Narrative theories

Bordwell and Thompson

I chose the song ‘Uprising’ by the English band Muse, as it has very strong ideologies and messages behind the lyrics and mainly the mise-en-scene within the diegesis. In the video it is the band seen as the main focus points going through this place that can be connoted as society or the world of politics; therefore the meanings in the video are very strong and it’s all about how you interpret it.

The first narrative theory I will be talking about is the theory by Bordwell and Thompson  which is all about the offer two views between story and plot which link to the diegetic made up world of the narrative that the audience are shown and positioned to portray and that which the audience actually sees or hears. They are based on Fabula (story) which is what we actually see and interpret; the events that are presented to us in the media texts and Syuzhet (Plot) which is what is actually visible or what we hear; the manner, order and techniques used to present the narrative.

It means that Muse are not a fan of tyranny or forced control into the collective (social justice) but rather believes that we must rise up to face it and fight it, in the name of our personal liberty. I know by research that the UK has a long history of social control and tyranny. This is seen from the start when you see the fuse that will run out and cause the fire to rise up and cause destruction to the government and society. This is the fabula and Syuzhet distinctions both intertwining into creating story and plot as you can visibly see the fuse running out is the Syuzhet distinction and the connotations around the fuse is based on the Fabula distinction. Throughout the video you only have flashbacks which have an elliptical edit effect as you don’t see every centimeter burning out. However the flashbacks of the fuse have two views; one being that the dominance and tyranny of the UK, which are referred to as the ‘fat cats’ have been in power too long and it is taking its toll. Or that the uprising is soon coming and the destruction and effect on the relationships will be greater than expected and the liberalization will rise up and the government will fall and burn.

In this case I think the video I chose conforms in both the story and plot in both views and distinctions of the theory. As the chain of events, such as the fuse running out for the people, in the narrative effects the relationships of the people with the government as they are starting to realise that something needs to be done with this and they do actually need to take a stand with this. Regarding the fat cats line; you could see it as being targeted towards big businesses or capitalism but they are out for profits, not outright control over every detail of the people’s lives. That kind of power and control over the citizens is the main motive of large central government and the vindictive self-centered dominators that manipulate it.

Sven Carlson

This theory demonstrates the idea that music video’s in general fall into two groups. Them being when a music video is showing the artist or band singing and dancing, it is known as a performance clip. And the other category is when the clip shows something different during its length, often with artistic influences; it is known as a conceptual clip - more specifically the sub categories are known as the art clip and the narrative clips. I think my video falls into both of the categories and it largely applies to my video in both performance and conceptual sectors.

The first section I will talk about is the performance side of the video. In the video the very first indication of a performance clip is when the band is on the back of the old truck playing the song as they are driving through town. Through the use of the old truck it conveys and reflects the nostalgia and care for the old society that was in a better way and structure in comparison to what it has changed to now. Also the truck is going very slow to the tempo of the song which shows that the society and world are slowly disintegrating into a world that isn’t in it’s best state and unhealthy for it’s inhabitants. Another feature that conveys the same message is that the band is also playing around the fire watching above the fire and they are seen as powerful characters.  This shows that the band is almost watching this society and world we live in now is about to burn and die and something needs to be done about it. Through the use of showing the band playing it shows that they are trying to contribute to inform and let people know about what’s really happening and the potential that could happen. Finally one of the last scenes is showing the band playing in a confined container and the explosions are getting inside. It says “green belts wrapped around our minds and endless red tape to keep the truth confined” which shows that everything they do is limited in trying to help the place that they live in and that external influences do not like what is happening, therefore the external powers are trying to get inside of their minds to stop what they’re doing.

The second section I will be talking about is the narrative clip element of the video. If a music video is predominantly understood as a short film whilst the music is playing, it is generally a narrative clip. A narrative clip includes a visual story that can be interpreted by the audience, which involves no relation to music whatsoever. In relation to my video, the divide between performance and narrative is approximately a 50/50 split because you see the band playing on the back of the truck which includes the performance side and the narrative with the mother, the bear representing childhood and the theme and acts of tyranny against the government. This video is understood as a political movement which correlates with the background and the lyrics to help the audience understand beliefs and ideologies of the song. Through the use of the conceptual side of this music video it helps convey the attitudes of liberty; interpreting the conceptual side of the video in this way is thought provoking and thats when the audience can fully conform and see the video in a dominant reading. It has various different narratives, however due to the correlation with the lyrics and the narrative as the video progresses you realise that it all combines into one ideology, which is effective if the institutions want to widen their target audience so more people can conform with the messages. 

The last section of this theory is the art clip idea. Art clips include no perceptible narrative that the audience can see and accept but contains no singing or lip synchronisation. In relation to my video it doesn't conform with it, because the narrative is there and it is easily recognised from many aspects 
of the video.   

Todorov

I chose the song ‘Uprising’ by the English band Muse, as it has very strong ideologies and messages behind the lyrics and mainly the mise-en-scene within the diegesis. In the video it is the band seen as the main focus points going through this place that can be connoted as society or the world of politics; therefore the meanings in the video are very strong and it’s all about how you interpret it. This theory applies to this video due to the narrative in the video in the way it is constructed conforms in relation to chronology.

