SAY YOU LIKE ME

PROPP

Propp’s theory is that in each narrative there is a

set of characters which reappear in each story.

In this video we can clearly see a hero and a

damsel in distress.

We can also clearly see a villain which steals the

damsel off the hero and Donors which help the hero

on his quest.

STRAUSS

He suggests the presence of binary oppositions

such as good and bad, rich and poor and so on.

In this video the most apparent binary opposition is

good vs. evil.

BARTHES

He identified 5 different codes within music videos;

enigma code which intrigues the audience to solve

the problem, the action code which is when the

audience is excited by the need to resolve the

problem, the semantic code which is the

connotations within it, the symbolic code which is

assumptions and expectations and finally a cultural

code which is when the meaning comes from a share

cultural knowledge.

BARTHES CONTINUED

We can see an enigma code when the damsel is

stolen which then leads on to an action code when

the hero goes to save her. The villain connotes a

symbolic code as we see him as evil by the way that

he is dressed and also the fact that he looks quite

shady.

TODOROV

This theory suggests that there are 5 stages.

Original equilibrium, disruption, recognition of

disruption, attempt to restore and new

equilibrium.

In this we can see the disruption as the girl being

stolen and the attempt to restore the equilibrium

as the hero going to save her.