2. NO SCRUBS BY TLC
The music video I have chosen to analyse is ‘No Scrub’by TLC. I have
chosen to do this because it is a classic song that is extremely
popular/well known. The lyrics of no scrubs I find them highly
entertaining and in my opinion it is a well though out song.
The music video however let me down when I first watched it, and it
didn’t have a strong narrative or plot to it. Learning these narrative
theory’s has helped me to understand that every media text does in fact
have a narrative/purpose. So now when I watch the music video I
understand it a whole lot more.
3. Tim O’ Sullivan (1998)
Tim O’ Sullivan suggests that narratives have a common structure,
starting with an establishment of plot and/or theme.The establishing shot for no
scrubs is a brightly lit room
made of metal. My first
instinct when looking at
this shot it a intergalactic
space ship.
Narrative theorists
suggest that all music
videos are about
promoting the artists.
This is reinforced by
the TLC logo placed
within the first 11
seconds of the music
video.
4. Sven Carlsson (1999)
Sven Carlsson suggests that music videos in general fall into two
rough groups:
1) Performance clips- when a music video only shows an artist
2) Conceptional clips- when the clip shows something else during
the duration of the music video often with artistic ambitions
No Scrubs is a performance clip as it only shows the artists
(TLC) therefore conforming to Sven Carlsson’s theory.
5. Pam Cook (1985)
Chronological-linear- strong resolution
Linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma
resolution
A high degree of narrative closure
A fictional world that contains verisimilitude especially governed
by spatial and temporal coherence.
Pam cook’s theory doesn’t conform to no scrubs.
6. Bordwell and Thompson
(1997)
Bordwell and Thompson came up with the formal structure:
A. Inferred events
B. Explicitly shown events
C. Non-diegetic media
Performance- narrative/story is self reflexive (aware of itself as a
media text)
Narrative/story- non diegetic material.
No Scrubs is an example of a performance based media text. Therefore
Bordwell and Thompson’s theory conforms to the music video.
