Artistic Design as a Sign System: A Semiotic Study of Roland Barthes in the Film 'Sinners (2025)'

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Artistic Design as a Sign System: A Semiotic Study of Roland Barthes in the Film 'Sinners (2025)'
Authors: Fachrezy, Haekal Althaaf, Nafsika, Salsa Solli
Source: Cinematology: Journal Anthology of Film and Television Studies; Vol 5, No 2 (2025): June; 130-140
Publisher Information: Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Subject Terms: Art Direction, Semiotics, Roland Barthes, Symbolism
Description: This study analyzes the artistic design in the film Sinners (2025) using Roland Barthes’ semiotic approach to uncover the meanings behind its visual elements. The primary focus is directed toward props and symbols such as the guitar, cutting wounds, and the cross, which function not merely as aesthetic complements but also as sign systems conveying profound messages related to identity, trauma, and ideology. Through the stages of denotation, connotation, and myth analysis, this study finds that the artistic design in the film represents complex social and cultural narratives, such as inherited sin, collective suffering, and the characters’ existential struggles. These symbols construct discourses on morality, religiosity, and internal conflict, positioning the artistic design as a medium of ideological expression that reinforces the film’s overall narrative meaning.
Document Type: Article
File Description: application/pdf
Language: English
ISSN: 2797-7099
2797-9903
DOI: 10.17509/cinematology.v5i2.84919
Access URL: http://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/Cinematology/article/view/84919
Rights: CC BY SA
Accession Number: edsair.journalunive..f46c65e391331ce9c0719b5c7c0bbdf8
Database: OpenAIRE
Description
Abstract:This study analyzes the artistic design in the film Sinners (2025) using Roland Barthes’ semiotic approach to uncover the meanings behind its visual elements. The primary focus is directed toward props and symbols such as the guitar, cutting wounds, and the cross, which function not merely as aesthetic complements but also as sign systems conveying profound messages related to identity, trauma, and ideology. Through the stages of denotation, connotation, and myth analysis, this study finds that the artistic design in the film represents complex social and cultural narratives, such as inherited sin, collective suffering, and the characters’ existential struggles. These symbols construct discourses on morality, religiosity, and internal conflict, positioning the artistic design as a medium of ideological expression that reinforces the film’s overall narrative meaning.
ISSN:27977099
27979903
DOI:10.17509/cinematology.v5i2.84919