The Hermeneutic Code (HER)
The Hermeneutic Code refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader.
The full truth is often avoided, for example in:
Snares: deliberately avoiding the truth.
Equivocations: partial or incomplete answers.
Jammings: openly acknowledge that there is no answer to a problem.
The purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.
The Proairetic Code (ACT)
The Proairetic Code also builds tension, referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happen next.
The Hermeneutic and Proairetic Codes work as a pair to develop the story's tensions and keep the reader interested. Barthes described them as:
"...dependent on ... two sequential codes: the revelation of truth and the coordination of the actions represented: there is the same constraint in the gradual order of melody and in the equally gradual order of the narrative sequence."
The Semantic Code (SEM)
This code refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word.
It is by the use of extended meaning that can be applied to words that authors can paint rich pictures with relatively limited text and the way they do this is a common indication of their writing skills.
The Symbolic Code (SYM)
This is very similar to the Semantic Code, but acts at a wider level, organizing semantic meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning.
This is typically done in the use of antithesis, where new meaning arises out of opposing and conflict ideas.
The Cultural Code (REF)
This code refers to anything that is founded on some kind of canonical works that cannot be challenged and is assumed to be a foundation for truth.
Typically this involves either science or religion, although other canons such as magical truths may be used in fantasy stories. The Gnomic Code is a cultural code that particularly refers to sayings, proverbs, clichés and other common meaning-giving word sets.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Friday, 23 October 2009
Applying Todorov's Theory: Music Video
A-ha - Take on me
This video is a good example of Todorov's theory as is has clear equlibrium. For example, the video starts off with what looks like a comic and then the shot changed to the woman reading it. A hand then reaches out of the comic and pulls thr woman in. This is when the video starts to change. As the woman is watching the man inside the comic, the disequlibrium comes when the waitress screws up the comic and puts it in the bin. When the shot switches back into the comic there is another sense of disequilibirum when the 'villian' comes along and starts the try and hit/ chase after the main man/ 'hero' and woman. This forces them to run into a maze, which was created by the waitress that screwed up the comic. When they are faced with a dead end, the 'hero' steps up and opens a hole for the woman to go through. The arctityple villian's are only there to make the 'hero' look good. The video continues when the woman goes back to her home and looks through the comic to see what happens in the end of the story. The equilibrium is then restored when he turns up at her house and he is fine. A lot of Propp's theory also works in well with video with the typical princess, hero and villain story.
This video is a good example of Todorov's theory as is has clear equlibrium. For example, the video starts off with what looks like a comic and then the shot changed to the woman reading it. A hand then reaches out of the comic and pulls thr woman in. This is when the video starts to change. As the woman is watching the man inside the comic, the disequlibrium comes when the waitress screws up the comic and puts it in the bin. When the shot switches back into the comic there is another sense of disequilibirum when the 'villian' comes along and starts the try and hit/ chase after the main man/ 'hero' and woman. This forces them to run into a maze, which was created by the waitress that screwed up the comic. When they are faced with a dead end, the 'hero' steps up and opens a hole for the woman to go through. The arctityple villian's are only there to make the 'hero' look good. The video continues when the woman goes back to her home and looks through the comic to see what happens in the end of the story. The equilibrium is then restored when he turns up at her house and he is fine. A lot of Propp's theory also works in well with video with the typical princess, hero and villain story.
Theories of Narrative: Tzvetan Torordov
Tzvetan Todorov simplified the idea of narrative theory while also allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts with his theory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium.
The theory is simply this:
- The fictional environment begins with a state of equilibrium (everything is as it should be in a state of equal balance between powers of any kind, where equality of importance or effect exists among the various parts of any complex unity).
- It then suffers some disruption (disequilibrium).
- New equilibrium is produced at the end of the narrative.
The 5 stage pattern is:
1) A state of equilibrium at the outset.
2) A disruption of the equilibrium by some action.
3) A recognition that there had been a disruption.
4) An attempt to repair the disruption.
5) A reinstatement of equilibrium.
The theory is simply this:
- The fictional environment begins with a state of equilibrium (everything is as it should be in a state of equal balance between powers of any kind, where equality of importance or effect exists among the various parts of any complex unity).
- It then suffers some disruption (disequilibrium).
- New equilibrium is produced at the end of the narrative.
The 5 stage pattern is:
1) A state of equilibrium at the outset.
2) A disruption of the equilibrium by some action.
3) A recognition that there had been a disruption.
4) An attempt to repair the disruption.
5) A reinstatement of equilibrium.
