In an exciting hands-on activity, Year 10 Media students recently took part in a practical semiotics task that challenged them to apply the theory of signs and symbols in real-world image creation. The task required each group to take three unique images around the classroom and school, using props and positioning to convey specific meanings.

Understanding semiotics is about learning how we decode messages and understand the meanings behind signs and symbols in the media. By creating our own images, students had the chance to experience how powerful visual elements can be in communicating ideas to an audience.

The groups were tasked with planning, capturing, and emailing their images within 15 minutes—placing them under time pressure to think critically about composition and meaning. One group member had to feature in all three shots, helping them think about how a single subject could be represented in different contexts to create diverse interpretations.

After the images were reviewed in class, students discussed what the pictures communicated and how successfully the visual elements (such as props, positioning, and background) conveyed the intended meaning.

The task also helped students grasp the concept of encoding and decoding, the process through which media producers encode messages into images, and how audiences decode those messages based on cultural and social understandings. As part of the review, students also evaluated how the images could be made clearer to viewers by adjusting visual cues or symbols to ensure the intended message is easily understood.

Overall, the semiotics exercise gave students valuable insight into the world of visual media, empowering them to critically analyse images and think more deeply about the construction of meaning in the media they consume every day.