Narrative conventions

This is a post about the conventions of narratives in different genres

Comedy

In a comedy genre music video there is no direct set narrative, the narrative is set around whatever it is that is funny (such as in gangnam style it is set around the dance). Conventions of it include being funny, light hearted, uplifting and not to be taken too seriously. The lighting should be bright and the characters should wear casual clothing or comedic costume whilst being happy. The narrative will usually be about whatever it is that is funny for the whole music video.

Horror

In a horror music video there will usually be a villain/false hero,  a heroine and sometimes a hero. This applies in MJ's Thriller video. The villain will be after the heroine and hero but the hero will protect the heroine OR the villain in fact is the hero (so its a false hero) and therefore the heroine has no hope. The narrative will build a lot of tension as there should be different stages to the story (unlike the comedy genre where there will be a contant balance throughout the video rather than a disequilibrium) and cause the viewers to ask a lot of questions. The lighting will be dark and dingy and should also be enticing scary.

Drama

A dramatic narrative usually entails a traumatic event occurring, showing how the characters deal with the event to try and overcome it and restore normality. Dramatic narratives are usually quite intense and emotional, completely opposite to light hearted films. Lighting and the mise-en-scene will vary as dramatic films take you on an emotional rollercoaster, they are often quite moving therefore lighting + sound will change at different high and low points of the story.

Romance

A romantic narrative will most often tell the story of how the couple met, the process of them becoming a couple, them as a couple and any hardships they face. It also may include milestones a couple can reach together for example marriage and children. The narratives aren't incredibly light hearted or intense, however they can be moving and heart warming due to the romantic side of it. They are quite easy to watch however can become emotional at times as its a very popular genre because of the amount of people that can relate to it.

Family

A family genre's narrative is usually light hearted, although it will almost always include a moral for children or the audience to learn from after watching the media product e.g. family is important, or treat people as you like to be treated. Family music videos/films are often moving but enjoyable and easy to watch, their storylines/narratives are easy to follow and you don't have to think to much in order to understand it.

Documentary

The narrative in a documentary takes you on a journey, it will most often start from the beginning to end of a story and take you and show you what the characters are going through at each point. It can be both light hearted and heavy, for example it could be a documentary of a teenager organising a party and then show you them having it, or it could be a documentary showing you the story of an emotional break up. It is usually used for real life scenarios and ties in well with genres such as romance and drama however ties in less well with genres such as comedy and horror.

Kids

A kids genre narrative is extremely light hearted as it would be inappropriate to expose a child to an intense storyline that could upset them. The narratives would usually deliver a simple and basic moral or try and teach the child something intellectually, so that watching the final product would benefit the child in some way, so that they were learning. Usually there will always be a disequilibrium within the narrative however wont be too intense, and the characters almost always fit that of Propp's character types. This genre's narrative is well suited to the fantasy narrative, they are well paired together.