WHAT IS ICONOGRAPHY?
Iconography is the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these.
It is used to describe the visual language of cinema, particularly within the field of genre criticism/identification.
Iconography is an important aspect of genre. We expect to see certain objects on screen when we see a particular genre, for instance in a Western, dusty lonely roads, saloon bars, cowboy hats, horses, sheriffs badges, guns etc would be what we are expecting from the genre. These genre indicators are called the iconography of the mise en scene or genre.
Iconography is essential in setting up a genre and ensuring a convincing verisimilitude is created. It is especially important when establishing a location, for instance, if a film is set in London, there will be shots of recognisable elements belonging to this location, e.g. Big Ben, red buses, the River Thames, the London Eye, black cabs etc. This way, the setting is clear from the start which makes for easier consumption of media for the audience. 
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