Vladimir Propps - character theory 

Vladimir Propps is a Russian critic and literary theorist. He has analysed over 100 Russian fairy tails in the 1920s. Propps proposed that 'it is possible to classify the characters and their actions into clearly defined roles and functions.'

Propps character roles:

• The hero (seeks something).

• The villain (opposes the hero).

• The donor (helps the hero by providing a magic object).

• The dispatcher (sends the hero on his way).

• The false hero (falsely assuming the role of hero).

• The helper (gives support to the hero).

• The princess (the reward for the hero but also needs protection from the villain).

• The princesses farther.

It is effective as the characters used in the music videos resemble fairy tale characters form our childhoods.

 

Tzvetan Todorov

Tzvetan Todorov is a Bulgarian literary theorist who suggests 'most narratives start with a state of equilibrium in which life is normal and protagonists are happy'. Some one or something that has to be fought against in order to make everything to turn back to normal interrupts this state or normality. This theory can easily be applied to a whole range of films. 

• Equilibrium ---- Disequilibrium ---- New Equilibrium

It is effective as the music video has a happy ending and has a complete narrative and makes the audience feel happy as they normal support the hero of the video.

 

Roland Barthes

Roland Barthes is a French semiologist who has suggested that 'narrative works with five different codes which activate the reader to make sense of it'. 

Barthes codes.

• Action- Narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action.

• Enigma- a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or problem to b solved.

• Symbolic- Connotation.

• Semic- Denotation.

• Cultural- A narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a culture.

 

 

Claude Levi-Strauss

Claude Levi-Strauss is a social Anthropologist who has studied myths of tribal cultures. He has examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture of past and present civilizations. These are expressed in the form of binary oppositions. Levi-Strauss' research has been looked at and adapted by media theorists to show underlying themes in media texts.

Binary Oppositions

Binary oppositions are a conflict between two qualities or terms.

For instance:

• Homesteaders - Native Americans

• Christian - Pagan 

• Domestic - Savage 

• Inside society - Outside society

There are always a binary opposite for example girl and boy, good and evil. So the audience can either sympathise or feel related to one character.

 

Steve Neale

Steve Neale states that 'genres are instances of repetition and difference' and 'genres are not systems, they are processes of systemisation'.

This means audiences will feel comfortable yet challenge with the originality.

This can be applied to wrong side of heaven by five finger death punch. With the lip sync, blood and violent images follow conventions of the metal genre. However the fact that there are no live performances, instruments and the band do not feature in the video, which means it is unconventional. i believe the band has done this to get across the fact that there are over 300,000 veterans are sleeping on the streets in America alone. The reason they have chosen to do this type of music video is because it gets the message across more effectively and makes the audience think of what they can do to help.