Denotations and Connotations

Denotations and Connotations

Denotations 

Denotations are the logical things we can see. It is referred to as a denotation because it is the things we can see rather than what we can infer.

The denotations of this shot are: there are four males sat in a car. We know this because the shot shows all four characters sat down in a small space where we can see a steering wheel in the foreground and they are wearing seat belts. Also there are other cars in the background with their lights on.

Connotations

Connotations are the things we can infer from the denotations. For example, from the denotation of a man holding a gun we can infer that he might/will shoot someone.

Words and imagery can have both negative and positive connotations, depending on the context to which we find them in.

The connotations of this image are that there is conflict in these characters personalities. This is presented in their clothing. Two of the characters are wearing blue jumpers, suggesting that they are of a somewhat similar nature or opinion. The character in the foreground is wearing a full black suit, suggesting that he is a more professional/posh character who possibly thinks of himself as above the other characters. His glasses connote that he is intelligent and offers some kind of foresight that is absent in the other characters. Then, the final character wears a white shirt with a loosely fashioned tie. There is contrast in the white that this character wears and the black that the other character does. From this, audiences may believe that the personalities of these two characters are opposing as the connotations of the two colours are largely opposing.