Primary and Secondary Research

Animal semiotics has a huge meaning and people have them ‘whether they appear to you in a dream or ‘happen’ to cross your path’ (Pramil, 2024). This topic choice was narrowed down from Semiotics within Film and TV from objects, colour, animals, signs, staging and scenery, this became so broad it needed to be narrowed down. The student decided on animals and signs and ended with Animal Semiotics.

Signs and symbols are all around and the representation of animals to humans is sometimes magical and hopeful; in some cases, gives people a sign to do something different, signs and symbols are not always good omens though and can deter someone from doing something or going somewhere.

Animal symbolism was written by Aurora Pramil and she quotes:‘In the 1940s psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung described the phenomenon of synchronicity as “the simultaneous occurrence of at least two events showing no causal link but whose association takes on meaning for one who perceives them’ (Pramil, 2024).

• One of the primary types of research will be a survey for approximately 30 people (friends and family) and a focus group (friends and family), the survey will have a mixture of multiple-choice questions and opinion questions (shown in appendix A) The reason for these options of research is because everyone will have a different point of view and individual opinions. 

• The survey will have both quantitative and qualitive results and the focus group will be both fun and qualitive.
• The main aim for the survey is to gain multiple opinions on the representation on certain animals and what the mean to them personally.
• Some of the animals I have chosen in the survey will be used in the final 4 images and the opinions of the people chosen for this survey will help with the overall vision for each one.
• To achieve a variety of results and opinions especially for the final image (pollution and Starfish)
• The primary research will be a fun focus group with a mixture of show cards (Appendix B)– The animal picture cards will be shown to the group along with the question “what does this animal represent to you and why?”. On the reverse of the card will be the correct symbol and sign meaning for each animal. The aim is to find out who is correct and the one at the end with the most points will win a prize (chocolate/sweets). It will be interesting if this causes a fun debate with the persons involved and to know their own reasons for their answers.
• The aim for this will be to see if anyone knows what the animals represent and if any certain animals represent anything to them as most people love animals and have them either in their day to day life or they see animals as signs or symbols within their lives or when they see them in Film and TV when seeing them within a story line etc.
• The aim for the focus research is to gain a fun group discussion or debate about the animals chosen for the 4 images along with a few added for fun factor. Colours will also be part of the focus group as this is also very important to the mood of the images and overall vision.