Semiotics In Trainspotting
Gareth Nicholls’ adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Book, ‘Trainspotting’, portrays many examples of creating meaning through the sign-systems. This essay is going to focus on the lighting and set in this live performance and how they help empathise the poverty and the effect drugs can have on an individual, referring to semiotics.
‘Semiotics’, Reference!!!!!! according to the Cambridge Dictionary is the study of signs and symbols, and what they mean, and how they are used. When applied to theatre, semiotics is the study of the sign-systems (Reference!!!) within theatre, such as lighting, set, costume, props, and dialogue and how these portray meaning in the performance and how they do this. I am going to analysis ‘Trainspotting’ , which is a …show more content…
In this scene the lighting is simply just a spotlight on Renton, with the rest of the stage in darkness. The impact of the spotlight first of all reflects off the foam coming out of Renton’s mouth, making the overdose more vivid, and realistic. The brutality of not only witnessing a seizure, but having the foam falling out his month so clearly in our vision gives the audience a clearer picture of how the heroine is effecting him internally. Not only this, but the use of having a single spotlight and having darkness around him, is possible to reflect on Renton’s thoughts and emotions at this time. I believe that his surroundings are in darkness because his physical state and internal feelings are all he can focus on and everything around him may seem to be in ‘darkness’. His internal fear and pain during this overdose is shown to the audience through the use of this lighting, as when a person is general terrified they will not be able to take in what is going on surrounding them. Also Renton is having a seizure and even if he wanted to focus, he couldn't and would be unaware of his surroundings. I think the darkness that surrounds him is a symbol of his inability to connect with the outside world during his seizure, and all he can know in that moment is his experience
‘Semiotics’, Reference!!!!!! according to the Cambridge Dictionary is the study of signs and symbols, and what they mean, and how they are used. When applied to theatre, semiotics is the study of the sign-systems (Reference!!!) within theatre, such as lighting, set, costume, props, and dialogue and how these portray meaning in the performance and how they do this. I am going to analysis ‘Trainspotting’ , which is a …show more content…
In this scene the lighting is simply just a spotlight on Renton, with the rest of the stage in darkness. The impact of the spotlight first of all reflects off the foam coming out of Renton’s mouth, making the overdose more vivid, and realistic. The brutality of not only witnessing a seizure, but having the foam falling out his month so clearly in our vision gives the audience a clearer picture of how the heroine is effecting him internally. Not only this, but the use of having a single spotlight and having darkness around him, is possible to reflect on Renton’s thoughts and emotions at this time. I believe that his surroundings are in darkness because his physical state and internal feelings are all he can focus on and everything around him may seem to be in ‘darkness’. His internal fear and pain during this overdose is shown to the audience through the use of this lighting, as when a person is general terrified they will not be able to take in what is going on surrounding them. Also Renton is having a seizure and even if he wanted to focus, he couldn't and would be unaware of his surroundings. I think the darkness that surrounds him is a symbol of his inability to connect with the outside world during his seizure, and all he can know in that moment is his experience