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Comparison of Music Videos
I am going to analyse and compare these 3 music video to looks at the intertextuality and how they use different conventions and ideas from one another.
The Verve - Bittersweet symphony
The Verve ~ Bittersweet Symphony
Scarlet's Songs | MySpace Music Videos
This video became a classic from the use of its simple shots, simple ideas and simple attitude that comes across. They have used this convention because they want to get at their target audience. The band want to show off what their attitude towards life is and this music video gets the point across perfectly. Richard Ashcroft is just walking down one long road and he is not moving for anyone. The shots are so blunt as well as the mis en scene and costumes. This is showing where the band used to live, how they grew up and what is really going on in life now. At the end of the video the rest of the band joins Richard Ashcroft but he moves out of the way for them. This is telling the audience that the only people he has time for is his band mates.
Massive Attack - Unfinished sympathy
This song also became very famous because of its video. The Verve used ideas and conventions from this music video. Again, like The Verve, it is a snapshot of life in an urban, run down environment to show the target audience what life has been like for the artist. The setting is the most important aspect in this video because the audience can relate to it and again, shows the attitude towards life, although The Verve took it one step further. Also, the camera angles and shots are much like The Verve where they are simple just rotating around the main singer and focusing on mis en scene.
Fat Les - Vindaloo
This music video has clear intertextual references to The Verve. It has deliberately included the main character and made him to look like Richard Ashcroft, as well as the whole style of the video. It has a man walking down a long road with him barging into people but random, funny people. It is a bit of a joke and taking the mick out of The Verve. But this video is only apparent and became famous because of the conventions used to the other 2 famous music videos. However, in this video, I feel they have used more camera shots and angles to just show the humorous side of the song and video.
The Verve - Bittersweet symphony
The Verve ~ Bittersweet Symphony
Scarlet's Songs | MySpace Music Videos
This video became a classic from the use of its simple shots, simple ideas and simple attitude that comes across. They have used this convention because they want to get at their target audience. The band want to show off what their attitude towards life is and this music video gets the point across perfectly. Richard Ashcroft is just walking down one long road and he is not moving for anyone. The shots are so blunt as well as the mis en scene and costumes. This is showing where the band used to live, how they grew up and what is really going on in life now. At the end of the video the rest of the band joins Richard Ashcroft but he moves out of the way for them. This is telling the audience that the only people he has time for is his band mates.
Massive Attack - Unfinished sympathy
This song also became very famous because of its video. The Verve used ideas and conventions from this music video. Again, like The Verve, it is a snapshot of life in an urban, run down environment to show the target audience what life has been like for the artist. The setting is the most important aspect in this video because the audience can relate to it and again, shows the attitude towards life, although The Verve took it one step further. Also, the camera angles and shots are much like The Verve where they are simple just rotating around the main singer and focusing on mis en scene.
Fat Les - Vindaloo
This music video has clear intertextual references to The Verve. It has deliberately included the main character and made him to look like Richard Ashcroft, as well as the whole style of the video. It has a man walking down a long road with him barging into people but random, funny people. It is a bit of a joke and taking the mick out of The Verve. But this video is only apparent and became famous because of the conventions used to the other 2 famous music videos. However, in this video, I feel they have used more camera shots and angles to just show the humorous side of the song and video.
Applying Propps Theory: Music video
Carrie Underwood - Ever, ever after.
This is a music video for the soundtrack for the film, Enchanted. Enchanted was a very typical, generic fairy tale film, therefore the music video needed to be of a similar genre. Just like in the film, the video starts off as a cartoon and then as the character falls into a well, she goes through another 'realm' and becomes real life. The video also has clips from the actual film, this is to entice the audience and gain fans from the film. As Carrie falls through the well, she is now in New York City, the shot then changes to the man who looks as if he is the hero. As Carrie walks past the hero, she bumps into him, this is when he realises he has to get her. Much like a prince does about a princess in a fairy tale. Carrie then stops at a news stand and talks to the owner, just after the hero runs up to the news stand owner and asks which way she went. This represents the 'helper' in the fairy tale. Again, Carrie stops at the flower stall and the flower man gives her a rose, after the hero asks the flower man which way Carrie went, which is again, being the helper. There are again more shots of the hero looking for his 'princess', he is asking people on the street and then he finally sees her. The whole street stops to give an emphasis that this is an important part in the story. The video then switches back to the cartoon where Carrie and her hero are getting married, which is number 31 of the fairy tale functions.
