Six Feet Under

I’ve heard of the TV show SIX FEET UNDER, I remember studying it in my media studies class in grade eleven. I loved looking at all the different symbolism then and going over it again this year just refreshed my understanding of it.

The way that Lipton explained it made a little more sense than my grade eleven teacher, however, and I think that this time I got more of an in-depth look at it. It also gave me more of an understanding of semiotics, something that I’ve never looked at before this course.

From the single crow that flies through an empty sky to the lone tree in an empty field and the separating of the hands, everything about the first few seconds tells us that this is dealing with something dark, something deep and dealing with a strong issue. The creepy, single note music heightens the sense of suspense or mystery that brews up before the sharp turn of the gurney wheel. The body is even being wheeled down a bright hallway and “into the light.” Obviously the show is dealing with letting go, death, and perhaps the process of the two?

This sequence got me looking at symbolism more than the Madonna on Top video clip because these were much more obvious symbols that could be identified with much more ease. As well, they had stereotypical connotations and were well connected with myth.

I really liked how the raven and the lone tree were shown again at the end to make sort of a full circle effect, adding a little closure but not enough to make the viewer feel complete.

I learned the most from this clip, I think, because it was so easy to initially understand and link to things that were already subconsciously imbedded in my mind. It’s this type of thing that makes me interested in advertising or television or anything to do with expression through imagery.