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