Applying Narrative to my Music Video

Narrative Theory: Applying the Concept

Consider the following:
- How the narrative is organised and structured
- How the conflict is established and how it is resolved
- The construction of the characters in the text and how we are led to relate to them
- The importance of sound, music, iconography, mise-en-scene, editing and other technical features in telling the story
- How the themes and ideas are put forward in the story
- Is your narrative open or closed?

Your chosen text:

- Summarise the lyrics/dialogue in your text
The lyrics are "Living Dead" with the central chorus line being "I'm living dead only alive when I pretend that I have died".

- Are there key lines that you chose to give visual dominance to?
I gave visual dominance to the chorus by using quick straight cuts in a short space of time. A new frame was represented for each word repeated in the chorus e.g. "Dead dead dead" and "Alive -live -live". Also in the bridge I decided to differentiate using post-editing by applying a black and white overlay effect to provide connotations of sophistication and safety. The bridge was much slower than the chorus so the straight cuts were reduced to fit with the reflexive mood and make it contrast with the abrupt frame changes of the chorus.

Importance of the mise-en-scene in your narrative

Does your mise-en-scene Add authenticity to your singer?
The 1950s intertextuality through the costume of an A-line red polka dot dress and props such as the rotary telephone emphasised this. It made the singer's identity appear unique in comparison to other artists.

Is it key to establishing setting and relationships?
The location is key for establishing a relationship as there is obviously a visual contrast between indoors versus outdoors. The indoors establishes a safe and inviting relationship of the artist; the outdoor scene, during the night, provides connotations of loneliness and fear. The mise-en-scene reinforces this with opposing costumes. The artist on the rotary telephone whilst lip syncing suggests that she is directly addressing a recipient on the other line.

Is it part of the voyeuristic context? e.g. By suggesting a setting associated with the sexual allure?
The costume is definitely part of the voyeuristic context as the bedroom setting reinforces the sexual allure and the private life of the artist.

Is it to emphasise and aspirational lifestyle for the audience - John Stewart?
The mise-en-scene emphasises an aspiration lifestyle for the audience. This can be seen in the costume, for example the artist changes dresses, of which are very stylish, which the audience may want to desire to dress like. Additionally, in the outdoor sequence the artist wears a fur scarf and smokes a cigarette which has connotations of an upper class and fashionable lifestyle that the audience may desire. In terms of location, the bedroom reinforces this lifestyle as the furniture is clearly extravagant and suggests an expensive and luxurious style of living. In terms of make-up the heavy make-up with red lipstick and especially the artist's hair in rollers suggests that the artist is high maintenance and takes pride in her appearance, which reinforces her high style of living.

THEORIES to my text:

Roland Barthes
Suggested 5 different codes by which a narrative engages the attention of the audience:

The ENIGMA code:
The audience is intriguied by the need to solve a problem.
This could apply to my music video as the mannerisms of my artist on the rotary telephone whilst lip syncing, suggesting that she is directly addressing the meaning of the lyrics to them, clearly suggests she has a problem. The dominant reading of this could be that she is going through a turbulant relationship that needs to be resolved. The enigma code is arguably resolved as the closed ending of the narrative when a mid-shot reveals that she hangs up the telephone whilst smiling followed by a fade out, suggesting that she has finished the problem with whoever was on the phone.

The ACTION code:
The audience is excited by the need to resolve a problem.
This is not so much applicable to my music video.

The SEMANTIC code:
The audience is directed towards an additional meaning by way of connotation.
This can be applied through the contrasting opposites of the outdoors versus indoors scenes. The outdoor scenes of nightime suggest that she is in a state of equilibrium. This is reinforced by unbalanced framing, with my artist positioned on the far right of the frame in a long shot as she sits on the garden bench, suggesting her state of loneliness. Whereas the indoor shots are much more balanced.

The SYMBOLIC code:
The audience assumres that a character dressed in black is evil or menacing and forms expectations of his/her behaviour on this basis.
This can definitely be applied to my music video as a black dress was used during the night time sequences. This was combined with her smoking and looking away from the camera, reinforcing her rebellious and careless behaviour.

The CULTURAL code:
The audience derives meaning in a text from shared cultural knowledge about the way the world works.
This can be applied to my music video with the suggestion of a turbulant relationship ended over the phone etc. Cultural knowledge of the 1950s is needed to decode the significance of the mise-en-scene and that her style is completely unique to any other artist.

Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss' theory dictacted that in every media text there are binary oppositions, or a conflict between two opposites. The audience subsequently are aware of who they should side with, and this technique can also help create a political theme within a text.

E.g.
Good and Bad
This can be applied to my video as this is evident through the warming behaviour of her whilsts indoors in comparison to the careless behaviour of outdoors, for example by smoking.

E.g.
Happy and Sad
The connotations of the night time sequences and camerawork has connotations of her being lonely and unsatisfied with her life. Whereas the smiling, off guard amateur kind of shots in the indoor scenes contradict this. Again, this reinforces the lyrics of 'Living Dead'. The living being a state of happiness and death being a state of sadness.

Todorov
Todorov's theory states tat in a media text there are five stages:
Original Equilibrium
Disruption
Recognition
Attempt to restore
New Equilibrium

Original equilibruim can be applied to the first few shots of the music video, where the artist does not pick up the phone. The disruption occurs when shots of my artist show her answering the phone which follows with attempt to restore to disequilibruim (the apparent deterioration of relations with whoever is on the phone).