A presentation of the different narrative theorists, what they suggest and how they can be applied to existing music videos.

2. NARRATIVE
• THIS IS THE WAY IN WHICH A STORY IS TOLD THROUGH A MEDIA TEXT, BE IT FICTIONAL OR NON-
FICITIONAL.
• WITHIN NARRATIVE THEORY IN MEDIA, THERE ARE 4 PRINCIPAL THEORISTS TO INVESTIGATE
WHICH CAN APPLY TO EXISTING MUSIC VIDEOS.

3. TZVETAN (TODOROV’S) NARRATIVE THEORY
• THIS THEORIST SUGGESTS THAT MOST NARRATIVES START WITH A STATE OF EQUILIBRIUM IN
WHICH LIFE IS NORMALAND PROTAGONISTS ARE HAPPY AND CAREFREE.
• THE STATE OF NORMALITY IS THEN DISMANTLED BY AN OUTSIDE FORCE. THERE IS NO
EQUILIBRIUM.
• THIS FORCE IS THEN RECOGNISED INITIALLY AND CONSIDERED HOW TO FIGHT AGAINST IT
• THE PROTAGONISTS MUST THEN ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE EQUILIBRIUM
• THE EQUILIBRIUM IS RESTORED OR A NEW EQUILIBRIUM IS ESTABLISHED
EQUILIBRIUM NO EQUILIBRIUM NEW EQUILIBRIUM

4. EXAMPLE
• TOM ODELL - ‘GROW OLD WITH ME’.
• THIS MUSIC VIDEO TELLS THE STORY OF A YOUNG GIRLAND BOY WHO SEEM TO SHARE THE
SAME FEELINGS FOR ONE ANOTHER. THE GIRL’S FAMILY, HOWEVER, APPEAR TO BE RATHER
CONVERSATIVE AND THERE IS A SENSE OF FORBIDDEN LOVE AS SHE IS NOT ALLOWED TO
SHOW HIM THOSE FEELINGS SHE HAS FOR HIM. SHE STILL MANAGES TO AND THEY SEEM TO
SPEND EVERY POSSIBLE MOMENT TOGETHER, UNTIL HER FATHER – AN AUTHORITY FIGURE –
FINDS OUT. SHE STARTS TO SPEND TIME WITH DIFFERENT GIRLS AND SHUNS THE BOY SHE
ONCE FELL FOR, UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rgHYP0dD_4

5. THE EQUILIBRIUM HERE IS THAT IT APPEARS TO BE THE NORM
FOR THE GIRL TO BE AN INTROVERT – SHE DOESN’T APPEAR TO
BE VERY OUTSPOKEN; SHE IS REALLY SHY, ESPECIALLY
TOWARDS THE BOY SHE HAS FEELINGS FOR DUE TO HER
PARENTS’ EXPECTATIONS OF HER.
THE DISMANTLING OF THE EQUILIBRIUM COMES ABOUT WHEN
SHE BEGINS TO STRAY AWAY FROM HER PARENTS’ CONTROL
TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM.
THE RECOGNITION COMES ABOUT WHEN HER FATHER FINDS
HER COMING BACK HOME LATE ON ONE OCCASION – WHICH
THE AUDIENCE CAN PRESUME WITHOUT ANY PERMISSION –
WHICH INDICATES THAT SHE HAS BEEN UNDERMINING THEIR
RULES AND THEIR VALUES.
AS A RESULT, THE GIRL HANGS AROUND WITH A NEW GROUP
OF GIRLS – WITHOUT HIM. SHE HUNS HIM AND HER NEW FOUND
FRIENDS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TELLING HIM THAT SHE IS NO
LONGER INTERESTED. THIS IS WHERE THE EQUILIBRIUM IS
BEING REPAIRED AS SHE ATTEMPTS TO KEEP HOLD OF HER
NEW FRIENDS WHO SEEM CONSIDERABLY COOLER,
MEANWHILE SACRIFICING HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
IN EFFECT, A NEW EQUILIBRIUM HAS BEEN MADE BECAUSE
NOT ONLY HAS SHE NOW GOT MORE FRIENDS THAN BEFORE,
BUT THE BOY SHE ONCE FELL FOR HAS BEEN HURT BY HER
ACTIONS AND LEFT HER, LEAVING HER JUST AS MELANCHOLY,
TOO.

