Roland Barthes Narrative Theory

Roland Barthes was a French semiologist. A Semiologist originates from semiotics and is the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. The literacy theorist not only used the terms denotation and connotation to analyse the images but also suggested that the narrative works with five different codes- that activate the reader understand it. The codes are the following;

1. Action: An narrative device by which a determined is produced through an action. An example of a action narrative used in a music video is, 'What do you mean?' by Justin Bieber, the action of him hiring people to conduct a event someone, their secret manner foreshadows a bad event, where the demographic encode and signify the narrative will consist of this event soon to be conducted.

2. Enigma: When the producer teases the audience by presenting an puzzle (of some sort) to be solved- this delays story/narrative ending pleasurably. This aspect of the narrative theory is conformed in, Ariana's Grande's, 'into You' music video where the demographic feel enigma and confusion in the relationship triangle between the three characters; by the end of the music video the relationship is clear- as an attempt to effectively express and connote a story and delay the end of the story.

3. Semic: The semic representation of the visuals on screens (also known as denotation).  All music videos and even extracts conform to this theory within the narrative, for the demographic to denote the narrative, they are explicitly analysing what is on screen, for example in, Fifth Harmony's 'That's my girl' throughout the music video the girls are seen (denoted) walking towards the camera signifying their music video denotes them travelling from on place to another.

4. Symbolic: the symbolic representation of the visuals (commonly known as connotation).
Again, all music videos are an example of a symbolic narrative, all music videos convey and show polysemic views open for the target audiences connotations. For example in the previous music video, 'That's my girl' by Fifth Harmony, they were signified walking towards the camera denoting that they are travelling to another place, however at a connoted level this signifies that they are not only physically travelling but metaphorically in terms of their career and life, they are moving forward, foreshadowing a greater future.

5. Cultural: an aspect where the audience can recognise as being part of a culture, e.g. a man in a hit man scene is signified as part of the mafia culture. Cultural is commonly implicitly connoted in music videos, as an example in, Chris Brown's 'Look at me know' the costumes and props, evens setting of the music video throughout signifies that the artist and the characters within the music video (even the people associated with the artist) decoded and connoted from a 'hood gang' culture; this also signifies their primary target audience.