The Complementary Relationship Between Subtitles and Film Images: A Multimodal Discourse Analysis

The analysis of subtitled text and corresponding film images reveals that they form a complementary relationship rather than a non-complementary one. This is due to the characteristics of film discourse, which is a multimodal discourse with various semiotic systems. The filmmaker uses different modalities such as sound, text and images to convey the creative meaning of the film. For example, when the image modality presents a certain scene, the subtitled text is used to explain the details of the scene, so that the audience can better understand the story. When the image modality presents a certain emotion, the subtitled text is used to explain the emotion, so that the audience can better empathize with the characters.

Subtitles provide an additional layer of meaning that can be interpreted in different ways, depending on the context of the scene. Similarly, the images in the film can provide an additional layer of meaning, with the way they are framed, the lighting, and the camera angles all playing a role in conveying the tone and atmosphere of the scene. Each modality assumes a certain function of meaningful expression and is an indispensable presence. Therefore, there are few cases of non-complementary relationships in the film, as there is no redundancy or overlap of modal functions.

In conclusion, the complementary relationship between subtitled text and corresponding film images is due to the way they interact with each other to create meaning. The filmmaker uses different modalities to convey the creative meaning of the film, and the subtitled text is used to explain the details of the scene and the emotions conveyed by the image modality. This complementarity helps the audience better understand the story, and there are few cases of non-complementary relationships in the film due to the absence of redundancy or overlap of modal functions.