Narrative essay

In the 20th century there has therefore been an attempt to identify narrative,
such as Claude Levi Strauss, Vladimir Propp, Tzvetan Todorov and Barthes. All of
which devised different interpretations of narrative, however non which was
tailored to music videos. As a post modem media, music videos are extremely
versatile, making them unable to conform to a single archetypal narrative
structure. In this essay we will be using three case studys to demonstrate this
versatility; Block head the music scene, David Guetta Titanium and Chase &
Status Let you Go. Each of these music videos approach narrative in their own
unique way.
Firstly Todorov stated that a classical narrative followed a Heros Journey. That
being a chronological series of events that blend seamlessly together. My first
example Titanium achieves this, there is a condensed continual narrative
presented to the audience, with no cross cutting to other event. However while a
Classic Narrative is based upon several events in the narrative which build upon
each other. Titanium does not have the luxury of this prolonged structure and
instead begins in medias res (in the middle of) meaning that it skips the
Todorovian first stage equilibrium and dives straight into the dis equilibrium, in
the video the dis equilibrium would be the protagonist coming to grips with his
supernatural abilities while being chased by the armed forces. The video then
continually raises the stakes with more armed guards and a faster editing pace,
the lighting also represents this build up of events starting out in daylight and
slowly transitioning into night. Then we see an example of the next stage in
Torovian narrative is the acceptance, he describes this event as the Reparation,
thought the music video the main protagonist has been represented as being
frightened and confused the camera shots have been close and personal
allowing us to sympathise with his plight. However at the very end of the video
the protagonist is shown in a wide angle shot curled up and releasing his ability
to escape from the guard. This shows that he has accepted his own ability and
can now control it. The music video can therefore be seen as possessing just an
extract of Torovian narrative, It is a linear series of cause and effect with editing
that blends seamlessly together however it only shows a part of an overall
narrative leaving the viewer to come to their own conclusions.
My other two case studys are harder to apply to the Torovian style of narrative.
Firstly Chase & Status Let you Go portrays a reality talk show presenter Patrick
Chase (a parody of Jeremy Kyle). At first it does seem to follow Torovian narrative,
there is seamless editing and a cause and effect, however there is no real
conflict or resolution the video end the same way as it begins. This means that
the narrative structure should be compared to Cameron circular narrative
structure, nothing changes nothing is learnt and we are meant to gain insight
into a way of life.
My final Case Study Block Head has none or all of torovian structure. This is due
to the psychedelic abstract way the narrative is presented, leaving a large
portion up to interpretation. In other words you create your own narrative thru
the visuals.
Props also analysed the structure of media. However while Tolorov focused
primarily on events Propp identified the different characters presented in
narrative. My first case study shows the clear example of two of these
characters. The young boy is clearly the Hero, Propp defined the hero as a

sympathetic character that is seeking something. This is true of the boy in

Titanium, who is seeking freedom and understanding of his abilities. The Villain is
therefore the force that apposes the hero reaching his goal, these would be the
law enforcement who are always one step behind the hero. Besides this there are
no other Propp characters, due to the limitations of the media.
The second example Let you Go characters are loosely based on Propp theory.
Patrick Chase fits the profile of the false hero, at first he seems to be
sympathetic and likable , with a mise on scene photograph of his family and his
friendly demeanour. However as the video progresses you come to the
realisation that he has been corrupted by his fame and uses his influence to
exploited others. Therefore the series of women shown in the music video could
be viewed as the Princess as they prode the reward of sex to the protagonist.
Besides these two archetypes again we see the limitation of a music video.
Finally we again are unable to identify the character archetype to The music
scene. The video does show the Tv as a conscious mind, with the goal of
spreading itself far and wide, but does that make it the hero, and if this is correct
then the animals who refuse to pay attentions are the villains. By breaking the
presentation down you realise how Propp theory can never perfectly fit with a
music video as abstract as the music scene, as it focuses more on conveying a
narrative thru ideas and imagery rather than characters.
The most common example of narrative in music videos is the binary opposition,
theorised by Levi-Strauss. In nearly all music videos you can view two opposing
forces interacting with each other causing conflict. My case studys are no
different, as previously mentioned the Titanium shows a clear opposition.
Between the defenceless boy and the aggressive SAS officers.
In let you go the opposition takes a more subtle approach. The opposition and
conflict does not come from external factors instead it presents itself as an
internal conflict between the presenters on air personality and their actions when
the camera is off. This is demonstrated with the use of lighting and editing, when
he is on air Patrick is presented in high key lighting and mid shot, however once
he is off air the tone radically shifts, with low key lighting an close up camera
angles. Thus the conflict is the double life that the actor lives. With the former
being affected by the later.
My Final case study can again be seen to be about binary oppositions. The is a
constant theme between nature and science. The sentient television is shown to
manipulated the surrounding nature and its components to create consumers to
view it. However to do this it must reassemble nature itself.
Another facet of narrative is the presentation of time. Each of my case study
tackles this concept differently. Titanium as the most conventional narrative is
linear, event after event until conclusion, making it most similar to a film. My
second case study Wont let you go as aforementioned is a circular narrative, the
beginning matches the end suggesting that the events witnessed are part of
some routine, at the end nothing is learnt and nothing is achieved. Finally the
music scene plays about with the concept of time and space, there are no
indication of time passing the sky is a consistent dark blue as the fabric of
reality is warped. Therefore we cannot prescribe it a linear order of progression
although it does poses a vague continuity.
A goal of most music videos is to be re-watched and analysed by their most

devoted fans, therefore the final aspect of narrative will focus on the enigma
codes and inter textual references as both entice the viewer to re-consume the
video. Firstly Titanium starts of strong by starting in medias res, the audience is
dropped into a partly destroyed school with no context. By watching the video
you uncover the full story. However by revealing the entire mystery you leave
nothing unresolved and thus nothing to come back to.
In the video there are also a scattering of inter textual references, as the entire
video is an homage to the x-men franchise, a series of comic books about people
born with mutant abilities that they must control. Besides this there are no strong
link to other pop culture.
Our second case study at first appears to have no deeper meaning or mystery. It
is simply the capturing of Patricks day to day life. However if you look closer you
find a sinister underlining mystery that being Patricks family, there are multiple
shots of a photo of his family, however there are practically no other indications
that he is married. This leaves an unanswered question that allows our mind to
speculate. As for inter textual references the entire video is a parody of the show
and personality Jeremy Kyle.
Finally the reason why the music scene has amassed a cult following is due to its
open ending nature. The trippy animation leaves the story as a vague hint,
resulting in people constantly trying to uncover the core meaning. Again by
revealing just enough to hint at a story and withholding information will result in
a need to uncover the truth.
As for references the video is far to unique to be compared to anything but itself.
In conclusion the music videos are unable to fit into traditional story structures
as they are bound by both the lyrics and the run time. Instead they refer to
immediately recognisable overly simplified story structures, or just by exploring a
simple theme, such as conflict with binary oppositions and mysteries with
enigmas.