The Axis of Choice vs. The Axis of Combination 🤔
The concepts of paradigm and syntagm are foundational tools of structuralism, a mode of analysis that originated in linguistics with Ferdinand de Saussure and was later applied to cinema. This framework proposes that any system of meaning (like a language or a film) can be understood by analyzing it along two distinct axes.
- The Syntagm (The Horizontal Axis): This is the sequence of elements as they actually appear in the finished film. It is the chain of shots, sounds, and actions that are combined to form a coherent whole. It is the axis of combination, governed by rules of sequence (Shot A is followed by Shot B, which is followed by Shot C).
- The Paradigm (The Vertical Axis): This is the set of all the potential choices that could have been made at any given point in the syntagm but were not. It is the axis of substitution or choice. It is a ‘storage shelf’ of alternatives that are related to each other in some way.
A Practical Example
Consider a very simple scene: a cowboy enters a saloon. The syntagm is the sequence of shots that shows this action.
Now consider the first shot: a medium shot of the cowboy, who is wearing a black hat.
The paradigm represents all the unrealized choices for each element in this shot:
| Element | Chosen Element (Syntagm) | Possible Substitutions (Paradigm) |
|---|---|---|
| Shot Size | Medium Shot | Close-Up, Wide Shot, Extreme Close-Up |
| Hat Color | Black Hat | White Hat, Brown Hat, No Hat |
| Character | Cowboy | Sheriff, Outlaw, Saloon Girl |
A Tool for Analysis
By considering the paradigmatic choices, a film analyst can better understand the meaning of the syntagmatic choices. The meaning of the cowboy wearing a black hat is created in opposition to the possibility of him wearing a white hat (invoking the classic hero/villain paradigm). Asking ‘Why this choice and not another?’ is the essence of paradigmatic analysis. It forces us to recognize that every element in a film is the result of a deliberate selection from a vast set of possibilities, and each selection is loaded with potential meaning.