The document outlines a plan for a narrative music video using songs that portray feelings of sadness or loss. It proposes three songs by Elvis Presley, four by other artists, and focuses on "Tears of a Clown" by Iron Maiden as offering the greatest narrative and emotional impact. For this song, the document discusses using either a restricted or omniscient perspective to show the inner struggle with depression hidden behind a facade, as well as applying various narrative and literary theories to the analysis and structure of the video.

1. A2 Media Studies Brett Moore
Music Video Initial Plan:
I plan to use a narrative style music video as I feel this will best suit the songs I have
shortlisted to which include:
- Bed of Roses (Bon Jovi)
- Don’t Cry Daddy (Elvis Presley)
- In My Way (Elvis Presley)
- Love Me Tender (Elvis Presley)
- Civil War (Guns ‘n’ Roses)
- Let Me In Your Heart Again (Queen)
- Tears of a Clown (Iron Maiden)
- Who Wants to Live Forever (Queen)
This is because each of the above songs each portray the feeling of pathos, to which I
believe would be easier to show in a Narrative piece. This is because each of the three
narrative structures offers something different.
Circular, beginning at the end; to which considering said pathos could be symbolic.
Episodic, to detail how the affected derived at the predicament they are in and Linear
to show the gradual fall of the protagonist as the song plays.
Furthermore the lyrics in each of the songs tell a story. For example ‘In My Way’ by
Elvis Presley tells the story of a dying man who is aware that his time is short
however is desperate to ensure his love knows he will always be by her side with
lyrics such as; “I may not be here tomorrow, but I’m right beside you today”.
Some of the above songs are very broad in a narrative sense and can be relevant to
any love story, however one in particular that I believe could hold the greatest impact
on the audience is ‘Tears of a Clown’ by Iron Maiden. Tears of a Clown gives the
option of both a restricted and omniscient narrative, as it was written about the late
Robin Williams and tackles his fight with depression.
The notion of depression allows for both types of narrative to be possible. Restricted
could be used to accentuate that there are some things that cannot be seen from the
outside so whilst the clown has a painted smile the man behind the clown is crying.
Depression can also be used as an omniscient aspect, with the affected unaware of its
looming presence until it is too late.
These all follow Tvetvan Todorov’s theory regarding the stages of a narrative and
how at first the protagonists are introduced, then in the middle of the narrative the
climax occurs before the eventual ending. With Tears of a Clown however Claude
Lev-Strauss’ theory of Binary Opposites is prominent with the clown being
represented as the good and the depression the evil. Also with Tears of a Clown it is
possible to look at the notion of Checkovs Gun, to which refers to possible
foreshadowing of later events.