Question 1d Narratological Study
Narratological analysis Narrative devices, drivers and codes Narrative devices we used to tell our story varied from in film text, symbolic devices, photos and juxtaposition.
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This is the second time in the video where the audience is introduced to the photograph. At this point the protagonist is presented with the opportunity to dispose of the photograph but he decides not to. This pushes the narrative towards it’s final phase as it is the turning point that lets the audience know that there will be more to the story. The action of not throwing away the photograph works as proairetic code, which was theorised by Roland Barthes, it is defined as an action that requires later resolution. Which is the effect not throwing the photograph away has, this technique also helps to kee the suspense of the This photo of the protagonist ex lover is arguably audience. the key component and narrative/framing device in the story. The photograph makes three separate appearances in the video which all mark a significant part in the narrative and help to move it forward. This picture is also symbolic of the past, which the protagonist is battling to overcome. In this first image, this is where the photograph makes its first appearance and this is what initially spurs the narrative further as this is when the protagonist decides in order to move on he must get rid of this photograph.
This is the final time the audience sees this photograph as it is the end of the video. What is important is how the photograph shapes the conclusion of the video. Up until this point the photograph has served the purpose of carrying the narrative and keeping the intrigue of the audience. However during this final stage in the narrative it challenges the audience to ponder the significance of leaving the photograph in this location and what this means in relation to the rest of the text, this closely links to the idea to ideological closure which will be further expanded upon. It could also be argued that this final scene is enigmatic code as it is a mysterious occurrence that isn't fully explained to the audience.
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Narrative devices, drivers and codes (continued)
The phone in our film not only provided an example of in shot text, that was important in communicating the fundamental theme of this video to our audience which was the idea of loss of love “come home”, it also serves as effective symbolic code. The phone and its usage in our music video symbolised and acted as a narrative strand for the breakdown of communication between two people. In one of the first and initial shots in our music video the phone is present on the bed next to the protagonist, there is an implication that the protagonist is purposefully keeping it close to his person. In the next shot that involves the in-shot-text the audience learns that the phone is the first point of communication, the message that reads “come home” highlights how the communication has now become fractured. In the final shot where the audience last sees the protagonist with the phone is important as it represents how the protagonist has become disillusioned and gives up in his attempt to try and communicate.
Narrative Structure
Our music video is a linear narrative that follows a three part Toderovian structure, that has the inclusion of flashbacks or echoes . This consists of the equilibrium, the disequilibrium and the new equilibrium. The equilibrium could be described as the first couple of scenes where the audience is introduced to the protagonist. In these first scenes’ the protagonist is laying on the bed in a white t-shirt surrounded by predominately white and bright mise en scene that conveys a sense of tranquility. When the video transitions to black and white it signifies the disequilibrium as it is a major shift in mood, at this point the audience is also aware that the protagonist has been effected and impacted negatively by the memory of his ex girlfriend. The new equilibrium could be described as the transition back into colour where the protagonist arrives at his final destination and finally lets go of this photograph that has been with him for the entirety of the music video, at this point in the video the audience gets the impression that the protagonist is letting go of an inner conflict he has been battling with and that has been a driving force in the narrative. There was a lot of reasoning behind choosing this style narrative structure over more complex styles of narrative structure. From our research and planning it became evident that a more conventional and classical style of narrative conveyance is more effective when addressing a mainstream audience. Embedding symbolism and other types of code is easier to do in a more simple and straightforward narrative structure, there is a potential for some of the meanings you have encoded into a text to be lost on an audience if the style of narrative structure is too complex.
I have expressed that for the most part we followed convention quite closely in how we structured are music video, however where we decided to stray from convention was by leaving the ending of our text open ended. I do not believe that an open ended text is superior to a closed text but I believe they have different effects. A closed text works well in creating a largely digestible product, however an open ended text is more effective in engaging an audience in discussion and thought. Hollywood which is notably one of the most influential forces in mainstream media has been prolific in its perpetuation of different closed texts across history. It is because of this that the mainstream audience has become so accustom to closed texts that provide a clear resolution. The reason we chose to leave our text open ended was to resist this idea of ideological closure, we felt that ambiguity and mystery encourages intrigue and leaves room for debate and discussion. Critically acclaimed open ended texts like ‘Inception’ and the TV series ‘Breaking Bad’ gave us the confidence to feel that we could make an effective and memorable texts without necessarily giving away all the answers. In conclusion our video involved a range of narrative devices and codes as well as the implementation of different narrative techniques surrounding structure.