Roland Barthes suggested that narrative works with five different codes which activate the reader to make sense of it.
Barthes codes:
1. Action (a narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action, e.g. a shoot-out)
2, Enigma (a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved. Works to delay the story’s ending pleasurably)
3. Symbolic – (connotation)
4. Semiotic – (denotation)
5.Cultural (a narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a culture e.g. a “made man” in a gangster film is part of the mafia culture)
How does this relate to The Following?
Relating to our film opening The Following, it does follow Roland Barthes theory. Enigma is the mean code that is used because the opening ends on a cliffhanger, the audience are unaware of the location of Jack which puts the on edge. It's also unclear whether Jack was really there or if Nancy was having more flashbacks, the uncertainty is unsettling for the audience. In saying this, the other 4 codes of Roland Barthes theory don't necessarily feature in the film opening however, action in particular would definitely feature in the full story.