6. VLADIMIR (PROPP’S) NARRATIVE THEORY
• THIS THEORY TESTS THE IDEA THAT CHARACTERS WITHIN A NARRATIVE TAKE THE ROLE OF NARRATIVE “SPHERES OF ACTION” OR A
FACILITATING FUNCTION. THERE ARE 8 MAIN CHARACTER TYPES:
• HERO = AN INDIVIDUAL WHOSE QUEST IT IS TO RESTORE THE EQUILIBRIUM (TO SEEK SOMETHING)
• VILLAIN = AN INDIVIDUAL WHOSE TASK IS TO DISRUPT THE EQUILIBRIUM (OPPOSES THE HERO)
• THE DONOR = AN INDIVIDUAL WHO GIVES THE HERO(S) SOMETHING I.E. ADVICE, INFORMATION OR AN OBJECT
• HELPER = AN INDIVIDUAL WHO AIDS THE HERO WITH THEIR SET TASK
• PRINCESS (PRINCE) = INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED HELP, PROTECTING AND SAVING (REQUIRES PROTECTION FROM THE VILLAIN)
• THE KING = REWARDS THE HERO
• DISPATCHER = AN INDIVIDUAL WHO SENDS THE HERO ON THEIR QUEST
• FALSE HERO = AN INDIVIDUAL WHO SETS OUT TO UNDERMINE THE HERO’S QUEST BY PRETENDING TO AID THEM. OFTEN UNMASKED AT
THE END OF THE FILM (PRETENDS TO BE GOOD BUT REVEALS TO BE BAD).

7. EXAMPLE
• MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE – NA NA NA
• THIS MUSIC VIDEO GENERALLY CONTAINS ALL OF THE KEY CHARACTER TYPES THAT THIS
THEORY TESTS. IT TELLS THE STORY OF A GROUP WHO SET OUT TO DEFEAT WHAT APPEAR TO
BE ARCH ENEMIES IN ORDER TO SAVE THE YOUNG BOY FROM DANGER.

8. DISPATCHER – THIS IS CHARACTER WHO GIVES
THE HEROES THE MESSAGE THAT THEY NEED TO
PROTECT THE YOUNG BOY BY GIVING THEM THE
RECORD
VILLAIN – THIS IS THE INDIVIDUAL WHO WANTS
TO DISTURB THE EQUILIBRIUM
HEROES/HELPERS – THIS IS THE GROUP WHICH
IS PROTECTING THE YOUNG BOY WALKING
BEHIND THEM
PRINCE – ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO BACKSTORY,
THE AUDIENCE CAN INFER THAT THIS IS THE
INDIVIDUAL WHO NEEDS THE MOST PROTECTION
– ESPECIALLY FROM THE GROUP OF VILLAINS.
DONOR – THIS ESSENTIALLY PLAYS THE PART AS
THE OBJECT WHICH GIVES THE PROTAGONISTS
THE ADVICE TO HELP THEM ALONG THEIR QUEST.
FALSE HERO – THESE MASKED PEOPLE ARE
ESSENTIALLY THE FALSE HEROES BECAUSE OF
THE END SCENE. THEY SHOW THEIR TRUE
IDENTITY AS BEING RUTHLESS AND POWERFUL,
AS THEY EVENTUALLY END UP TAKING THE
YOUNG BOY ANYWAY DESPITE ALL THE HEROES’
ATTEMPTS TO PROTECT HIM.

9. LEVI-STRAUSS: BINARY OPPOSITIONS
• LEVI STRAUSS ARGUED THAT MEANINGS IN NARRATIVE ARE BASED UPON BINARY OPPOSITIONS: OPPOSITES. HE OBSERVED THAT ALL
NARRATIVES ARE ORGANISED AROUND THE CONFLICT BETWEEN SUCH BINARY OPPOSITES. EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
• GOOD VS. EVIL
• HUMAN VS. NATURE
• BLACK VS. WHITE
• PROTAGONIST VS. ANTAGONIST
• HUMANITY VS. TECHNOLOGY
• MAN VS. WOMAN / GIRL VS. BOY
• HUMAN VS. ALIEN
• THESE CONFLICTING OPPOSITES ARE CONSIDERED TO BE BINARY OPPOSITES.

