A2 Narrative

For the exam I will have to talk about progress form AS to A2 and the narrative of either one, I have incorporated theorists into my work:

Whilst researching to narrative I found a very useful sideshow which has helped my write the following passage.

I've decided to look at the narrative in my A2 music video to knock em out by Lilly Allen. I could give allot more information about it as I am currently doing it now, but also all of the new technology were using such as flip cams and final cut pro which we did not have in AS. although my AS horror film had a more distinct narrative I don't believe I'd be able to incorporate as much technical information such as the four different dollys we tried out which I could use as what went wrong as they were all unsuccessful!

The narrative in our music video involves a young girl and a boy, however unlike a normal pop music video were the women are usually flinging themselves at the men and are all about heartbreak we decided to challenge the forms and conventions of this stereotypical view by having the boy chasing the girl and the girl who is the main protagonist rejecting his attempts of affection. Our music video therefore incorporates Levi Strause's theory of binary opposition he suggest binary opposition occurs with two pairs of opposites. In this case it seems to be the girl if full of disgust and rejection whereas the boy is full of desirability and love. We have also incorporated binary opposition in the two back drops in the photography room. White vs black back drops. The black symbolizes the girl as the dark sinner for rejecting the boy, full of deviance and disbelief whereas the white back drop symbolizes the boy full of love, purity and innocence, after all he only wants her number?

We started of the video with her walking towards the camera with the voice over of her heels. This here is a powerful shot as the camera is at a low angle facing up. Even from the first shot their is power in the woman. Power is shown by the various camera angles and also the misenesene. In the bedroom scene their is a picture of a WW1 poster with a woman saying I can do it. We have used this as it represents out video. Times have changed from traditional norms of the woman being the home stayer looking after the children, woman no longer need to rely on men for food and money. There are systems such as the welfare state and high female employ-ability compared to 30 years ago. Roland Barthes suggests ''there was once an attempt to push women back into the confines of the home and the roles of mother and housewife.'' However as the music video suggest woman are seen as more equals as the woman is rejecting the man, whereas before we'd rely on the man.

Todorov suggests that all narrative begin with equilibrium (where everything is balanced) which is followed by some form of disruption. with the resolution at the end of the narrative. Our music video conveys to Todorov's theory. At the beginning the girls is fine as the lyrics suggest 'Just doing your own thing' the he suggest this is disrupted, as the music video continues the girl is continually being pestered by the boy, finally a resolution is found as Todorov suggests with the girl chasing the boy down the bath with her high heel as to suggest leave me alone, then equilibrium will be again reached.