Todorov suggested that they were 5 stages to a music video, stage 1 included – A point of stable equilibrium, where everything is satisfied, normal and balanced. Secondly the next stage being the stability being disrupted by some kind of power, which creates a sense of disequilibrium. After that comes the 3^rd stage where the disruption that has happened has been recognised. Then the 4^th stage occurs and it is only possible to recreate and establish the equilibrium through action directed against the initial disruption. Finally in the last stage, the equilibrium in a new form has been restored, but the consequences of the reaction is to change the world of the narrative or the people involved so the final form of the equilibrium does not get disrupted and that a change for the better so it doesn’t go back to it’s previous state.

Stage 1

The first stage of the equilibrium can be interpreted in many different ways, however the predominant view is that Muse the band have been the story tellers to the tale of the woman is seen as a prostitute and (white, short dress) and a role model to her child, which is represented through the bear. The woman is completely content with what she is doing as she is the last resort to her problem is through prostitution and at the moment it is fine because it is some form of income for her child. But at the same time you see the fuse burning and eventually it will run out and the fuse continues to become shorter.

Stage 2

The next stage includes the fuse becoming shorter and shorter that will eventually run out and cause some disruption. It says on the first line “paranoia is in bloom” which shows that her child who is reflected by the bear has been experiencing some sort of mental troubles that is playing with his mind and the mother and child relationship is slowly growing apart. The force that is the paranoia and mental troubles is tearing the two apart and the mental troubles will soon run out like the fuse and cause problems. The bear is being seen on multiple TV’s that shows that the problem is growing and not only a problem for the bear.

Stage 3

The disruption has occurred and it’s taking a toll on a number of people. The figurines that are represented as civilians have started to melt and die due to the fire in the middle of the diegesis and it is having a knock on effect that isn’t just affecting the mother and child. It shows due to their feud is taking the attention of the town towards their feud and it completely ruins the equilibrium that was created just so that the mother can provide for her child.

Stage 4

The re-establishment of the equilibrium occurs after the bear has caused mass destruction of this town in the aftermath of his mental troubles that have caused the bear to completely go off the rails. When the bear falls unconscious connotes that the mental troubles have calmed down and stopped affecting the full town. This leads to the re-establishment of the town becoming normal again and not being infected with such destructive behavior and they move off to the next town.

Last stage

Finally in the last stage everything is back to normal: the fuse has ran out, the fire has died, the bear has fell unconscious and calm and Muse move on to the next town to tell another story. 

In conclusion this theory does apply to my music video due to the chronological order in which these stages of events are placed. This chronological order creates the narrative to apply to this theory which adds structure and makes it conventional of a music video.    

Tim O'sullivan

In 1998, Tim O’sullivan argues and demonstrates the idea that all media texts tell us some kind of story. Through precise and conscious decisions media texts portray a way of telling stories about society and most importantly us, sometimes it may not be about personal experiences, but us as a culture or set of beliefs and rules. This theory’s objective is to show what we have gone through as a culture and when we ‘read’ a story or consume a media text the audience has to understand a set of codes and conventions and how they are put together so that the audience can understand them. The chosen video is ‘Uprising’ by Muse, which conveys various different interpretations about society

I think my music video highly conforms to O’Sullivan’s theory of the media text telling us a story – in relation to my product then then the media tells us various stories about our culture and society depending on how you interpret it, which will depend on factors such as age, sex, political views, social class and status etc.  There are 3 main terms when discussing this theory, the first being Narrative, which is the structure of a story. Secondly the next term being Diegesis – the fictional space and time put across by the narrative, the place/ world in which it is being set. Finally the last term being Verisimilitude – this is the quality of appearing to be real or true and to be realistic as possible for us to conform and accept the reading being put across by the institutions.

The main ideology and beliefs I have portrayed is the government’s power, greed and tyranny against the people and how they react in result to the government’s acts. Through the use of this ideology it gave me inspiration for my video and I recycled this ideology and completely changed it contextually. The basic background of my video is a mentally ill person and the people in charge are feeding lies and fake promises through the use of indoctrination – this resulting in unifying with the other patients to start an uprising to feel liberation and freedom. Through the use of different camera shots, semiotics, editing, mise-en-scene and sound etc. these will convey the attitudes and ideologies that are intended to put across and will help the audience understand more easily. Also these techniques will build up the narrative and this helps my video conform to it.

One factor that highly stands out about is the ideology about the government’s power, tyranny and greed, which is highly conformable due to the similarities to real life and how they affect people. This is the main ideology being put across as it is the most relatable therefore the consumers will increase because they will accept the reading and see it in a dominant view. The narrative of the protagonist being trapped in the mental hospital reflects our society being trapped by the government’s decisions in real life which makes the context relatable and understanding. When you consume this media text it’s as if you are reading a story about yourself that you haven’t yet read or acknowledged, however this is when you start to look beyond the horizon and understand the underlining messages and the indoctrination of the people, which is the true messages that is trying to be put across. It is shown by the mise-en-scene, for example through the use of plastic dolls it shows that the culture is hollow and materialistic and it reflects the powers in charge, this connotes that people struggle to see what’s really happening in our culture even though we are reading the story about ourselves. The main message shown is that we can judge and understand other people’s stories but struggle to find and understand ours, as they might be something about ourselves we may not want to read. 

