The analysis of film discourse from a textual-linguistic and multimodal perspective

Leonardo Antonio Soares
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Abstract

The meaning in films arise from the interaction of multiple modalities, such as images, sounds, music, gestures, camera effects, etc., which are triggered by the editing process, which often results in a chronological and linear order. The interaction of the modalities, in turn, results in a narrative text which understanding and interpretation require the active participation of the viewer. The aim of this article is to establish an analysis of films based on a multimodal textual-linguistic perspective. Thus, the interaction of the modalities in the discourse is of central interest, since it is the interrelation between the different semiotic resources that are decisive for the overall structure and coherence of a film and, therefore, account for its meaning and interpretation as text. This construction and attribution of meaning that unfolds within the discourse is also an abductive reasoning process, which can be described in terms of inferences. The inferential strategies that operate during the interpretation are, then, another main analytical focus. The analyzes demonstrate that, as an artifact that unfolds spatially, temporally and dynamically, the film is a multimodal document in which semiotic resources interact and operate according to several principles in order to create an overall meaning potential.

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