Semiotic Analysis of Valak and Lorraine in “The Conjuring 2” Film
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Scope: Journal of English Language Teaching p-ISSN: 2541-0326 Volume 01, Issue 02, March 2017 e-ISSN: 2541-0334 SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF VALAK AND LORRAINE IN “THE CONJURING 2” FILM Yulia Sofiani Zaimar Program of English Education, Faculty of Language and Art, University of Indraprasta PGRI Jalan Nangka No. 58C Tanjung Barat, Jagakarsa, Jakarta Selatan 12530 [email protected] ABSTRACT This research offers a broad semiotical overview of the horror film, Conjuring 2. Horror films aim to bring the audience to deep fear. Therefore, these out of our complacency in the quotidian world, by way of negative emotions such as horror, fear, suspense, terror, and disgust, that are represented in films. To do so, horror addresses fears that are both universally taboo and that also respond to historically and culturally specific anxieties. This research focuses on the main characters, Valak and Lorraine, who lead this film to be a horror. This research is the result of an exploration into the literary reviews of the contemporary horror genre and a semiotic analysis a paranormal, Lorraine. This research concerned with the presence of material bodies in the performing sign and code of binary opposition by using signified and signifier theory. The results show that there are a few ethical and semiotic problems related to reality’s ability to actually take place within, and to break through, fictional representations identified by signs. Key words: main character, semiotics, horror ABSTRAK Penelitian ini mengedepankan pandangan semiotik dalam mengkaji film horror, Conjuring 2. Horror film adalah sebuah genre yang bermaksud membawa para penikmatnya pada perasaan ketakutan. Untuk itu, audiensi mendapat perasaan emosi negatif yang diperoleh dari situasi seram, ketakutan, teror, bahkan perasaan menjijikan, yang disajikan di dalam film. Dalam menciptakan perasaan takut, banyak didapatkan dari adegan yang dianggap tabu, atau yang membawa film ini menghadirkan kekhawatiran yang diperoleh dari mitos-mitos kepercayaan pada suatu daerah. Penelitian ini terfokus pada analisis tokoh utama dalam film ini yaitu sang hantu, Valak dan sang cenayang Lorraine, yang membawa film ini menjadi film yang menakutkan. Penelitian ini mengetengahkan film horror yang dianalisis dengan menggunakan teori semiotik sebagai alat bedah, guna menarik makna dalam teks yang berupa gambar dengan menggunakan teori tanda dan petanda. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya beberapa permasalahan etis dan semiotika yang berkaitan dengan kemampuan nyata dalam membangun sebuah representasi makna dari setiap tanda. Kata kunci: tokoh utama, semiotika, horror Copyright©2017 219 INTRODUCTION The key of study in Semiotics This research focusses to relates to the text (literature, film, or analyze The Conjuring 2 film as it is a even a piece of music). Films construct very popular horror film. This research is meaning through signs. Sign has two going to pick out every little aspect of the parts: signifier-signified. Signifier is the trailer to see if it has followed the typical physical part; or the tangible thing we codes and conventions of the horror see or hear. It is what we perceive. genre. This research will allow the writer Signified is the psychological part, the to gain knowledge on what goes into a reaction to the object, the mental picture horror trailer and it will also help, when a signifier evokes; the internal response the writer can refer back to this analysis. to the signifier. The media, including films play an Films are analyzable on the basis important role in human’s life. They of their inherent form and structure. One affect us through their different functions of field which is analyzable in the film is and occupy a significant part for most semiotic study. Film semioticians people. Broadly speaking, the attempted to define film’s specificity in transformations in world media are so terms of a specific combination of codes. great. This led to many academic serious The semiotician defines a film with researches by applying different specific combination of codes. It means approaches; empirical, conceptual, that a film genre has specific quantitative and qualitative. Semiology combination codes to represent the as a qualitative method of research is message or the film story. successfully transferred to media studies The word of semiotic comes from by researchers, who need more the Greek semeîon which means ‘sign’. approaches to explain media’s studies. Many semioticians define the definition In the reality, that horror films, of semiotic but shortly definition of although a more and more popular of semiotic is ‘study of sign’. Semiotics academic interest are far from being an involves the study not only of what we accepted scholarly discipline. There are refer to as ‘signs’ in everyday speech, but very few opportunities to pursue any of anything which ‘stands for’ something research in this area in the comfort of a else. In a semiotic sense, signs take the structured academic environment. The form of words, images, sounds, gestures film itself is the art of visual and objects. Contemporary semioticians abbreviation. Cinema is synesthetic as it study signs not in isolation but as part of arouses senses. Barthes (1972), the semiotic ‘sign systems’ (such as a French Semiotician states in medium or genre). They study how Mythologies, ‘trivial aspects of everyday meanings are made and how reality is life can be filled with meaning’, and this represented. Types of semiotic study in includes even a character’s styles. It this paper is social semiotic. Literature means, by using semiotic, researcher can semiotics focuses on how people analyze every signs in films. At the point, regulate the use of semiotic resources, in the important thing the researcher should the context of literature, and most of be familiar with is synecdoche, that is, them relate to social phenomenon. relationship of the whole part. For Through this research, the writer instance, the crown represents the king gives several suggestions for the next or the queen, the ‘oval office’ stands for researchers to be more sensitive in the ‘President’, while the ‘badge’ recognizing the signs as every sign symbolizes ‘law and order’. should be described in detail including 220 Scope: Journal of English Language Teaching, Vol. 01, Issue 02, Mar 2017, 219-229 its meaning and functions. Moreover, location, as a night light is to help young they should be objective in defining and children with a fear of the dark. With the interpreting signs. In addition, the writer light, there are connotations such as a also suggests the next researchers to use fear and nightmares, which are signifiers the application of mythology or different of the horror genre. Furthermore, along semiotics theories in ‘Conjuring’ with the music, we as the audiences film. This study is classified into know that there is something in the qualitative research since it is intended to child’s bedroom, and so the tension rises, analyze visual and text form. The type of and the audiences feel more involved the study is document analysis since it with the film. The location alone is uses film as the source of the data. enough to signify the genre. In addition, Talking about Conjuring, this film with in depth analysis of the night light, is a kind of a horror film. Horror as a alongside the creepy, high tension music, genre has a very close connection with the genre of horror is signified. semiotics. Considering that horror as a As we are introduced to the genre is all about making various location, the camera angle is high, and cultural references. It is easy to see that looks down onto the sleeping child, most films could not function on a before panning off into another room. deeper level without semiotics. Horror The high angled shot gives the films can also use semiotics by the way impression that someone is looking it uses its characters in the film and how down on the child, which creates further the narrative can tell you about those tension, and further displaying the characters. In the film Conjuring 2, the conventions of a horror film, as fear and main character, Lorraine Warren (Vera weakness is portrayed from the child. Farmiga) makes no comparison to what The shadows that are projected onto the one would think is a female capable of bedroom walls create an atmosphere of eluding an immortal murderer. fear, as anything can be hidden in the The soundtrack and audio in this shadows, especially as the light. By film are very typical of a horror. It uses a seeing the woman main character, Valak, lot of rock or heavy metal music to build this research aims to use two theories as suspense and to get the fast paced feel of the tool to analyze this film, as follows: the film across. The film also uses a lot Semiotic and feminism. Based on those of sharp stings to try and to scare the problems, this research would aim to audience, in a fun way. They use this as answer some questions as follows: What it is very common in horror films to use semiotic signs are found in “The sound to manipulate the audience. This Conjuring” film? Another question is film is based around making light of what messages are conveyed by verbal horror and its stereotypes, because of this and visual sign in “The Conjuring” film? is rife with common horror semiotics to make fun of, but also use to its advantage METHOD in building a serious horror film while The data in this research was taken making fun of others. from a poster advertisement entitled The opening scene of Conjuring “The Conjuring”. It was published by the begins in a child’s bedroom, which is film, on http:/filmpostercollectors.com identified with the child’s duvet set, which is published in March 2016.