How useful are ideas about narrative in analysing music videos? Refer to CSP “Ghost Town” and “Letter to the Free” in your answer.

I believe that the narrative within a music video is important as it gives understanding story line. 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). Another theorist who looks at narratives, is Levi Strauss. He proposed a theory of binary opposites and how the majority of narratives within media, such as books, films, contain opposing main characters. Lastly, the theorist Vladimir Propp, who talks about media having 7 different character types.

Looking at the music video ghost town, it has an equilibrium, disruption and a new equilibrium. It starts with the band driving along the road, set in east London, giving off a ghostly atmosphere. The middle 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 end 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.

On the other hand, with the music video letter to the free, its equilibrium starts with a slow-motion scene of a prison, with an unusual black box. this represents an infinite symbol of black lives. When the symbol appeals again at the end of the video, it gives us a constant reminder of the message black lives should always matter.

Linking back to the question, narrative is useful when analyzing music videos, as it allows the audience to capture the perceptions and messages. As using just a speaker to convey a message can be difficult, so applying narrative to music videos is important.

Equilibrium

i will have a protagonist walking through the woods, feeling lonely and thoughtful

shot of her friend walking (focused on shoes), then scene cuts to the protagonist walking in the footsteps of her friends past footsteps. this represents the idea that the protagonist doesn’t want to let go of the past (doesn’t want to accept the loss of her friend.)

Scene of protagonist climbing onto top of cliff, sitting on the edge with headphones in.

Disruption

shots of scenario – ocean, sky, woods, beach

scene cuts to her dancing on the beach in the water (representing her relieving emotional pain)

New Equilibrium

*have not planned*

overall she feels alone and isolated as she has lost all connection with her friend

scenes of the past will be in black and white

pastiche = an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period.

bricolage = construction or creation from a diverse range of available things.

intertextuality = relationship between texts

implosion = an instance of something collapsing violently inwards.

cultural appropriation = cultural elements that may have deep meaning to the original culture

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MUSIC IDEAS

Q2: Explain how representations used in Music Videos communicate information about their cultural and political contexts.

The Specials, who are an English band formed in 1977, produced a song called The Ghost Town, that was released on the 12^th of June in 1981. This song managed to spend 3 weeks at no. 1 and 10 weeks in total on the UK Singles chart Top 40. Their music combines a danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk energy. The binary opposition theory by Levi-Strauss can be linked to this song because there are 2 contrasting genres of music, which is Ska and Jazz.

Being in the top charts, helped them address the themes of urban decay, deindustrialization, unemployment and violence around the UK. They had confused their audience by producing “The Ghost Town” is it seemed different. The title track incorporated discordant horns, haunted chords and demonic vocal harmonies that was uncomfortable to listen to. Jerry Dammers, who was the keyboard player, stated that “the overall sense I wanted to convey was impending doom.”

The song was inspired by the economic state that the band saw when touring the UK. Local businesses were closing down and people were becoming unemployed. They said that “we were touring the country and we could literally see it happening.” They addressed the problems throughout their lyrics, referencing to the violence that was shown at their shows. When they noticed this violence, they decided to quit touring.

The St Pauls riots in Bristol 1980 happened due to police employing stop and search tactics on minorities. 130 people were arrested, 25 taken to hospital, including 19 police involved. Other similar situations started to occur, which was addressed in the song lyrics “the people getting angry”.

To give the song a gloomier atmosphere, the lighting of the music video was made to be very dark. This would have suggested the idea of a ghost town. during the middle of the music video, around 1min 13secs, a car swerves out of control. This could possibly signify how the employment situation in the UK at the time of 1981, unfortunately blew out of control. Through research, I’ve seen that 1981 was the height of employment, due to Margaret Thatcher’s decisions on closing down businesses, because they went “profitable”. This was what made the riots erupt all over the country.

The strong political message of the video is a challenge to the audience with a direct mode of address which is both angry and plaintive. The video was unusual for the time in conveying a strong social message (in contrast to the dominant style of pop music in the charts at the time), meaning that the audience of the time might well have been shocked or discomfited by it.

Finally, there is a hybrid mix of references the music video forms, as there’s an experimental combination of narrative, performance and concept. This means that the video can be read through a postmodern approach with reference to intertextuality and hybridity. 

1. COLONIALISM – policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country
2. POST COLONIALISM – effects left behind after a country is colonised
3. DIASPORA – Jewish people that are live outside Israel
4. BAME – black, Asian and minority ethnic people
5. DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS (GILROY) – describing the internal conflict experienced by subordinated groups in an oppressive society.
6. CULTURAL ABSOLUTISM / RACIAL ESSENTIALISM – idea that psychological phenomena, such as intelligence and honesty, do not differ from culture to culture
7. CULTURAL SYNCRETISM – distinct aspects of different cultures blend together to make something new and unique
8. ORIENTALISM (SAID) – involves seeing Arab culture as exotic, backward, uncivilised, and at times dangerous.
9. APPROPRIATION – taking something from something without the owners permission.
10. CULTURAL HEGEMONY – domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate the culture of that society 
11. THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING IN TERMS OF FAIR REPRESENTATION OF MINORITY GROUPS / INTERESTS – area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action.

WHAT IS THE CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND IN WHICH THIS VIDEO WAS COMMENTING UPON?

cultural – deep respect and knowledge of Ska, the music style that originated in 1950s Jamaica, a precursor to Reggae

social – Addressing themes of urban decay, deindustrialisation, unemployment and violence in inner cities

historical – caught the mood of Summer 1981 as levels of civil unrest not seen in a generation hit the UK. The song was influenced by scenes noted during the band’s UK tour.