This is a music video for the soundtrack for the film, Enchanted. Enchanted was a very typical, generic fairy tale film, therefore the music video needed to be of a similar genre. Just like in the film, the video starts off as a cartoon and then as the character falls into a well, she goes through another 'realm' and becomes real life. The video also has clips from the actual film, this is to entice the audience and gain fans from the film. As Carrie falls through the well, she is now in New York City, the shot then changes to the man who looks as if he is the hero. As Carrie walks past the hero, she bumps into him, this is when he realises he has to get her. Much like a prince does about a princess in a fairy tale. Carrie then stops at a news stand and talks to the owner, just after the hero runs up to the news stand owner and asks which way she went. This represents the 'helper' in the fairy tale. Again, Carrie stops at the flower stall and the flower man gives her a rose, after the hero asks the flower man which way Carrie went, which is again, being the helper. There are again more shots of the hero looking for his 'princess', he is asking people on the street and then he finally sees her. The whole street stops to give an emphasis that this is an important part in the story. The video then switches back to the cartoon where Carrie and her hero are getting married, which is number 31 of the fairy tale functions.
Theories of Narrative: Vladimir Propp
Vladimir Propp examined hundreds of fairy tales in the generic form of 'The Folk Wondertale.' He found that in most 'fairy tales' there was:
- 8 character roles
- 31 functions which move the story along.
Propps theory is a form of structuralism, which is a view that all media is inevitable in the form of certain fixed structures - fairy tales always have a happy ending.
Propps theory can be applied to generic structures in Western culture, such as popular film genres. However, culture change can force structures to change. For example a hero can now be a woman.
The 8 characters that make up a generic film/video are:
- Hero
- Villain
- Donor
- Helper
- Princess
- Father
- Dispatcher
- False hero.
The 31 functions that move the story along are:
- Absentation
- Interdiction
- Violation of Interdiction
- Reconnaissance
- Delivery
- Trickery
- Complicity
- Villainy and Lack
- Mediation
- Beginning Counter Action
- Departure
- First Function of the Donor
- Hero's Reaction
- Receipt of a Magical Agent
- Guidance
- Struggle
- Branding
- Victory
- Liquidation
- Return
- Pursuit
- Rescue
- Unrecognised Arrival
- Unfounded Claims
- Difficult Task
- Solution
- Recognition
- Exposure
- Transfiguration
- Punishment
- Wedding
- 8 character roles
- 31 functions which move the story along.
Propps theory is a form of structuralism, which is a view that all media is inevitable in the form of certain fixed structures - fairy tales always have a happy ending.
Propps theory can be applied to generic structures in Western culture, such as popular film genres. However, culture change can force structures to change. For example a hero can now be a woman.
The 8 characters that make up a generic film/video are:
- Hero
- Villain
- Donor
- Helper
- Princess
- Father
- Dispatcher
- False hero.
The 31 functions that move the story along are:
- Absentation
- Interdiction
- Violation of Interdiction
- Reconnaissance
- Delivery
- Trickery
- Complicity
- Villainy and Lack
- Mediation
- Beginning Counter Action
- Departure
- First Function of the Donor
- Hero's Reaction
- Receipt of a Magical Agent
- Guidance
- Struggle
- Branding
- Victory
- Liquidation
- Return
- Pursuit
- Rescue
- Unrecognised Arrival
- Unfounded Claims
- Difficult Task
- Solution
- Recognition
- Exposure
- Transfiguration
- Punishment
- Wedding
Monday, 5 October 2009
Focused Analysis: Locations
Rihanna - Rehab
I have chosen this video by Rihanna because the location used is very significant to the song and in a way, makes the video. The location is in the middle of a generic desert with beautiful views. As the song is about going to rehab and being taken away from all normal things, the desert is a very typical place to shoot this music video. It is also a very plain setting which is in contrast with the bright green bikini she is wearing. Also the video is made to look hot and this has worked by using the sun and the pink tones in the background. Furthermore, there is a vintage style car in red which is again, in contrast with the plain background. I really like this simplistic technique and hope to use something similar in my own music video.
I have chosen this video by Rihanna because the location used is very significant to the song and in a way, makes the video. The location is in the middle of a generic desert with beautiful views. As the song is about going to rehab and being taken away from all normal things, the desert is a very typical place to shoot this music video. It is also a very plain setting which is in contrast with the bright green bikini she is wearing. Also the video is made to look hot and this has worked by using the sun and the pink tones in the background. Furthermore, there is a vintage style car in red which is again, in contrast with the plain background. I really like this simplistic technique and hope to use something similar in my own music video.
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