Narrotive Codes and Inspiration:

ROLAND BARTHES, 1990, FOUND THAT IN ORDER TO HOOK AN AUDIENCE INTO THE NARRATIVE OF A MEDIA TEXT FIVE NARRATIVE CODES ARE COMBINED. THESE CODES ALSO HELP AN AUDIENCE BRING THEIR OWN UNDERSTANDING TO A MEDIA TEXT. THESE ARE: HERMENEUTIC (ENIGMA) CODE, PROAIRETIC (ACTION) CODE, SEMIC CODE, SYMBOLIC CODE AND REFERENTIAL (CULTURAL) CODE. THE TERM 'NARROTIVE CODE' CAN BE MISLEADING AS THESE CAN BE APPLIED TO NON-NARROTIVE BASED MICRO-ELEMENTS. WE COULD USE THESE IN OUR MUSIC VIDEO TO HOOK IN OUR AUDIENCE.

• The hermeneutic code simply means engaging the audience by offering a puzzle and then delaying the answer to the enigma. This delay can take place any time in the media text, some enigmas are never even answered.
• The proairetic code refers to an event that has a series of logical conciquences. This code is intended to make the audience ponder where the narrotive is going and watch the film to find out. Steriotypes are often used here to help the audience make their judgements.
• The semic code refers to connotations of characters and mise-en-scene.
• The symbolic code is about binary oppositions, good vs evil and conflict between two opposing forces. These are the protagonist and antagonist.
• The referential code refers to ideology and the knowledge the audience brings to a media text. Good examples of this are spoof films or even music videos using intertextuality.

A media text which uses all these codes is 'A Dustland Fairytale' by The Killers.  It uses the hermeneutic code by making the audience ponder upon why a man is leaning on his car in a grass less field. They then see flashbacks of a fight scene and ponder upon whether that has anything to do with it. This is the proairetic code. The cigarette he is holding and the outfit he is wearing suggests that he might be American or a farmer yet was rebelliouss as a boy. This is shown through the flashbacks. These are part of the semic code whilst the symbolic code is shown through the fight scenes although the audience does not know who is bad and who is good. It could be to do with the romance scenes as maybe both boys like the girl. However, based on morality of society the bad man is the one who killed the other accidentally or not. The villain is the protagonist. The close up shots of cloth being wrapped around hands and distance shots of the punch up connote that they are having a fight. This is the referential code and works through the use of of western films conventions which this media text is imitating.

The Killers are another Indie/Rock band that could inspire our promotional pack through Indie conventions.In this music video there are a mixture of narrotive and performance shots, this is a convention of the Indie genre which our audience will reconise and like. There are a variety of shots and the performance ones have been crosscutted with the narrotive shots. This is effective in conveying the narrotive and adding variety to the media text. I also like the dark colors and lighting used in the fight shots as it connotes negativity. This music video expresses the narrotive well by using a variety of shots to express similar emotions such as the car shot in the field and shots of him in his home. However our song does not enable us to use variety to this extent as the protagonist's life is far from varied.

Inspiration: Artic Mokeys "When the Sun Goes Down"

AFTER LISTENING CAREFULLY TO THE SONG AND RESEARCHING THE LYRICS, WE STARTED TO LOOK AT MUSIC VIDEOS [AND OTHER MEDIA TEXTS] THAT HAD SIMILAR THEMES. ONE BAND WAS ARTIC MONKEYS. 


 

Artic monkeys are a Indie/Rock band from Shefield. They are of a similar genre to Pistola Kicks so their media texts could have a huge influence over ours through common Indie conventions. This music video is narrative based due to the meaning behind the lyrics. This suits the song well so we might do the same with our music video. Dark colours and lighting effects have been used to express the downbeat narrative. This looks good and reflects the tone of the song well. I like the use of mise-en-scene with the locations and costumes as they show that the girl in the video is poor and could be into prostitution. I also like the varierty of camera shots too especially the crosscutting between the two people together and the girl alone as it expresses the lyrics well. The repetition of certain shots such as the mid shot of the girl is looking sadly at the camera and long shots of her walking in scruffy areas are especially effective. The fast pace of the music video at 57 seconds and onwards, which matches the fast pase of the music, is typical of a music video but works very well with the song.We probably will do this in our music video, but using quick cuts instead of sped up moving camera shots. Dark or washed out colouring will most likely be used in our music video too along with repetition of shots that express the narrotive and relevant mise-en-scene.

Lyrics:

POSTED HERE ARE THE LYRICS TO OUR CHOSEN SONG, WE WILL USE THESE AS POINTERS IN OUR STORYBOARD. THE STRUCTURE, LYRICS AND SONG TIMINGS MIGHT COME HAHDY THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. THEY MIGHT EVEN INFLUENCE OUR PROMOTIONAL PACKAGE TOO.

[Introduction Music]

Verse 1:
I've been living with my eyes wide shut,

I'd give it all if you'd let me give it up,

I've tried too hard and now I've had enough (x2)

[Pre-chorus Music]

Chorus

Its Friday night tonight, the weekend passes by

Monday coming soon, well its another working week for you

[Pre-verse Music]

Verse 2

For every letter that i push,

For every dinner that i rush,

The days that just don't seem worth while,

Whatever happened to that smile?

Whatever happened to that smile of mine?

[Bridge]

Whatever happened to... (x16)

[Instrumental]

Chorus x4

First Post Welcome ...

My name is Jess Paterson and I am a 6th form student at Saffron Walden County High School. For my A2 Media Studies coursework I am working in a team of three to create a promotional package for an 'actual music' song that is already in the public domain. This will include: a music video, Magazine advert and Digi-pack. My team includes Tom Bowers, David Revell and me.

The song we have chosen is 'Friday Nights' by Pistola Kicks, an unsigned Alternative/Indie/Rock Myspace band from Newquay. Other similar artists include NME bands (bands that regularly feature in the music magazine NME) such as Vampire Weekend, The Futureheads, The Pigeon Detectives and Artic Monkeys.

 This is an extract of the song:




... and here is their Myspace profile


This shows that Pistola Kicks like promote themselves as friendly, professional and typically Indie. This is shown by the good quality page and music links. However, their page is quite dark in colour and there are lots of band photos which highlights the tone of the song we have chosen. This suggests that Pistola Kicks write their songs about real life situations, like the song we have chosen which suggests that their audience would be Indie fans that like their music meaningful. The top bit of the webpage is dark and shows their logo and an experimental, fun edited photo. This shows that they are a band that connect well with their audience as they are proud of their music and the fans identify with this.