Narrative theories

There are four different theories that people have used to fit in with how a music video narrative is. These four theorists are;

• Roland Barthes
• Tzvetan Todorov
• Vladimir Propp
• Claude Levi-Strauss

They all had very different aspects towards the narrative in a music video. These theories are explained below;

1. Roland Barthes - Building a narrative
Enigma code = Refers to any element that is not explained and therefore exsists as an enigma, raising questions that demand an explanation.
Action code = Refers to the other major structuring principle that builds interest or suspense on the part of an audience. The action code applies to any action that implies a further narrative action

2. Tzventan Todorov
This man believed that a narrative may being with an equilibrim and then moves onto a disequilibrim until a new harmony is built at the end of the narrative

3. Vladimir Propp

Propp basically looked at Todorov's idea of the narrative and developed it much further. He made a diagram to show the different stages and what happens where in a narrative. The disequilibrim is basically the climax of the narrative and Propp's diagram still demonstrates the way in which there's two harmonies, one at the beginning and a resolved harmony at the end.  This diagram is just a basic outline to show you what he did.

4. Claude Levi-Strauss

Believed constant creation of conflict/oppostion propels narrative. Narrative can only end on a resolution conflict. Oppostion can be visual or conceptual and to do with soundtrack.