Narrative Theory

Sven E Carlsson

Sven Carlsson argues that music videos fall into three rough categories: performance, conceptual, and abstract clips. 

Micheal Shore

(1984) He applies some aspect of post modern theory to music videos, thus deducing that music videos are:

• Recycled styles.
• Surface without substance.
• Simulated experience.
• Ambivalence.
• Information overload.
• Decadence.
• Immediate gratification.
• Anesthetization of violence.
• The death of content.
• Adolescent male fantasies.
• Classical storytelling motif's (- for example circe and faust in Domaille's Narrative theory).

Bordwell, and Thompson

(1997) Based on Russian film theory, two distinctions between story and plot were made. A narrative consists of two elements; story and plot. Within this, there are inferred events, explicitly shown events, and non-diegetic material, such as music, or any on-screen text. The story (or Fabula) is what happens, and the plot (or syuzhet) is what is presented to us as an audience. This means that the plot contains inferred events which we do not visually see, but assume happen in order to support the rest of the plot which increases the verisimilitude of a media text. An example of this is when a character travels to a different location;  you may see them leave the house and get into the car (plot), but the next shot might be them walking into a bar. In this situation it is assumed that the character drove all the way there, and probably parked in a nearby car park - this is an inferred event which is part of the story.

Tim O'Sullivan 

(1998) States that narratives have a common structure starting with the establishment of a plot or theme.

Pam Cook 

(1985) States the standard Hollywood structure should have:

• A fictional world that contains verisimilitude 
• A high degree of narrative closure
• Linerary of cause and effect 

Andrew Goodwin

(1992) argues that in music video "narrative relations are highly complex" and meaning can be created from the individual audio viewer's personal musical taste to sophisticated intertextuality that uses phenomena of western culture. For example, Iggy Azaleas' music video for the song "black widow. In this video we see the man from Kill Bill, Michael Masden, which is not only an inter-textual reference to the film industry but to elements of western culture. In addition to this, an audience is more likely to consume this product because it contains a familiar face, of whom holds prestige.

This is also an example of cultural capital as it refers to other aspects of society.

Kate Domaille

Kate Damaille stated in 2001 that every story ever told can be fitted into one of eight types of narrative. Each of these 'types' has a source, an original story which has become the basis for all other narratives. The eight categories are as follows:

Achilles - A fatal flaw that leads to the destruction of the previously flawless, or almost flawless person. An example of from this category is Superman, who's main flaw is his inability to go within ten feet of the radioactive element kryptonite, which eventually leads to his destruction. 

Candide - The indomitable hero who cannot be put down. Rocky - for example.

Cinderella - When dreams come true,  resulting in a happy ending - like in Pretty Woman.

Circe - The chase. This refers to good vs evil, or hero vs villain style narratives, for example Alien vs Predator, and the Terminator films.

Faust - This refers to 'the selling of one's soul' and being better off  at first until it ultimately leads to their downfall. Examples include Bedazzled, and Wall Street. 

Orpheus - The loss of something personal, the gift that is taken away. The narrative either focuses on the tragedy of the loss , or the journey which follows the loss. For example - The Sixth Sense. 

Romeo and Juliet  - The love story containing romance between two characters; Titanic for example.

Tristan and Iseut - The love triangle. Often seen in romantic genres, An individual loves another character, but a third party intervenes. An example of this can be seen in the film Casablanca.

Tzvetan Todorov 

Todrov's narrative theory states that most stories or plot lines follow the same pattern or path, and draws focus on this concept of equilibrium, and disequilibrium. In this path, there are five steps/stages. To the right, I have produced a timeline to show the five stages in order. 

1 - A state of equilibrium (Everything is as it should be, in a state of equal balance)

2 - A disruption of that order by an event (disequilibrium)

3 - A recognition of this disruption

4 - An attempt in the restoration of the equilibrium through the repair to the damage caused by the disruption.

5 - (re-equilibrium) The restoration of the equilibrium.

This type of narrative structure is common and therefore can be used with application to a lot of mainstream narratives.