Narrative music video:

Plot: the plot is the events that happen in the video, the basic outline of what happens in it. The plot holds the whole story together. So in music videos with a reverse narrative such as Coldplay’s ‘the scientist’, the storyline is in reverse, whilst the plot is revealed.

Story: the story establishes normality at the start, then creates a dilemma, which leads then to a new normality at the end. His ties in with Tzetvan Todorov’s theory that in every music video there is three phases. To begin with an equilibrium; then something happens to create disequilibrium; which is then resolved in some way to create a new equilibrium.

Narrative: is the combination of the story and plot. The narrative the order of what happens and how they happen. Linear narrative is a narrative which works with the story and plot working in the same way. A nonlinear narrative does not run in a specific way, using techniques such as flashbacks to mix up the narrative.

Non-narrative music video:

A dreamlike reality can be produced by non-narrative music videos as

images and music combine to produce an emotional effect.

Hundreds of scenes can be cut into a clip lasting just three minutes. This constant shifting of theme resembles the structure of dreams. Non-narrative music videos shadow a loose theme rather than a story. Often the theme is drawn from many angles in a short space of time. Conceivably the influence most similar to dreams is the use of images with powerful mental associations. These work like symbols, calling to mind thoughts that would typically take much longer to express.