# I am looking for a word. Film makers do it, it's like a metaphor/allegory **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 12, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035 "2014-12-12T15:27:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/21 "2014-12-12T18:05:46Z")
Epilogue? ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/22 "2014-12-12T18:10:13Z")
Exposition ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/23 "2014-12-12T18:12:45Z")
Epitome? (It was mentioned in the Kids in the Hall sketch…) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/24 "2014-12-12T18:13:49Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > This conversation reminds of [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGYJyeX-oMc) Kids in the Hall sketch. I’m thinking of Monty Python > [@](#): > > Mr. Praline: You told me it was Ipswitch! > > Owner: …It was a pun. > > Mr. Praline: (pause) A PUN?!? > > Owner: No, no…not a pun…What’s that thing that spells the same backwards as forwards? > > Mr. Praline: (Long pause) A palindrome…? > > Owner: Yeah, that’s it! > > Mr. Praline: It’s not a palindrome! The palindrome of “Bolton” would be “Notlob”!! It don’t work!! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/25 "2014-12-12T18:33:54Z")
[Objective correlative?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objective_correlative) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/26 "2014-12-12T18:35:00Z")
Symbol? Resonance? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/27 "2014-12-12T18:43:18Z")
> [@I.Dunno](#): > > Metaphor or irony come to mind but I’m sure those are not it. How about imagery? Seems to be [simply a metaphor](http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms12.html) according to this description. [Some More discussion points.](http://gedblog.com/2013/09/29/swimming-pool-symbolism-in-breaking-bad/) ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/28 "2014-12-12T18:50:08Z")
Pastiche? ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/29 "2014-12-12T18:51:10Z")
How about leitmotif? > **[Leitmotif](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitmotif)** > > A leitmotif or leitmotiv (/ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf/) is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of idée fixe or motto-theme. The spelling leitmotif is an anglicization of the German Leitmotiv (IPA: \[ˈlaɪtmoˌtiːf\]), literally meaning "leading motif", or "guiding motif". A musical motif has been defined as a "short musical idea ... melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic, or all three", a salient recurring figur In partic... The phrase is usually used with music, but film theorists will use it for film imagery, themes, etc. as well. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/30 "2014-12-12T21:07:52Z")
> [@Luk3112](#): > > None of these guys ☹ I just want to double check that you saw **Weirofhermiston** ’s suggestion of [metonymy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonymy). ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/31 "2014-12-13T00:35:13Z")
Semiotics? > **[Semiotics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics)** > > Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes (semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something, usually called a meaning, to the sign's interpreter. The meaning can be intentional, such as a word uttered with a specific meaning; or unintentional, such as a symptom being a sign of a particular medical condition. Signs can also communicate feelings (w... ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/32 "2014-12-13T00:41:02Z")
> [@Luk3112](#): > > None of these guys ☹ Well then I got nuttin’. Please, please come back and tell me when you figure it out. This is going to bug me. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/33 "2014-12-13T00:46:38Z")
Gotta be symbolism ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/34 "2014-12-13T00:51:27Z")
Synchronic, even if inaccurate? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/35 "2014-12-13T02:09:19Z")
Explication, juxtaposition, mise-en-scene, goddam I hate these kind of threads. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/36 "2014-12-13T02:14:20Z")
Reconsider “allusion.” The pool water being blue is an allusion to the blue meth. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/37 "2014-12-13T02:26:24Z")
**Br** eaking **Ba** d? Figures of speech? Sounds like you need a periodic table. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/38 "2014-12-13T03:30:07Z")
Former film major here. I am pretty sure we’d just say “visual metaphor,” or use descriptive terms like “recalls”, “evokes” or “mirrors.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/39 "2014-12-13T03:44:03Z")
Embodiment? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035/40 "2014-12-13T04:00:15Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > I just want to double check that you saw **Weirofhermiston** ’s suggestion of [metonymy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonymy). I don’t think that would fit the usage which the OP is describing. _Metonymy_ specifically refers to the use of _language_, wherein one figure of speech is a placeholder in larger, on-going discourse. > [@tapu](#): > > Reconsider “allusion.” The pool water being blue is an allusion to the blue meth. Yes, that’s what this particular example is, whether the OP accepts it or not. (It’s not a _metaphor_ or _allegory_, because those serve different rhetorically purposes from that of the pool image.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-looking-for-a-word-film-makers-do-it-its-like-a-metaphor-allegory/707035.md?page=3)