Narrative Theory

Vladimir Propps Theory


The theory states that during the narrative there will be a character who takes each of the following roles. Sometimes there is one person who takes more than 1 role but mostly each person is different. 

• The Hero – the one who is on the quest
• The Villain – the one who opposes the hero
• The Donor – the one who helps the hero by giving him a tool
• The Dispatcher – the one who starts the hero on his way
• The False Hero – the one who tempts the hero away from his quest
• The Helper – the one who helps the hero
• The Princess – the one who is the reward for the hero
• Her Father – the one who rewards the hero for his efforts 

When analysing a music video it is often difficult to introduce this many characters at once and so this could lead to many characters having different roles, or just some roles not being fulfilled at all. 

Todorov's Theory

Todorov's theory states that each narrative will have 5 stages and that they will progress through these stages throughout the film/video. 

1. A state of equilibrium
2. A disruption of the equilibrium
3. A recognition that there has been a disruption
4. An attempt to repair the disruption
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

Again, music videos do have a time issue. However if the music video is trying to incorporate a set narrative then it is likely it will follow this structure. It is a very common theory that is used in many music videos, however it is sometimes slightly ambiguous. 

Example - Skepta - Hold On

Propps Theory

• The Hero – Skepta (sprinter)
• The Villain – The sprinters main opposition 
• The Donor – His trainer who starts him racing again
• The Dispatcher – the one who starts the hero on his way
• The False Hero – Skepta's opposition tries to deter him by mocking him
• The Helper – His trainer who times him and encourages him to keep going
• The Princess – There is no love interest.
• Her Father – and also no one to reward the hero

Todorov's Theory

1. A state of equilibrium - Although we don't see it, we are shown that the state of equilibrium will be before the race when no one has won yet.
2. A disruption of the equilibrium - Immediately when he loses the race we see he is gutted and that he is distraught.
3. A recognition that there has been a disruption - walking back to the changing rooms his opponent barges into him and mocks him.
4. An attempt to repair the disruption - We see that in an attempt to repair this and win the race that he has to train hard with his trainer to get to a level good enough to win.
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium - We see that again we end up at another race where he is about to start the run, but we have seen previously that he is now in a better shape and more likely to win. We do not see the outcome but we have still returned to the equilibrium. 

With both theories it is not completely following either. We see that with Propp's theory not all the roles are filled and that there is no love interest at all. This will probably be due to the time restraints in the video which isn't that long. Also it fit with the lyrics and so it was probably not beneficial to introduce a love interest and leave him to solely concentrate on his sprinting. Todorov's theory is more accurate however we are left to assume certain stages and start with a disruption. Again this may be due to the time issue, but otherwise it fits well.