Structuralism

This concept is linked to Semiotics in that it works with symbols that we use all the time. One thing covered in the lecture recently was that idea of Binary Opposition, which is the idea that things can be divided into two areas of description.

Good - Evil

Right - Wrong

White - Black

Day - Night

etc.

A good example of binary opposition in cinema is Star Wars. The concepts involved are based very heavily in Good vs Evil and Right vs Wrong. It is not total in its description however, there are Evil characters who have some good traits, Darth Vader for example still has some vestige of humanity in him, enough to resist the dominant personality of the emperor and save his son. (if that spoiled it for anyone serves you fucking right!)

Another example is that of the comic book heroes and villains. Batman - Joker, Spiderman - Carnage. The idea being that to have a super hero you need a super villain. They balance each other out and also give substance to the other through there own existence. You could say that they put things into perspective, but maybe it is us that simply put them into pre-designed categories.