#34 03/04/19 7 minutes 22 seconds Narrative in Music Videos
Exploring the interplaying between narrative in music video and its influence with listeners’ experience a research by saiyidatul hajar
RESEARCHER & DESIGNER nur saiyidatul hajar binti zaini (2022655112) caad 703 - master in visual communication & new media supervisor DR. NORMAN YUSOFF
idea contributor Muhammad Rohaizad bin Zainun PARTICIPANTS Nur Elyna Binti Mahzan Nursyafiqah Binti Romli Lyesa Karmila Binti Zubairi Sabrun Jamil bin Mohd Azha Ewa Kondrak
ELYNA’S interpretation Nell - the day before context: the song is about lovers who broke up with each other. singer: Nell (Korean: 넬) is a South Korean alternative rock band formed in 2001.The band is known for their gloomy and psychedelic sound such as "Time Walking On Memory" from the album, Separation Anxiety. plot: two friends sitting in front of each other at a table with one camera facing one of them. They talk over coffee. the guy who was being recorded by the camera put something in his coffee, drinks it and died soon after. later it was revealed that he wasn’t sitting at the table at all. additional context from participant: Even though the lyrics and MV are not related, the sad feelings that the artist wanna convey are still felt when you watch the MV.
the first half shows the two friends chatting together by the table with a camera sitting beside friend B as it’s recording Friend A. friend a open a bottle and pour something into their own drink. he finish his drink as he talk to friend B. 2 sets of shoes camera recording
he finish his drink as he talk to friend B. friend a start to feel doozy and not long after that, he died. after friend A died, friend B was shown alone with the absence of friend A’s feet under the table. it was later shown the recording of friend A’s death on the camera. - elyna smile sad dead
syaf’S interpretation 방소년단 양연 on stage prologue BTs tHE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENT IN LIFE on stage prologue context: the song, ‘bUTTERFLY’ is about the fear of losing people you love, who bring you such happiness and comfort. additional context from participant: at that time I was having a conflict about friendship and from there I was like, “Oh this is what friendship is like. Not like what I went through.” singer: BTS (Korean: 방소년단; RR: Bangtan Sonyeondan; lit. Bulletproof Boy Scouts), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. Their discography and adjacent work has also referenced literature, philosophy and psychology, and includes an alternate universe storyline. plot: two friends sitting in front of each other at a table with one camera facing one of them. They talk over coffee. the guy who was being recorded by the camera put something in his coffee, drinks it and died soon after. later it was revealed that he wasn’t sitting at the table at all.
Taehyung found himself with bloody hands. he tried to get off before calling his friends. they met each other at an abandoned swimming pool. jin was standing by the side, recording their moments together. the next day, they went to the beach and have a fun time with each other. That is until jin realized that taehyung had climb on the platform. the others tried to tell him to go down but he just smiled before - syaf jumping off the platform.
While they are all having fun, jin start to feel like there are something amiss. credit rolls and screen fade to black as the sun set, the members sit by the pool while Taehyung stand on the building’s roof. as jin was sitting in the car, he looked back at the photo he took with suga but he was all alone. through the night, they took pictures and look back that day’s recording. - syaf butterfly
lyesa’S interpretation ORANGE CARAMEL - 까레나 Catallena context: The lyrics tell the story of a female, a girl in specific, and how she seems to be infatuated by another female’s grace and charm. The other female that the girl has fallen for happens to be named, or simply called, “Catallena”. singer: Orange Caramel is the first subgroup of South Korean girl group After School. The subgroup was formed in 2010 with the third generation After School members Nana, Raina, and Lizzy. plot: It's about a shrimp, a mackerel & a salmon who saw an expensive octopus and wanted to be like her. They are originally mermaids, but when they follow her path to become sushi, their prices keep decreasing to the point that they become cheap sushi, while the octopus remains expensive. Then, they come to the sushi place and eat themselves, only to realize that they are actually delicious.
