The music video for ‘choreograph’ by Gilligan Moss utilises a linear structure which can be interpreted using Todorov’s concept of narrative. It only encompasses a three act structure. An equilibrium (the boy’s mind being distorted), followed by the conflict of him putting his earphones on causing the change into a disequilibrium, where he is proving a persisting annoyance to the family. The action builds up, adding more characters to finally climax at the point that he turns into an old man in the third act, the new equilibrium. The disequilibrium is his ignorance to the action around him, and this accumulation of the constant ignorance, with the addition of more and more characters, leads to the denouement of when he becomes the old man. The conflict of the boy without the headphones, in obvious mental pain, versus the friction it causes when he does have his headphones on means that the audience are awaiting a climax of the reaction of this friction. The ending rejects the normative structure of the family and instead breaks away from hegemonic family structures. Instead of conforming to the stereotypical reinforcements and ideals of family life, the boy zones out from that and lives his life in a rebellious and conflicting way. Todorov’s three act structure allows us to understand how the video creates friction and thus a conflict, and how we as an audience are constantly awaiting the product of such a conflict.
This message suggesting a resistance against dominant
ideologies is shown through a metaphorical story, showing a stereotypically
depicted family and a child who is obviously contrasting to that. The structure
is fairly closed in how the story flows- we see the boy at a negative
equilibrium, and he resolves it creating conflict with his family but has
developed a new, more positive for him, equilibrium. We follow this story up
front, however we are only shown the basics of the story. The ambiguity of
time, setting and context suggests that as an audience, we are expected to
piece together are own prologue and prior narrative to create an understanding of
the action now. The circular elements within the linear structure give the
impression that time is moving quickly, contrasted with the slow movement of
the boy. The two contrasting paces make for a more ambiguous product and thus
considering it a more open structure.
This video follows many of Louis Barthes codes. Although
much of the video is proairetic, it also follows quite a symbolic code. The use
of the headphones is fairly proairetic as it takes the boy from the equilibrium
to the disequilibrium and conflict. However it also holds symbolic purposes as
it suggests a less specific release of tension. It essentially portrays his
rebellion and holds this image specifically but uses it to connote a larger
meaning. Throughout, it is essentially following a proairetic code as it is
each part is constantly moving the story forward, and apart from the beginning
where we see the boy in distress, we are hardly following an enigmatic code- we
don’t tend to ask many specific questions concerning certain parts. Although
the use of an artificial set used as the back drop in addition to the use of
multiple actors playing the same roles, evokes questions as to why, they are
used as more of a progressor. The shots of the eggs being placed are used as a
signifier of time. We associate eggs with breakfast and assume breakfast is had
once a day- this suggests that one egg means one day. Therefore we assume a
development in time which is also then reinstated when we see the boy having
aged significantly with the large sum of eggs on his plate. These two concepts
both suggest that the video is fairly proairetic.
The accumulation of eggs, showing a movement in time can be
described as a narrative driver as it is taking us through time. It’s showing
us a forward movement in the story, and showing us a development in the period
that we are watching. The other narrative device is the headphones. It takes us
from one section to the other. We start in a conflicting equilibrium which is
resolved by putting the head phones on but causes a wider conflict and thus a
disequilibrium within the story.
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