Within the Narrative theory, there are many theorists we can apply. An example is Todorov’s Tripartite which explores how all narratives should follow a structure of beginning equilibrium, disruption and ends with a new equilibrium. Another narrative theorist that can be explored is Levi-Strauss and his theory of binary opposites and Vladamir Propp, with his theory of media have 7 different character types, the hero, helper, princess, victim, dispatcher, father and false hero.

Each of the CSPs (both “Letter to the Free” and “Ghost Town”) clearly follow Todorov’s Triparite Narrative Theory, and therefore have a clear beginning equilibrium, disruption and new equilibrium. For example, this is shown in Ghost Town with the opening being the initial equilibrium of driving through the streets of the East End of London, showing how London has become a “ghost town”. The disruption is when the car that is being driven swerves out of control, which could be a message how the unemployment rates in the UK were rising upwards out of control and thus emphasising how the whole economy of the UK was out of control. However, the new equilibrium is found and that is when the band return to the car and are seen at the end skimming rocks on a beach, which could be a symbol of things returning back to normal, since previously the car was out of control, whereas now everything has been returned to normal.

Similarly, “Letter to the Free” also follows a tripartite narrative theory. The music video begins with a shot of the setting and then the focus on the black box, which could be interpreted as an infinite symbol of black lives and a constant reminder of the symbol behind the message that “black lives matter”. The disruption can be determined by Common being seen in a prison, playing music, demanding form “freedom”. It can be argued that the disruption of this music video can be the imprisonment of black lives. This also applies Levi-Stauss’ theory of binary oppositions because Common is singing about freedom, however in the music video, he appears to have no freedom because he is trapped in a prison. Finally, the new equilibrium of the music video is the empty shots of the prison and a zooming out close-up of a house, possibly Common’s house, with the outdoor shot symbolising freedom and the freedom he has finally got. Once again, the black box appears to once again remind us of the message of the song that black lives are infinite and are equal to any other skin colour.

However, in some cases while most media products are told in a linear sequence, the film Memento by Christopher Nolan has been told in both chronological and non-chronological order, with the colour scenes being non-chronological and the black and white scenes being in a chronological sequence. In a video, Christopher Nolan explained this as being like a “hairpin”. This differentiates from other films and having the plot alternate from chronological order (black and white scenes) to non-chronological order (colour scenes) keeps the attention of the viewer and makes them want to watch on because they are about to get to the climax and then it reverses.

Another theorist that can be used within narrative and moving image products is the Satellites and Kernels theory by Seymour Chatman. Chatman explains that every narrative should have satellites and kernels. The satellites are regarded as embellishments, developments and aesthetics (minor elements) just like the satellites in space which are just there and don’t really mean anything, whereas the kernels are regarded as the key developments of the narrative and the overall narrative structure. If you remove an element regarded as a satellite from a narrative, it may not affect it, however, if you remove a kernel from a narrative, it could change the whole plot and overall meaning of the narrative.

Overall, it is very useful for music videos to follow Todorov’s tripartite narrative theory. Not only does following a narrative theory make the music video and context of the song more easier to follow, applying a narrative theory also means that you are able to capture perceptions and messages which can’t be expressed by people personally. For example, Ghost Town is talking about the economic crisis of London during the 80s, however, without the narrative theory of the music video, people could misinterpret the song and see Ghost Town as a place where nobody lives, which is the complete opposite (linking to Levi-Strauss’ theory of binary opposites) since people were living in London, it wasn’t a ghost town with no people, it was a ghost town because everyone was in their homes and not going out to work. Finally, narrative is important due to the old saying of “pictures paint a thousand words”. It can be very hard to convey a message by speaking it, however, using a music video can be a visual way to help convey a message, which is why applying narrative to music videos is an important thing to do. Finally, Chatman’s theory of Satellites and Kernels are important within moving image products because if you change elements regarded as kernels, the whole narrative of the plot can change, yet if you remove elements known as satellites, there can create a minor change to the narrative and plot.

Narrative Theory

• “Structuralism has been very powerful in its influence on narrative theory. Its main virtue is that it is most interested in those things that narratives have in common, rather than in the distinctive characteristics of specific narratives.” – Turner p.85 ‘Film as Social Practice
• Many narratives (Film, TV, Radio) are usually LINEAR and SEQUENTIAL, in that they start at ’00:00′ and run for a set length. This means that they normally have a beginning, middle and end. 

Narrative…story…plot

• According to Thompson (1990) ‘in studying narrative structure, we can seek to identify the specific narrative devices which operate within a particular narrative, and to elucidate their role in telling a story . . . it can be illuminating to focus on a particular set of narratives . . . and to seek to identify the basic patterns and roles which are common to them.’ (288)
• STORY is often associated with themes and meaning and can be decoded from all of the different elements that are used, for example, the characters, setting, props and themes etc.
• PLOT is the way in which the story (elements/themes/ideas/meaning) is organised and sequenced.

Todorov – Tripartite Narrative Structure

• Every narrative has a beginning, middle and end

Propp – Character Types

• Hero
• Helper
• Princess
• Villain
• Victim
• Dispatcher
• Father
• False Hero

Spheres of Action

• As Turner makes clear ‘these are not separate characters, since one character can occupy a number of roles or ‘spheres of action’ as Propp calls them and one role may be played by a number of different characters’ (2000:78)

 Propp proposed that his list of stock characters are structured into a narrative that has 31 different functions that play an important role in organising character and story into a plot. Without going into detail for each, overal they can be dvided into the following sections:

1. PREPARATION
2. COMPLICATION
3. TRANSFERENCE
4. STRUGGLE
5. RETURN
6. RECOGNITION

Levi-Strauss – Binary Opposites

• Levi-Strauss examined the nature of myths and legends in ancient and primitive cultures, from this analysis he suggested that myths were used to deal with the contradictions in experience, to explain the apparently inexplicable, and to justify the inevitable’ (Turner 2000:83)

Satellites and Kernels

• Kernels: key moments in the plot / narrative structure
• Satellites: embellishments, developments, aesthetics

Barthes: Proairetic and Hermenuetic Codes

• Proairetic code: action, movement, causation
• Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development
• Enigma Code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised, which encourages an audience to want more information.

Key Words:

• Ellison/Ellipsis = when you cut things out so things don’t take too long, ie the book burning scene in Memento
• Flashbacks = going back in time. In Memento, these are clearly identified by the black and white scenes
• Flash forwards = going forward in time
• Foreshadowing = flagging up something that needs to be known or will be fully developed later
• Dramatic Irony = we know something as an audience, but the characters don’t
• Parallel/simultaneous narrative = when time run simultaneously and two stories are running at the same time
• Light and Shade = you need some balance, you need to have some heavy stuff, then comedy like jokes. You can’t have the heavy intense stuff (Light) all the way through without any cuts of more calming scenes (shade)
• Non-sequitur= short story lines which can make up part of an enigma