This document discusses key concepts in music video theory, including narrative, genre, audience, representation, and semiotics. It summarizes theories from thinkers like Levi-Strauss, Propp, and Goodwin. For narrative, it discusses point of view and structure. Genre defines expectations but is used differently by producers and audiences. Audience theory examines how audiences are active meaning-makers. Representation notes media is artificial but helps us understand reality. Hegemony suggests ruling classes control representations to maintain power.

1. Music Video
Theory.
Narrative, Genre,
Audience, Representation,
Semiotics

2. Narrative:
Narrative quite literally refers to the way in which
the story, or video is told. Within this, it includes
elements such as a narrative structure, and this is
the order of when different elements of action
take place throughout the story (almost like a set
of directions.) Another important aspect to
‘narrative’ is to consider where the target
audience are placed in relation to the narrative,
and whose eyes the audience see the story
through and later empathise with. Typically an
audience would think that they would see the
story through the main protagonists eyes,
however, this is not always necessarily true as
some narratives can be seen from an outsider's
point of view.
In addition, sometimes the point of view we see
the story from can change throughout the story in
order for the audience to see the storyline in
different perspectives.

3. Claude Levi-Strauss:
A well-respected French theorist who suggested a
memorable theory that all narratives were to be
based on a form conflict, and these conflicts were
caused through ‘binary opposites.’ For example,
age vs. youth, man vs. nature, good vs. evil etc.
This theory links in well with music videos and an
example is ‘Black or White’ by Michael Jackson,
there is conflict between two binary opposites -
black over white. This is shown by two different
races being presented in a stereotypical way.
Although there are multiple other characters
shown within this music video, Michael himself
features in a large proportion of the scenes. This
therefore enables the audience to enjoy the video
for this twist as Michael is emphasising himself by
featuring in a large amount of the scenes amongst
the other characters, and this provides
entertainment for the viewers.

4. Vladimir Propp:
A Russian theorist who proposed a narrative
theory on the different characters as an audience,
we expect to see within various forms of media
texts. Although the majority of his theories were
written in the time of the 1920’s and refer to
mostly Russian Folk stories, they have in fact since
been used in reference to many modern
narratives we recognise to this day. Propp created
a list of the eight main character types in which we
expect to see: the hero, the villain, the false hero,
the princess, the father of the princess, the donor,
the helper, and the dispatcher.
This theory links in well with the Of Monsters and
Men video ‘Little Talks.’ This is because within the
video we are presented with a hero, princess and
dispatcher, however all these characters are in
fact shown within one character.

5. Genre:
A genre covers multiple specific types of
composition or elements within media or
literature e.g. pop, R&B and rock.
Genre has a set of characteristics that can be
easily recognised by audiences over a period of
time. These usually meet the audience’s
expectations as it is able to follow a structure
made up of rules and further provides a
relationship between both the audiences and
producers of the media products.
However, producers and audiences use genre in
different ways to one another. Producers use
genre by marketing texts according to genre
because a niche audience has already been
identified as taking a form of satisfaction from
that type of text. Audiences take particular
pleasures in different texts according to its genre.
This allows them to identify with elements in
some generic texts and may help them in shaping
their very own identity.

6. Andrew Goodwin:
Andrew Goodwin is the main theorist who came
up with the theory about genre on context with
music videos. His primary theory was made up of
five different aspects of music videos that we (as
an audience) should look out for when presented
with a particular music video, and these five are:
the star image, thought beats, narrative and
performance, relationship between the song and
the visuals and technical aspects within the music
video.
However an example music video that contradicts
some of these key conventions is ‘Price Tag’ by
Jessie J. When listening to the song we hear the
lyrics “it’s not about the money, money, money”
but Jessie is in fact stood under a tree that is made
up of money notes. On the other hand
Radiohead’s ‘Weird Fishes’ lyrics link to the
visuals due to the fact that lyrics say “yeah, i’ll hit
the bottom” and the character is infact heading
down towards the sea.

7. Audience:
The word ‘audience’ is a very common term to be
used and referred to within the media industry, as
pretty much every form of media has been
created/proposed in order for an audience to
watch, read or listen to it.
An audience is an element that we tend to analyse
from a distance, and by doing so we make
generalisations about the different types of
audience, however, we do not usually think of
ourselves being a part of an audience.
But we infact are a part of an audience, and once
we start analysing the concept, we can begin to
recognise that an audience is actually a collection
of many different features under one title being
‘audience’ depending on where you are viewing
from and why you are viewing it.

8. Andrew Goodwin:
Andrew Goodwin is the main theorist who came
up with the theory about genre on context with
music videos. His primary theory was made up of
five different aspects of music videos that we (as
an audience) should look out for when presented
with a particular music video, and these five are:
the star image, thought beats, narrative and
performance, relationship between the song and
the visuals and technical aspects within the music
video.
However an example music video that contradicts
some of these key conventions is ‘Price Tag’ by
Jessie J. When listening to the song we hear the
lyrics “it’s not about the money, money, money”
but Jessie is in fact stood under a tree that is made
up of money notes. On the other hand
Radiohead’s ‘Weird Fishes’ lyrics link to the
visuals due to the fact that lyrics say “yeah, i’ll hit
the bottom” and the character is infact heading
down towards the sea.

9. Uses and Gratifications:
This approach studies what the audience
chooses to do with the particular media they are
looking at. In addition, the approach also takes
into account the audience’s individual
personalities and personal needs. The audiences
are deemed as intelligent and active (meaning
they tend to form questions about what they are
seeing.) Media can often offer audiences
satisfaction, not regarded as negative.
Uses and gratifications have five main goals:
● be informed or educated
● identify with characters of the situation in
the media environment
● simple entertainment
● enhance social interaction
● escape from the stresses of daily life

10. Reception Theory:
Any audience viewing a form of media is
recognised as an active producer of meaning,
rather than just consumers. This means that,
they make sense of the specific media text
according to their own personal social position
(in other words their identity.) People’s life
experiences are seen as being important
influences which further enables them to create
active choices as members within an audience of
media. The theory also suggests that when a
producer constructs a text it is encoded with a
specific meaning or message that the producer
wishes to convey to the audience. In some
instances the audience will be able to decode the
message correctly, other times the audience may
not be able to make sense of the code or reject
what the producer is attempting to convey.

11. Representation:
Representation refers to the fact that all forms of
media texts are intentionally composed, written,
censored and branded by their own producers,
and they are in fact completely artificial versions
of the reality that us as an audience perceive
around us.
However, it is important for us to remember that
without the media, our own perceptions of reality
would in fact be reduced and made to be very
limited. The audience in fact need these artificial
texts to balance our point of views of the world.
Therefore, we need the media to enable us to
make sense of reality, because we do not want
to be unrealistic.

12. Hegemony:
The hegemonic theory states that the ruling
classes maintain their level of power through
being able to control ideas and cultures, rather
than using any form of force. They are
recognised as being able to control the way in
which the media represents the world, and how it
represents the ruling classes also. Gramsci
believed the media have always had a key role in
educating people to complete things within their
everyday lives in order to support the power
structures. People look at how the media support
power structures such as government, capitalism
etc.