2. Before Production Takes Place
You need to understand the way narrative is
constructed in music videos
Have knowledge of narrative theories relating to
story structure, characters and themes
3. What is Narrative?
Claude Levi-Strauss = Binary Oppositions
Vladimir Propp = Characters
Tzvetan Todorov =5 conventional stages
Roland Barthes = 5 narrative codes
4. Todorov - Classic Narrative
Cause and Effect
Invisible Editing
Story told in chronological order:
Equilibrium
Disequilibrium
Recognition
Reparation
New equilibrium
5.
6. Levi- Strauss- Binary
Oppositions
One side is represented as the ‘right’ side who the audience can
identify with and support
Examples:
Good and evil
Past and present
Normal and strange
Known and unknown
Heaven and earth
7. Propp - archetypes
Hero: Seeks something
Villain: Obstructs the hero
Princess: Hero’s reward
Father: Give of rewards
Donor: Provides information and help
Helper: Helps the hero
Dispatcher: Sends the hero on a quest
False hero
In Propp’s theory, these character types are established to increase
understanding from the point of view of the audience
8. Activity 1
In your pair select one of the films below and apply these three
narrative theories:
The Lion King
Toy Story (any)
Cinderella
John Wick
9. Activity 2
How far can you apply these traditional narrative theories to a
mainstream music video?
Let’s explore some video examples
10. Activity 3
How about to some more alternative or niche video examples?
11.
12. Narrative in Music Videos
Narratives are rarely complete - often fragmentary
Tend to suggest storylines
Non-linear order (not cause and effect)
Desire to see them again
Narrative often divided between performance and conceptual clips
13. Time & Narrative
Flashbacks
Real time
Reversal
Dream sequence
Repetition
Different characters POV
Ellipsis
Pre-figuring of events that have not yet taken place
(foreshadowing)
14. Types of Narrative you might
see
Non-linear
Circular
Parallel Narrative
Convergent Narrative
Interweaving Narrative
15. ROLAND BARTHES
The text is like a tangled ball of threads
The threads need to be unravelled
Once unravelled, we encounter an absolute wide range
of potential meanings
We can start by looking at a narrative in one way from
one viewpoint, one set of previous experience and
create one meaning from that text
You can continue unravelling to find different angles and
meanings
16. Barthes’ Enigma Code
Refers to any element in a story that is not explained, and therefore
remains a mystery
Raises questions that demand explanation
Most stories hold back details in order to increase the effect of the
final revelation
The audience is frustrated if not all questions are answered.
What enigma codes did you employ?
How did you construct these?
17. Referential Code
Meaning is created through intertextuality
Is the story more apparent because of references?
20. Key Task
Analyse 3 videos
Explore the extent to which you can apply the traditional or other
narrative structures to the text
Write a 500 word account for each video with specific examples
from the text
21. What questions can we ask in our
analysis?
1. To what extent can you apply traditional narrative theory to
the video?:
1. Propp
2. Todorov
3. Levi-Strauss
4. Barthes
How is time represented in the music video? or
What type of narrative is presented e.g. linear, circular
What effect does it have on the audience? (refer to Barthes if
possible e.g. enigma)
What meaning is created for the audience? Are there different
interpretations?