Pam Cook

In Pam Cook’s audience theory (1985), it states that the standard Hollywood narrative structure should contain: Linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution, a high degree of narrative closure, finally a fictional world that contains verisimilitude especially governed by spatial and temporal coherence. The video I chose was Uprising by Muse, who are an English rock/ alternative band – the video contains very strong and powerful ideologies and messages portrayed by using different techniques to build up the narrative and plot.

Hypodermic Needle theory

Blumler and Katz - Uses and Gratification theory (1974)

Stuart Hall Reception Theory

Tessa Perkins Stereotype theory

Richard Dyer's Star theory

Laura Mulvey male gaze theory visual essay

Laura Mulvey Male Gaze theory

The video I chose to deconstruct and analyse for my visual essay was ‘Uprising’ by English rock band Muse as it really represents and gives out many messages in the video and the lyrics that can be portrayed and interpreted in various different ways. It really has powerful and meaningful connotations and ideologies behind them, which is shown predominantly through the mise-en-scene and the lyrics of the song. Matt Bellamy, the lead singer explained this: “The lead single, ‘Uprising’, was kind of inspired by the G20 protests which took place last year”. If this is true, it is consistent with my interpretation of the lyrics, namely that "they" represents large corporations. Unfortunately we live in a business run society; they control the media along with more and more aspects of people's lives all the time. The term for this culture is called neoliberalism. That is the basic background of this song.

One of the main features that both conform and contradict to Mulvey’s theory is the use of the figurines. They are two types of women both seen in the video one with next to nothing on and one who is dressed more classy and casual. In the first picture she could represent a prostitute as she has been placed on a street corner with a very skimpy, short dress on. She is also seen is very low in the frame of the shot to show that she is seen as a lower class citizen in society and thought as worthless and a misfit. This conforms to the theory of Laura Mulvey’s male gaze as she is a plastic figure; she can only be seen and not heard. However a point that contradicts her theory is that she could be there to simply earn as a last resort to provide for her child and nevertheless it’s not a good way to get it, but it is the only way. In the lyrics it says “they will try push drugs” which is a stereotype of prostitutes to take drugs as if they are being forced by a ‘Puppet master’ to take these ‘drugs’ so  that they can do what they want and when they want. Mulvey’s theory does not focus on perspectives of others, only the gratification and stimulation that men get from women in media texts. However on this second picture there is a woman in a more classier and casual dress which is shown in the middle of the frame. The fact she is stood in the middle shows that she is kind of neutral and doesn’t really know her place in society. But it could also connote because she is on her own that she is a strong, independent woman and doesn’t need the satisfaction, attention and attraction given to them by men. This shows that Mulvey’s theory is incorrect when she doesn’t need a man to keep her stable and to figure out her place in society. Another point which also contradicts this theory is that howevever the first doll is in a short and provocative dress, men will not look at that and find it arousing and attractive, as it is only a doll. It’s the way it has been used to trigger questions to contradict her theory. Constantly throughout this film they is a fuse that keeps running out and when it runs out it will melt all the dolls and eventually the real personality will have to come out rather than their plastic front they put on to fit into society.

  The second main feature which was really appealing was the use and connotations of the bear that destroys the diegetic town in which the video is set in. The bear could represent the childhood of a child that has had a bad upringing and the first doll could be his ‘prostitute mother’that has made it hard for his upbringing. The bear can see this as his mother only wants to make it a hard upbringing so she can go around sleeping with random men for money, which is why he starts an uprising. However the bear could also be seen as women as a gender who feel like they need liberalisation and equality. Specifically they can be seen as the suffragettes as they were very terror causing and violent women to make them feel empowered.  Therefore the bear ruining the diegetic town can be seen as the way to make the women feel empowered and show that they are not just objects but they can make impact in the world for women. Which contradicts her theory as women are meant to be seen not heard; but as the bear connotations go against them seeing them in a powerful and strong light that can be seen and heard to make a stand for all women liberalisation and equality. Also the bear at the end when the bear goes t sleep or die has intertextual reference that the suffragettes ease off with the terror and destructive acts when they finally get some sort of equality with the vote for women. As in previous years in UK history they has always been a social control, tyranny and power over women as they are always seen as inferior, due to the patriarchal society. In the song it says "the revolution will take its toll" and "we have to unify and watch us flag us in", this connotes that women are taking a stand which contradicts Mulvey's theory as they are doing more than just being seen and not heard. Another piece of the song that backs women up is the "fat cats had a heart attack" which could mean that a male dominated world is not always the best way; that business and capitalism have flopped without women's influence.

In conclusion this video both conforms and contradicts the theory but predominantly contradicts as the most powerful features in the video are male characters with very little female gratification and attention. However the female chracters and figures are not seen in an attractive way, they simply are just there with very little meaning.