This document discusses various narrative theories and how they can be applied to analyze music videos. It defines narrative and describes approaches such as Todorov's 5 stages, Propp's 7 character types, and Levi-Strauss' concept of binary oppositions. Roland Barthes' narrative codes of action, enigma, semantic, and cultural are also outlined. Finally, the document discusses postmodern concepts like pastiche, intertextuality, and modular narratives. Students are instructed to choose a music video and use the provided worksheet to analyze the narrative elements.

1. Applying Narrative theories
to music video

2. Lesson Objectives
To consolidate your knowledge of
conventional narrative theories.
To gain knowledge and
understanding of postmodern
narrative theories
 To apply narrative theories to the
analysis of a music video.

3. Definitions of Narrative
 Narrative is ‘a way of organising spatial and
temporal events into a cause-effect chain of
events with a beginning, a middle, and end
that embodies a judgement about the nature
of events’ (Branigan).

4. Narrative Theory
 Narrative theory analyses the way in which media
texts communicate meaning about events.

5.  Subjective
character identity
– a range of
characters’ stories
or view points are
shown
 Objective
character identity
– one character’s
story or viewpoint is
shown

6. Approaches to studying
narrative
 Claude Levi-Strauss = Binary Oppositions
 Vladimir Propp = Stock character types
 Tzvetan Todorov =5 conventional stages of
narrative

7. Todorov’s approach to narrative
7
 Todorov suggests that all narratives begin with
equilibrium or an initial situation (where
everything is balanced).
 This is followed by some form of disruption,
which is later resolved.
 With the resolution at the end of the
narrative a new equilibrium is usually
established.

8. 8
Propp’s approach to narrative
Propp believed that there are seven roles which any character may
assume in the story:
 Villain - struggles with hero
 Donor - prepares and/or provides hero with magical agent
 Helper - assists, rescues, solves and/or transfigures the hero
 Princess - a sought-for person who exists as goal and often recognises
and marries hero and/or punishes villain
 Dispatcher - sends hero off
 Hero - departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to donor and weds at end
 False Hero - claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like a real
hero

9. Claude Levi-Strauss’s approach
to narrative 9
 He observed that all narratives are organised
around the conflict between binary opposites.

10. Examples of binary opposites
10
 Good vs evil
 Black vs white
 Boy vs girl
 Peace vs war
 Civilised vs savage
 Democracy vs
dictatorship
 Conqueror vs
conquered
 First world vs third
world
 Domestic vs
foreign/alien
 Articulate vs inarticulate
Young vs old
 Protagonist vs antagonist
 Action vs inaction
 Motivator vs observer
 Empowered vs victim
 Man vs woman
 Good-looking vs ugly
 Strong vs weak
 Decisive vs indecisive
 East vs west
 Humanity vs technology
 Ignorance vs wisdom

11. Starter Activity: Narrative
Analysis
 In pairs apply the narrative theory you have
been given to the Taylor Swift music video.
 How useful was the approach?

12. Applying Todorov Theory
 Equilibrium – the geeky girl is in
love with the boy next door who
only sees her as a friend.
 Disequilibrium – the boy’s
girlfriend cheats on him?
 Resolution – the geeky girl is
transformed into a beautiful girl
and gets together with the boy.
 What sort of values
are reinforced by
this narrative
structure?

13. Propp – character types
 Hero – character who seeks something – Taylor
Swift
 Villain – character who the hero must overcome –
the girlfriend
 Princess – the boy – he is the reward for the hero.
 What effect does the use of these character types
have?
 Why might the hero and villain be female?
 What values are reinforced by this?

14. Levi-strauss – binary oppositions
 The video involves a number of pairs of opposites
reflecting (and resolving) the narrative conflicts.
 There are different sets of oppositions between
the jock/the geek, and the cheerleader/the geek.
 These oppositions identify the central ideological
messages of the video.

15. Levi-Strauss
 What are the key conflicts?
 How are the conflicts resolved?
 What messages are conveyed through this
narrative?

16. Jock Nerd
 Male
 Sociable
 Popular
 Sport
 Object
 Female
 Studious
 Unpopular
 Reading
 Subject

17. Roland Barthes
 Barthes identifies narrative codes which readers
use to decode (understand) texts.
 He emphasises the active role of audiences in
creating meaning, and their ‘culturally formed
expectations’.
 The narrative codes are:
 Action
 Enigma
 Semic
 Cultural

18. Narrative theory
Roland Barthes' narrative theory claims that a narrative can be broken down
into codes or sets of rules. These are:
Action code
Applies to any action that implies
a further narrative action. Viewers
are expected to connect different
pieces of narrative.
Cultural code
Any element in a narrative that is
dependant on audience prior
knowledge.

19. Enigma code
Refers to any element in a story
that raises questions and
demands an explanation.
Semantic code
Any element in a text that
suggests an additional meaning
by connotations. For example a
skull has connotations of death.

20. Barthes – Narrative Codes
(Taylor Swift Video)
 Action – Viewers are expected to connect different
pieces of narrative (e.g. The boy is shown arguing
on his phone – viewer assumes it is with his
girlfriend).
 Enigma – Will the jock and the geek get together?
 Semic – glasses, book, notepads, red car,
uniforms, white dress/red dress
 Cultural – the video draws on stereotypes/cliches
of teen movies – jock, cheerleader, geek, girl next
door, prom, etc.

21. Postmodern Narratives
 Some theorists suggest that postmodern narratives are
different from previous narrative structures.
 Characteristics of postmodern narratives include:
 Intertextuality
 Pastiche (parody)
 Temporal distortion (fragmented narratives)
 Hyperreality (representations that are exaggerated)

22. Postmodern approach -
Pastiche
 Frederic Jameson states that postmodern texts are
simply characterised by pastiche.
 A pastiche is an imitation of another genre or text.
Linda Hutcheon argues that
postmodern narratives can
critique contemporary society
by calling attention to the
constructed nature of the
society.

23.  Linda Hutcheon develops this view and argues
that postmodern texts use pastiche in a
knowing way acknowledging the constructed
nature of representation.
 Does the cliched nature of the Taylor Swift
Video act as a critique of the values it
promotes?

24. Modular Narratives
Modular Narratives “articulate a sense of time as divisible and subject to
manipulation”.
Allan Cameron has identified different types of modular narrative:
• Anachronic
• Forking Paths
• Split Screens

25. Analysing Narrative in Music
video
Use the worksheet provided to analyse one of
the
following music videos
 Jason Derulo- What If
 Britney Spears Everytime
 Katy Perry- Last Friday Night
 Joe Cole- Crooked Smile
 Lana Del Ray – National Anthem
 Avril Lavigne- Alice in Wonderland