Costume, Set/Scenery and Location as Narrative Agents in Worlds Apart: A Semiotic Analysis

Working within the tenets of cultural semiotics, this paper sets out to establish costume, set/scenery and location as narrative agents in Tchidi Chikere’s World Apart. It is aimed at analyzing the signifying roles of costume, set/scenery and location in this Nollywood video film. The study focuses on the use of these narrative agents as communicative elements to portray the main idea in the film narrative. The study hinges on a critical analysis of these elements to understand how they are used in this film in order to interpret their significations. Previous studies on Nollywood films dwell mostly on the thematic thrust, the use of costume and make-up, marketing and distribution, as well as the viability of the industry, but none has focused on semiotic interpretation of costume, set/scenery and location in relation to the thematic concern of the film. This study will strengthen the semiotic readings and interpretations of Nollywood films. Among its findings is that costumes, set/scenery and location function as signifiers within the context of film narrative and as such, they are systems of signification and communication upon which meaning is constructed.