3 fishes live their majestic lives under the sea before they got capture to sell. they met an octopus that valued higher than them altogether and was devastated. Then, they come to the sushi place and eat themselves, only to realize that they are actually delicious. - lyesa
they were even moved to tears as they realized that. Even when they become sushi, their prices are far cheaper than others, especially the octopus. - lyesa
context: when the music video came out, the artist took the popularity that the song had gained by its reins to send a visual message about the racism that is openly happening in the modern era. sabrun’S interpretation XXXTENTACION - Look At Me singer: Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion,[c] was an American rapper and singer-songwriter.Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gained a cult following among his young fanbase during his short career with his depression- and alienation-themed music. plot: The first third of the video shows xxxtentacion and a group of students attacking a white teacher. then it switched to a scene where a group of black guys hanged from trees, followed by the real life footages and depiction of racism against black people in usa. the singer was holding hands with two boys - one black and one white. later he bring the boys to the stage and hang the white boy. the last third of the video showed xxxtentacion talking about the racism against black people in usa.
xxxtentacion receives some words from the dildo corn. the singer along with his crew attack the teacher in class and rap over his unconcious body. the next scene shows re-enactments and real footage of the racism that happens in usa. at the end, it shows xxxtentacion’s face seemingly to be deep in thoughts. - sabrun
the tone shifts when the visual shows a group of black guys hang from the tree. he bring the two boys to the stage with a hanging rope in front of them. he talk with the boys for a while before putting the rope around the white boy’s neck and hoisting him up. the next scene shows re-enactments and real footage of the racism that happens in usa. while all of these are happening, the singer was holding hands with two boys as they witness the racism. - sabrun at the end, he gave a spoken message about racial injustice, violence, and social issues.
context: the song portrays the struggles and fears encountered in the journey of growing up and finding one’s place in the world. The lyrics are filled with introspection, vulnerability, and a longing for comfort and guidance. artistry: According to Rolling Stone, Tomorrow X Together's music "dabbles in disco, shoegaze, indie rock, and pop" and discusses "personal stories about the growing pains that come along with being a teenager". NME described the group's discography as mostly "bright, breezy and blissfully free from life’s worries" and "focusing more on fantasy and fun". The members have expressed their desire to be more involved in songwriting. singer: Tomorrow X Together, (Korean: 모로우바이게더, Tomorrow by TogetheR) commonly known as TXT, is a South Korean boy band formed by Big Hit Entertainment, now known as Big Hit Music. They debuted on March 4, 2019 According to their website, their name refers to five individuals who "come together under one dream in hopes of building a better tomorrow". plot: 5 children become friends but soon went on each others way in life. later, one of them suddenly grow horns on their head and felt terrified by it. he tried to run into the woods and encounter a monster chasing him. he broke his antler and grieve. then his friends who also have their own oddities came and comfort him. EWA’S interpretation 모로우바이게더 - '별의 낮잠 Tomorrow x together (TXT) - Nap of a star
the concept of the music video were inspired by old, silent films. the story set around 5 friends that has a star shines upon them when they are together. but as they went on their separate ways, the star went dark and loses it shine. suddenly he woke up to a monster cat almost cutting his head. he quickly make a run from it. he ran until he reached a blue and red forest. he tried to get rid of his antlers and in grief after what happened. - ewa star died
a light shone and hueningkai appeared from it. The other follow suits as they circle yeonjun and help him get up. now that everyone is reunited, the star shines again. One day, yeonjun woke up with horn on his head and he was terrified by it that he run away from his home. little did he know, all of his friends also have their own oddities and pain just like him. - ewa elf ears odd one eye porcupine? angel deer or devil?
CONCLUSION each participant selected their own favorite music video and give their own opinion about how they make sense of the music video and how it effected them. it can be seen that some participants a wide range of emotions from watching their music videos. From joy to sad to captivating and comfort. The participants also shown to make connection between the lyrics of the song with the visual scenes happening in the music video. the blend between visual and auditory also encourage them to draw their own theories and understanding from what they watch. they would take note of the objects appeared in the scenes, find their symbolism and make their own conclusion from the clues they have gotten. another thing that is noteworthy is the abilities of music video to tell a story within a short time frame and have people drawing their own interpretations from it. this is also the feedback we received from ewa, one of our participants. in her words, “Because the length of the MVs is often limited the narrative tends to be quite symbolic and “open”, way more than in longer video forms so it leaves space for the imagination of the watcher to fill in the gaps. In this way it feels more like art.”
name Nur Saiyidatul Hajar Binti Zaini student ID 2022655112 programme CAAD 703 - Master in Visual Communication and New Media faculty College of Creative Arts campus Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam