Image Analysis

In my first week of AS media, I learnt about image analysis, the denotation or connotation of an image. The detonation is what is presented in the image. For example, the denotation of this image, the main subject is a man, a known politician, is photographed in front of an important government building. The building on the background seems to be producing smoke and flames from the roof.

The body language of the man is cross armed and his body is facing the center-left. The colours of the picture have been altered to fit the purpose of the image, the use of the stars represents the American flag. The connotation is the meaning behind the image, for example, the burning government building shows the fall of the economy.

We then learnt about mise-en-scene, the arrangement of the frame and the why the shot is designed in that particular way. For example, the burning building and the reason it is located behind his back, the suit the man is wearing. This is not to be confused with composition, which is what is in the shot. E.g. a man, the use of text and a burning building.

In our first lesson, we also learnt about the type of shot the image is. For example, this image is a mid shot, as its waist up and the main subject takes up ¾ of the image.