What is a Narrative music video ? Narrative music videos generally describe how events are organised and structured in time and space alongside this

are the relating lyrics of the song which help to assist in the storyline of the music video. The collaboration of both dramatized visuals sand lyrics work hand in hand to develop further into the entirety of the

music videos meaningful story Majority of the underlying storylines in narrative music videos are generally based upon heart wrenching love stories

that heavily entice the emotions of the audience. The importance of narrative music videos can be seen in the light of directors exploring significant social issues which

are generally not touched upon in terms of raising awareness and therefore this gravitates a lot of media attention and other audiences which could potentially spiral into some sort of controversy which is a major way of helping to promote a music video.

This music video entitled ‘love the way you lay’ was a extremely controversial music video that explored the delicate topic of domestic violence which then lead it to grab vast media attention. It Tells a story about a couple being deeply in love but however can’t seem to maintain a happy relationship and when things begin to take a turn for the worst the violence is triggered and spirals out of control and this is seen throughout the music video. To enhance the authenticity both the artists Eminem and Rihanna have either suffered or been the perpetrator of this particular conflict. Joseph Kahn the director wanted to ensure audience saw the devastating extremes of domestic violence and stated that ‘’ not all couples fight like this’’ but his interpretation of individuals being deeply in love but evidently not right for one another.

An example of a Narrative music video: Eminem Ft Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie

In terms of the construction of a narrative music video the technical element of editing in numerous cuts and also implementing a variety of different shots helps to enhance the effect of the duration of time as this short film which usually has the duration of 3-4 minutes has to showcase a clear and highly captivating storyline and by adding in numerous shots and cuts it seems as if a lot of action is consistently occurring.

There are 2 types of main layouts and these include linear based video or fragmented one. The linear type focuses on a story line with a beginning, middle and end.

Intertextuality as a common feature used within music videos

What is a opening narrative? An open narrative is a structure that allows there to be no general ending and gives the chance for the

story to be left open. This urges audience to create and build upon their own meaningful ending of a particular music video.

An example is Drake – Find Your Love - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyv4Bjja8yc

Within this music video the female vixen positioned behind the artist Drake places a gun to his head and a shot of her getting ready to pull the trigger . However it fades to black and audience don’t find out the concluding outcomes of whether he dies or

not. This enables audience to then question the many possible events and creates space for imaginative thinking to begin as they create their own ending.

What is a closed narrative? Closed narratives have the opposite type of endings in comparison to the open narratives as they have a

finalised conclusionExample : Drake – Just Hold On Were Going Home Throughout the music video drake is seen determined to rescue his lover in the face of the villains as

well as numerous obstacles and at the end of the music video Drake is seen to have defeated all problems and is content with the rescuing of his lover.

Amplification:The amplification theory links not only narrative elements but also performance elements to display an artistic and creative outlook which allow audiences to achieve an understanding or meaning and connotations through the collaborative elements working together which help establish a significant statement or underlying message

guided by the lyrics of the song itself. The song is called the good life and this seen in text as well as in materialistic terms of him splurging on highly expensive cars.

Illustration:Illustration allows the music to simply connect to the video due to the fact that it simply focuses on the songs literal meaning and this is reflected visually for audiences. The most common form of this seen is by the actions of the song being carried out on screen or the lyrics of the soundtrack physically appearing in the music video.

Disjuncture:These types of narrative videos declare intentions of shying away from the actual content, meaning and genre of the song. Therefore this music video now incorporates numerous abstract ideas that alter the original identity of the song. These radical changes can reflect on the artists and directors level of creativity when in the initial production process .Rihanna is known for highly controversial music videos and this music video however doesn’t correlate very closely with the title and uses abstract images and visuals that generally create a vibrant upbeat aura which reflects the extensive creative input from Rihanna.

Example – Kanye West Ft Rihanna All Of The Lights

Example :Rihanna -Rude Boy

Example: Kanye West Ft T-Pain – Good Life

Performance based videos consist of a mixture of :

live performances such as concerts

real life situations including behind the scenes footage

warming up for a performance

In a studio which focus on the artist and a message they

are trying to communicate

spending time with close family and friends , rehearsals

and time spent with fans.

Performance based music video are highly captivating based

upon the idea that fans and audiences feature in such music

video and this allows audiences to gain a sense of belonging in

relations to social integration of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.

Mostly seen are close ups of the artist performing the song and

this is used to reinforce the idea that the soundtrack is highly

important along with the video. An important benefit of

performance based music videos are the fact that they help to

promote tours and numerous other live performances. This is

due to the millions of fans seen in the music video singing

along in such a vibrant atmosphere which encourages

audiences to then have this experience first-hand by

purchasing tickets to these live events. They also consists of

personal performances of artists in studios singing as well as

potentially performing choreography .

