How useful are the ideas about narrative in analysing music videos?

I believe that the narrative within a music video is important as it is a structuralist approach, that gives the audience an understanding of the story line which is organized around a particular theme and space.

The theorist Todorov looks into the narrative theory and how all narratives should follow a structure of a beginning equilibrium (start), a disruption (middle) and a new equilibrium (end). This also links with Freytag’s Pyramid, outlining the 7 steps in successful storytelling: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, resolution and denouement.

Interestingly, every film/music video will have this narrative structure, but not all in the same order. Looking at the music video ghost town, It starts with the band driving along the road, set in east London, giving off a ghostly atmosphere. This is a equilibrium of the film, giving us the introduction and exposure of the characters. If we think about Roland Barthes theory of proairetic and hermeneutic codes, this equilibrium shows proairetic codes, as it involves action and movement, as they are travelling in the car, moving around the London. The disruption shows the band suddenly drive out of control, representing the employment state, and how it has become a large problem, as unemployment rates in the UK were rising significantly. For the new equilibrium of the music video, it shows the band throwing rocks along the water on the beach, representing the calmness that has been resonated, and how everything has returned back to normal, suggesting the economic state has retuned back to normal. We could argue that the new equilibrium of the music video shows hermeneutic codes, as it shows them reflecting on what’s happened to the economic state of London.

Another theorist who looks into narrative structures, is Vladimir prop. He focuses on character types and functions, suggesting that stories use stock characters to structure stories: hero, helper, princess, villain, victim, dispatcher, father and false hero. In Commons music video “Letter to the free”, I believe that the protagonist of the music video ie, singer (Common) is presented as a dispatcher, as he conveys information to the audience about black culture and the legacy of slavery. In conclusion, he communicates the message that black lives matter. Linking back to Roland Barthes theory, this music video appears to communicate hermeneutic codes, as it is a lyrical song that gives a dialogue, as he speaks from his lyrics and reflects with the films theme, discussing the third amendment to the U.S.

Finally, another theorist, Seymour Chatman, studies satellites, which are key moments in the plot, and kernels, which are the shots in the media that could be removed, and the overall meaning would not be disturbed. In reference to “The Ghost Town”, the satellites would be anything from the type of vehicle that was used for the shoot, or the outlifts that was worn. If they changed these features, there won’t be a big impact on the music video, as it doesn’t completely change the main message. Alternatively, the kernels within the music video would be the dark, wide shots, as it gives the gloomy atmosphere of the video, which links with the title “The Ghost Town”. Without the gloomy scenery and atmosphere, the visual features of the music video wouldn’t make sense with the lyrics of the song.

So, linking back to the question, narrative is important when analysing music videos, as it allows the audience to capture the perceptions and messages the media is trying to convey.