern man in the second data helps me to find the relationship between the Eastern man and the mummy. This signifier is also important to figure out the myth applied in this film poster. Thus, I think it is easier to find the myth applied in the second data than the first
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The next concluding point concerns the myth applied in the film posters. After I have analyzed the signifiers and the signifieds in the first and second orders, I find the same myth, which is the West is always superior to the East. In my opinion, this is due to the fact that the two films are produced by the same producers. It suggests that these films have the same Western mindset.
In my opinion, the myth in the second data is clearer. Here the Chinese mummy is a royal person, not just a common person. He is illustrated as the Great Dragon Emperor, but he is made and illustrated as a bad person with great power. Moreover, this emperor can be defeated by a common Western man who is actually weaker and less powerful than him. Hence, this condition clearly shows the myth that the West is superior to the East.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
References:
Barthes, R. Mythologies. New York : The Noonday Press, 1991. Chandler, D. Semiotics : the Basic. London : Routledge, 2004.
Eco, U. Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language. Hampshire: The Macmillan Press Ltd.,1985.
Kress, Gunther and Theo van Leeuwen. Reading Images the Grammar of Visual Design. New York : Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
Said, Edward. Orientalism.New York:Vintage Books, 1994.
Saussure, F. Course in General Linguistics. Trans. Roy Harris. London : Duckworth,1916-1983.
Websites:
Ancient Egypt. “Egyptian Mummy Facts”. 25 September 2010.http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egypt-mummies.html
Baglole, Joel. “F/A-18 Hornet Fighter Jet”. A part of the New York Times Company.2011.23 June 2011.http://usmilitary.about.com/od/fighter/a/f18.html Chinese Armor. “Chinese Armor Dingjia Brigandine”. Chinese Swords Guide. 25 February 2011. http:/www.chinese-swords-guide.com/Chinese-armor.html
Dragon Swamp. “Chinese Dragon”.2009. Creature Swamp. 25 February 2011. http://dragonswamp.com/fantasy/Chinese/php
Fang Wei, Li. “Ancient Chinese Mummy”. 31 October 2005. 25 February 2011. China Empire. http://china-empire.blogspot.com/2005/10/ancient-chinese-mummy.html
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IMDB.com: The Mummy Tomb of Dragon Emperor. IMDB Production. 11 November 2009. http://www.imdb.com.title/tt120547/
IMDB.com: The Mummy. IMDB Production. 7 May 1999. 15 November 2009. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120616
Manning, Sue. “Unwrapping Secrets of Chinese Mummies” The Associated Press.
28 March 2010. 27 February 2011.
http://www.dailynews/lalife/ci_14769963?source=rss
McClatchy. “Mummies Found in China Shed Some of Their Political Sensitivity”. Tribune News Service. 27 February 2011. http://www.boluderweekly.com/article-3636-mummies-found-in-china-shed-some-of-their-political-sensitivity.html Orcutt, Larry. “Why were the Pyramids Built”. Catchpenny Mysteries. 2006. 25 September 2010. http://www.catchpenny.org/whybuilt.html
Rottgering, Jeroen. “Who were the most uncivilized and the most civilized
people.” Historium. 5 May 2011. 22 June 2011.
http://www.historum.com/general-history/24315-who-were-most-uncivilized-most-civilized-people-2.html
Singh, Amardeep. “An Introduction to Edward Said, Orientalism and Poscolonial literary. 24 September 2004. 26 September
2010.http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2004/09/introduction-to-edward-said.html The Telfort. “Death and the Afterlife”. 26 September 2010. http://www.the-telfords.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/egypt/afterlife.html
Umich. “What are Mummies”. 27 September 2010. http://www2.si.umich.edu/chico/