Narrative theory

Narrative theory

• 1.
  THEORETICAL APPROACH TO GENRE Katie Thomas
• 2.
  Conventions of IndieRock • Outdoor locations • Dark clothing • Non-glamorous but casual costumes • Use of instruments • Few props due to lower budgets • Combination of both low and high key lighting • Narrative is based around the concept of love and relationships • Cinematography- medium close ups in order to establish star image. Use of establishing shots to emphasise the scenery.
• 3.
  Examples •The Kooks- Naive:use of low and high key lighting, casual costumes and style (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkaMiaRLgvY)
• 4.
  • Bastille- Pompeii:outdoor locations, dark clothing and use of medium close-ups (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F90Cw4l-8NY)
• 5.
  • Coldplay- TheScientist: despite the more entropic narrative (running backwards) still appears to be about a relationship. Also use of outdoor locations (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB-RcX5DS5A)
• 6.
  In our musicvideo… • We have chosen to use a number of these characteristics in our music video. We will use an outdoor location, the narrative will surround love, medium close ups of the singer and casual costumes. • The main reason for our choices are that they will create a narrative that is interesting and yet also relatable, because of the appearance of real life. Further, we are aiming to create a ‘normal’ star image about the band through our use of costumes, which again should make them more relatable to fans and so they would want to buy their music. The blank look however, maintain Dyer’s theory that the star should be relatable and yet distant.
• 7.
  Goodwin We are planningto use most of Andrew Goodwin’s conventions for music videos: - Typical of the indie genre our visuals will amplify the lyrics of the song to give them another meaning. This is different to other genres such as pop, in which the visuals would usually illustrate the lyrics - We will edit to the beat in order to establish a link between the visuals and the music. This is done in most Indie music videos because emphasis is always put on the music and this re-enforces this idea. - We will also use close ups of our singer to establish star image. This is important because you are not just selling the music but the people behind the music too, this means the label can make more money. - Voyeurism will also be used, when the singer is stalking/watching his ex- girlfriend. - There will be some examples of intertextual references, such as Facebook, laptop and iPhone. This will make the narrative seem more realistic because our target audience will recognise these objects from their everyday life. It will also help establish the ‘normal person’ star image which is typical in Indie.
• 8.
  • While wehave used most of Goodwin’s characteristics in our video, what really sets it apart is the narrative. The idea of twisted love and stalking is quite sinister and entropic because it isn’t just another love story that ends happily ever after. • This, however, is a characteristic of the Indie-rock genre, so therefore it may be more redundant.
• 9.
  Redundancy and Entropy •As I have already discussed, our music video will mainly be redundant,; due to the use of Goodwin’s characteristics. Although, the narrative is more entropic, this is only compared to other genres. So it is more redundant within the Indie genre. We have done this because, established fans of the Indie genre will recognise the characteristics and be more likely to buy the music. Therefore, adhering to convention, provides a safety blanket because you know there will definitely be a certain amount of sales.
• 10.
  Quotes • Nicholas Abercrombie“producers set out to exploit genre conventions... It... makes sound economic sense. Sets, properties and costumes can be used over and over again. Teams of stars, writers, directors and technicians can be built up, giving economies of scale” I agree with this because genre creates a set of characteristics that provides a safety blanket for producers of music, because fans will recognise them and automatically be more likely to buy the music. However, I do not really think this is a good thing, because it just leads to a lot of repetition in the industry. Furthermore, genre characteristics are not always used and they don’t just use the same sets again and again. • David Buckingham - “Genre is not simply given by the culture, rather, it is in a constant process of negotiation and change.” I agree with this comment because it highlights that genre is important, but it is also ever-changing. It also shows that it isn’t a necessity in making successful music.