(Edited 08/12/17) Narrative Case Study

   The music video for 'Desencuentro' by Residente and Soko is a closed text which employs a linear narrative structure; this can be examined using Todorov's narrative concept of the three act structure. The first act of the video begins at equilibrium with the man sat writing, until the woman enters the restaurant - this is the inciting incident which introduces the disequilibrium of the second act, as the man clumsily tries to get her attention. This disequilibrium is demonstrated by the man's ensuing comical errors (such as drinking from the flower vase and knocking the basket of croissants to the floor). However, as the consequences of these accidents culminate in chaos, the third act reaches a climax with the man and woman's gaze meeting and them eventually kissing. In this new equilibrium, the couple are united despite the mess surrounding them. This romanticised 'happy ending' provides the audience with an uplifting ideological closure. The sense of finality is reinforced by the closing aerial shot which presents an idyllic view of Paris, emphasising the romance of the story due to the capital's connotations as the 'city of love'.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

   Using Roland Barthes' theory of narrative codes, the music video can be seen to contain mostly proairetic codes; these progress the narrative and includes events such as the woman entering the cafe (see figure 1), the man noticing the woman (figure 2), and the two finally seeing each other (figure 3). The dominant use of proairetic codes, rather than more ambiguous enigma and symbolic codes, fits with the closed nature of this text and its simplistic ideology of 'love at first sight'.

   As well as by the use of proairetic codes, the narrative progresses through the use of the narrative driver of camerawork. For example, at the beginning of the video the camera pans across the cafe to introduce the video's protagonist. Camera movement is similarly used at the end of the video, leading the audience out of the restaurant, hence acting as a framing device. The framing device, an example of a narrative device, enhances the sense of closure in this video's resolution by neatly encapsulating the narrative. Another narrative device used in this video is a clock/signifier of time (figure 4). However, in this video the clock is broken - its hands turn uncontrollably at great speed - possibly conveying the timelessness of this moment.

Figure 4