Narratives in Music Videos

Narrative is basically a term for storytelling in the media. It is the different elements that producers combine together to create a meaningful storyline. 

One of the first things that the producers will create for the music video is a good narrative. They want to engage the audience and give them a something exciting to follow, rather than just including random things in the video. They create their ideas using a range of different techniques, such as:

• Linear/Non-Linear Narratives 
• Montages 
• Narrative Enigma/Enigma Codes (Roland Barthes)
• Binary Opposites (Claude Levi Strauss)
• 3 Part Narrative Structure (Todo Propp)

Linear/Non-Linear Narratives/ Three Part Narrative Structure 

If the music video has a linear narrative, it means that the events that take place in the music video are displayed in chronological order. Therefore the music video will begin with the start of the story and finish with the end of the story. Similarly, the three-part structure involves the beginning whereby everything is normal, this is called the equilibrium. Next comes the conflict, this is when there problem arises. Lastly comes the resolution, which results in a new equilibrium. Producers may choose to use this technique because it will be easier for the audience to follow. It will not be confusing as everything would happen in a logical order and it will be clear why something is happening and what caused it to happen. This form of technique does not tend do be used very often, as it is quite hard to fit a full story into a music video. It is also quite ordinary and does not particularly differentiate the video from anything else. Producers nowadays tend to prefer to use more engaging and interesting technique, as technology has become so advanced. They now have access to technology, which did not exist 20 years ago such as CGI and special effects. Therefore it is a lot easier to create a spectacular video in current times.

'Same Girl' by Usher and R.Kelly is an example of a linear music video. You follow the story of them both thinking they are with the same girl. At the beginning of the music video in a conversation between them both they begin to believe that they are dating the same girl. Throughout the music video they begin to plan to catch her out. One of them makes a plan to meet her and the other turns up. They set up their plan and it all goes perfectly until they realise that they are not actually seeing the same girl. It turns out the girl has a twin, which then solves the problem. It is a clear narrative and it is very easy to follow for the audience. It is also quite comical, which provides the audience with entertainment.

Montages

A montage is a series of shots edited together. It helps to show time passing or something that takes place over a long period of time. It helps to fit a long narrative into a few minutes. It is popular in music videos due to the fact that artists can fit a meaningful narrative into a short amount of time, which can be very hard to do in a normal manner. 

Narrative Enigma/ Enigma Codes

Roland Barthes created a theory based on codes in the media. An enigma code is an element of mystery that is left in the plot. It leaves the audience with unanswered questions, therefore inclining them to keep watching in order for them to discover the answers. It is a popular form of narrative in music videos because it really pulls in the audience instantly and keeps them engaged until the very end of the video. This is because people to not like being kept in the dark then consequently they refuse to stop watching until they are revealed the truth.  

The video for 'The Worst' by Jhene Aiko provides enigma codes instantly for the audience. Almost straight away the audience see the artist standing in the corner of the room. As there are shadows of blinds and flashing blue and red lights, it tells the audience that there must be police outside the location she is in. That in itself provides the audience with plenty of questions; is she okay? What has happened? Are the police after her? The only way the audience will get these answers is by watching the video till the end. It is a clever way to keep the audience from loosing interest. Unfortunately for the audience, in this video there is no clarity and the video is left on a cliffhanger. Giving no answers will leave the video on the viewers mind and they will begin to try and give themselves possibility of what the answers would've been.

Binary Opposites

This is a theory created by Claude Levi Strauss. He suggests that a good story always revolves around binary opposites; meaning two things represented as completely different to one another. This could be good vs evil or men vs women etc. This tends to be used in videos, especially using the good vs evil concept. Conventionally the artist will be the good character and another character will play the bad. It is quite a popular technique as it encourages the audience to support the artist, as they are fighting against something that is bad. It also can boost the artists reputation as the audience will see the artist as this protagonist that they are shown as in the video. People often tend to associate how artists or actors are in films or music videos, as their real life personalities. 

Kendrick Lamar created a music video confronting the ongoing conflict of police brutality  towards black people and other ethnic minorities in America. In his music video for 'Alright' he makes it very distinct that the binary opposites are black citizens of America and white police officers. This is clearly indicated by the black and white filter over the whole video. He also includes lyrics such as "we hate PoPo, wanna kill us dead in these streets for sure". Being a black American himself, Kendrick Lamar is acting like a spokesperson for thousands of people, as it is a clear problem in America that has not been solved even in modern society. It makes a lot of people angry, however they may not be powerful enough to make a difference. This is how Kenrick Lamar and his label have as said in the video "abused" his influence and power to speak up about this devastating problem that people still try to ignore. As a result of doing this, Kendrick would attract a large audience of people that share this view. It is giving him a good reputation as he is speaking up about something that many people feel very strongly about.