Example: Chris Brown – Beautiful People

Chris Brown is seen spending Leisure time with his close friends on scooters

Studio based performances , usually are used within more emotionally intensive songs

August Alsina Ft Nicki Minaj – No Love

Todorov stated that there are 5 narrative structures that all narratives follow and

these include:

1. Equilibrium

2. A disruption occurs to the equilibrium

3. Realisation of the situation as something need to be done to solve it

4. At this stage the character/s attempt to restore the order

5. Reoccurrence of the equilibrium – this is based on the fact that order is

officially restored normality can commence

Key Terms:• Beginning= State of the equilibrium• Middle – Disruption to the equilibrium• End – establishing of the equilibrium

Equilibrium stated as the female protagonist calls her lover however hears that he is in the presents of other females mistresses.

His lover is calling him however has no idea about his whereabouts.

Disruption to the equilibrium caused as he releases his deviant actions have been recognized by his lover.

Here he sees the calls and a general shock of devastation takes over as he is seen dwelling on the consequences to his actions.

The artist ‘Trey Songz’ decides that he must immediately fix this and decides to make his way to his lover’s presence and explain himself.

A state of realisation of his actions begin to establish themselves before setting out to solve such issues

The artist then drives to his lover in order to acquire major forgiveness and mend the relationship that may now potentially be in ruins. When in her presence he consoles her as well as expressing his apologetic state

The artist is displayed in a sports car which of course is a major convention of R&B music videos –attempting to arrive at his location as fast as he can

The situations is now resolved as the conclusion demonstrates how both happily cling on to one another reflecting the contentment of the relationship

Propp’s theory in the 1920’s developed on 6 stages of a narrative that was based on traditional Russian fairytales. The 6 stages of his theory included:

1.Preperation:The initial scene being set2.Complication:A problem occurs which can be generated by ones evil

actions 3. Transference:the hero gets help and leaves on his quest 4.Struggle:Commotion occurs between the hero and villain 5.Return:The hero triumphs in his quest and then establishes his

noble actions6.Recognition:The hero is then rewarded while the villain will be crucially

punished

It is common that mainly music

videos of the Pop genre take this

particular type of form due to its

dominant convention of sticking

to a story based narrative.

What concept based music videos consist of : Concept based music videos never tend to have a structure but may simply link to a single

idea. This single idea within the music video may have no relation to the lyrical content of the song. It is highly common that these types of music videos take a unusual and random approach that trigger off instant attractions from audiences

It is typical that majority of these types of music videos consists of one type of editing technique throughout the video

It also gives audiences an opportunity to give their own meaning to the visuals seen in the music video

Red Hot Chilli Peppers -

Californication

Conventions of pop music

videos

Mainly Narrative based with numerous

performance elements seen

throughout

Fast editing cuts to add to the vibrant

and fun mood of the video

Party atmosphere

usually created

Colourful theme implemented

throughout the video Energetic and

technical dance routines

Mostly appeal to a younger audiences –

teenagers.

Lyrical content focused on love and

relationships

Conventions of Hip Hop

Mainly location are seen to be in

club settings

Numerous other famous artist will

feature in the music video along with big

entourages

Mansions are a highly common

location assisting in glorifying their

wealthy lifestyle

Numerous low angle shots to help

reinforce the power of the rappers that

tend to dominate this genre

Covered in materialistic goods including jewellery

and designer clothing

Sexualised exploitation of women. This is usually

portrayed through sensual dance routines and also

being emphasised through minimal clothing

Conventions of Rock

Frequently take the form of being

performance based

* Mainly occurring on stage during

concerts

Dark Coloured Clothing

Includes handheld and uneasy

camera movements

Huge amounts of tattoos and body

piercings -enhancing brand

identity

Messy Hair –enhancing the rebellious look

that matched the ideology of the

genre

Band performances. Entertainment factor

increased through the close ups of the

instruments

Conventions Of R&B

Dance Routines

Prominently includes a narrative

Topless males

Grey scale / Sepia tone used

Locations include clubs , beaches ,

mansions and set based performances

Women either displayed modelling

or dancing provocatively

money is depicted in a good light and

consistently shown by the artist through materialistic goods

I carried out further research within the R&B genre due to the fact that this was the choosen one for my media product. I came across a number of modern day changes of conventions however mainly on how women are still depicted to be sexualised objects but have acquired new found dominance that merely disregards their sexualised femininity. This emergence of power could be based on the huge decline of patriarchal control influencing society. This effectively establishes a key idea of women having the potential to dominate along with exploring provocative assets.

Male R&B artists in R&B

music videos

displayed themselves

as topless in the early

2000’s this has now

changed to the

showcasing of

designer clothes.

Example: Nicki

Minaj – Looking