10. EXAMPLES
• BEYONCE’S ‘IF I WERE A BOY’. THIS MUSIC VIDEO CAPTURES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A
MAN AND A WOMAN, WITH THE WOMAN HYPOTHESISING ABOUT BEING A BOY,A MALE, TO
PONDER WHETHER SHE WOULD BE TREATED ANY DIFFERENTLY, ANY BETTER. THIS VIDEO
INCLUDES AT LEAST THREE OF THE BINARY OPPOSITES MENTIONED IN LEVI-STRAUSS’ THEORY
WHICH ARE: BLACK VS. WHITE; MAN VS. FEMALE; PROTAGONIST VS. ANTAGONIST. HOWEVER,
THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO, THESE OPPOSITES APPEAR TO SUBVERT AND THEN REVERT BACK
AGAIN BY THE END.
• KATY PERRY’S ‘E.T’ALSO TOUCH UPON OTHER BINARY OPPOSITES INCLUDING HUMAN VS.
NATURE AND HUMAN VS. ALIEN AND HUMANITY VS. TECHNOLOGY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWpsOqh8q0M

11. THIS SCREENSHOT DEPICTS BOTH THE BINARY OPPOSITES
OF MAN VS. WOMAN AND THE PROTAGONIST VS. THE
ANTAGONIST (ALTHOUGH THESE ROLES REVERT BACK TO
THE MAN BEING THE MAN AND THEREFORE THE
PROTAGONIST AS WELL AS THE WOMAN BEING THE WOMAN
AND THEREFORE THE ANTAGONIST.
THIS SCREENSHOT ALSO CAPTURES THE WHITE AND BLACK
EFFECT WHICH HAS BEEN USED THROUGH THE ENTIRETY
OF THE VIDEO. THIS TOO IS A BINARY OPPOSITE ITSELF
BECAUSE IT IS SYMBOLIC OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE
OTHER FACTORS IN THE VIDEO, I.E. MAN VS. WOMAN TO
SHOW THAT THEY ARE ON EITHER END OF A SPECTRUM AND
ULTIMATELY, THEY CANNOT INTERACT WITHOUT SOME FORM
OF CONFLICT.

12. HUMAN VS. ALIEN
HUMAN VS. NATURE
HUMANITY VS. TECHNOLOGY

13. ROLAND BARTHES: ENIGMA CODE
• THIS IS IN REFERENCE TO ANY ELEMENT OF A STORY THAT ISN’T EXPLAINED COHERENTLY AND
AS A RESULT, BECOMES SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY TO THE READER/AUDIENCE. IT MAY ALSO BE
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE AUTHOR IN THIS IS TYPICALLY TO KEEP THE
AUDIENCE GUESSING, TO ESSENTIALLY CRACK THE ENIGMA, UNTIL THE FINAL SCENES ARE
REVEALED BY WHICH ALL LOOSE ENDS ARE TIED OFF AND CLOSURE IS THEREBY ACHIEVED.

14. EXAMPLE
• AVRIL LAVIGNE’S ‘WHEN YOU’RE GONE’
• THIS MUSIC VIDEO TELLS THE STORY OF A COUPLE WHO BREAK UP DUE TOA CONTROLLING
MOTHER BUT WITH THE GLIMPSES TO THE FUTURE OF THE OLD MAN WHO LIVES ALONE SHOWS,
THEY REGRET IT EVER SINCE. THE WOMAN BECOMES PREGNANT BUT HER LOVE SOON JOINS
THE ARMY AND SHE NEVER HEARS WORD OF HIS WHEREABOUTS UNTIL THE VERY END OF THE
VIDEO WHEN SHE RECEIVES A MESSAGE. THE AUDIENCE CAN THEREFORE BECOME
CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS PRESENT WITHIN THE VIDEO ARE
INTERLINKED AS THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY BE SHOWING THE TIMELINE OF THE SAME PEOPLE.

15. NEAR THE START OF THE FILM, THE WOMAN IS SHOWN TO BE HOLDING
HER STOMACH WHICH SIGNIFIES THAT SHE HAS BECOME PREGNANT,
BUT SHE IS PUT IN AN EVEN MORE DIFFICULT POSITION GIVEN THE FACT
THAT HER LOVE HAS JOINED THE ARMY
THIS BREAK UP IS EFFECTIVELY SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE MUM’S OWN
BREAK UP. THERE ARE EASILY MANY LINKS BETWEEN EACH
RELATIONSHIP CAPTURED IN THE VIDEO.
THE FACT THAT THE OLD MAN IS SHOWN HER SUGGESTS THAT THEIR
FUTURE SELVES ARE THERE TO REMIND THEM OF THEIR REGRET TO
END THE RELATIONSHIP. THE FEELING OF MISSING ONE ANOTHER IS
MUTUAL.
THIS LAST TEXT IS WHAT THE AUDIENCE ULTIMATELY WANT TO KNOW:
WHETHER THE WOMAN’S LOVER HAS SURVIVED IN THE ARMY OR NOT.
DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER TOGETHER, SHE STILL
CARES, AND THIS FINAL MESSAGE IS THE CLOSURE NEEDED FOR BOTH
HER AND THE READER.