Barthes Codes

Bathes theory of enigma codes suggests

that all media represents something which
he split into 5 groups or codes as he called
them.
These are shown as:
The Hermeneutic Code: The Voice of Truth
The Proairetic Code: The Voice of empirics
The Semantic Code: The Voice of the person
The Symbolic Code: The Voice of the symbol
The Cultural Code: The Voice of knowledge
The Hermeneutic Code

This is the voice of the supposed truth which avoids

telling the whole story or the truth. This is so the story
can drop hints throughout the video which keeps the
audience watching until they find out everything.
Application- I will use this code as inspiration but not
as a guide line. I want to reveal parts of the story so
the narrative is clear but not fully tell it to encourage
people to want to watch the film in cinema.
The Proairetic Code
The proairetic, or otherwise known as the enigma code, shows how tension is built up.
Application- I will build tension in several ways. I will predominantly use sounds as a way of
building suspense- i.e.: having drum beats getting faster or heart beats which increase until
it climaxs at the scary part. I will also attempt to do this with lighting and cuts. The scenes
will get darker until it reaches the scary parts and the cuts will get faster in preparation for
them.
The Semantic Code
This is the voice of the person, the code that suggests meaning within all of this.
Application: I will use this similarly to how I will uses the symbolic code- by using
objects/costumes/settings as a way of symbolising different social factors such as religion.
The Symbolic Code
The voice of symbols is where meaning
is shown through objects, so symbolism.
Application: I will use this code quite a
lot as I have a lot of symbolism in my
trailer. For instance, the placement of
religious items in my trailer will
symbolise religion. Even the costumes of
the characters will symbolise things- i.e.:
the older sister has blue hair-
reckless/immature- rebel. The spirit will
be shown wearing a white dress which
will show how she once was pure but the
blood splattered over it will show how
this is tainted and could suggest that
she takes purity away already enforcing
her as a villain.
The Cultural Code
The cultural code refers to the voice of science. This relates to the audiences view on
morality and video to make the media more realistic.
Application: In my trailer, I will make the audience feel sympathy for the girl which will test
the audiences morality.