A series exploring the media “input” of a group of people — our commercial semiotician colleagues, from around the world — whose “output” we admire.

Edinburgh…

SEMIOVOX

What are your reading habits?

VICTORIA GERSTMAN

I usually have both an audiobook and a “real” book on the go. The audiobook is for fun; it accompanies me on errands, runs, while I’m doing chores at home, etc. I love an audiobook but find certain genres work better in audio format than others. For me that’s mysteries or thrillers and memoirs or nonfiction, with the latter ideally read by the author.

The “real” books, which I take to bed with me, are usually character-driven fiction. Reading an actual, physical book before sleep is the simplest and best hack for getting my brain to calm down. I sometimes forget this and am shocked every time by the improvement to my sleep quality after reading a few pages or chapters.

My most recent two-hander was God of The Woods, by Liz Moore, on audiobook and Dream Count, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in ink-on-paper.

SEMIOVOX

What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?

VICTORIA GERSTMAN

I saw The Ballad of Wallis Island over the summer, and it charmed me completely. The movie came out during summer blockbuster season and has been on my mind since. The plot itself almost doesn’t matter because this is much more a vibes movie, but the short version is Tim Key plays a quirky lottery winner who pays large sums of money to reunite an estranged musical duo, played by Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden, for a private gig on the eponymous Wallis Island in Wales.

There are a grand total of 3 settings: a rocky Welsh beach, a damp manor house, and a tiny village shop. Oh, and a coin-operated phone box. It’s funny, it’s touching, it’s uplifting, and it’s less than two hours long. It also has some genuinely good original music, written by Tom Basden, who wasn’t on my radar before seeing this movie. Basden co-wrote and co-stars, alongside Tim Key. The cast is rounded out by Mulligan, Sian Clifford, and Akemnji Ndifornyen. And that’s it! 3 settings, 5 actors, 100 minutes of run time.

The Ballad of Wallis Island is atmospheric, literally; lots of rain, salt spray, dripping ceilings and leaking faucets. It’s also totally charming. I’d put it vaguely in the same category as another, slightly less recent favorite, My Old Ass. These are low-fi, low-concept, low-budget movies that make you laugh and then cry but ultimately leave you feeling better than before you went into the theater.

SEMIOVOX

What’s the best TV series you’ve seen recently?

VICTORIA GERSTMAN

Platonic, which stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as old friends, is a genuine laugh-out-loud comedy. It’s comforting, generally low stakes, and just an all-around good hang. The writing is funny, as is the excellent cast; every character is likeable, from the two leads to the hilarious supporting characters.

As a show about people in their 40s navigating life, love, family, and careers, it could so easily veer into overdone tropes — but so far has managed to avoid nearly all of them. Reflecting on my recent ‘media diet’ has made it clear that good-natured comedy is what my brain is craving, at least for now. I’m grateful to have some non-formulaic options available!

MEDIA DIET: GIANLLUCA SIMI (Brazil) | HIBATO BEN AHMED (France) | MARIE LENA TUPOT (USA) | EUGENE GORNY (Thailand) | YOGI HENDLIN (Netherlands / USA) | INKA CROSSWAITE (Germany / South Africa) | SÓNIA MARQUES (Portugal) | ĽUDMILA LACKOVÁ BENNETT (Czechia) | BRIAN KHUMALO (USA / South Africa) | JIAKUN WANG (Shanghai) | FRANCISCO HAUSS (China / Mexico) | ASHLEY MAURITZEN (England) | STEFANIA GOGNA (Italy) | BECKS COLLINS (England) | ANTJE WEISSENBORN (Germany) | MARIANE CARA (Brazil) | MARTHA ARANGO (Sweden) | PAULINA GOCH-KENAWY (Poland) | COCO WU (Singapore / China) | JOSH GLENN (USA) | JENNIFER VASILACHE (Switzerland) | ANDREA BASUNTI (England) | SARAH JOHNSON (Canada) | MARIA PAPANTHYMOU (Greece) | VICTORIA GERSTMAN (Scotland).

Also see these global semio series: MAKING SENSE (Q&As) | SEMIOFEST SESSIONS (monthly mini-conferences) | COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | COLOR CODEX | DECODER (fictional semioticians) | CASE FILE | PHOTO OP | MEDIA DIET | TATTOO YOU (semioticians’ tattoos).