Levi Strauss and Todorov's Theory

A binary opposite is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system by which, in language and thought, two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another.
Todorov's narrative theory suggests that all narratives follow a three part structure where they begin with equilibrium, where everything is balanced, progress as something comes along to disrupt that equilibrium, and finally reach a resolution, when equilibrium is restored.

The theory we will focus on is Levi Strauss's which is called Binary opposition. We have chosen to go for this theory as our song is about someone having a personal conversation with his alter ego. Because of this, the Binary opposite we have decided on is Good vs Evil. In the second video above we have used a range of different editing techniques, props and costumes changes to bring our idea to life. Firstly, we have used a yellow flower to represent the good in our artist. We have chosen this because flowers and the colour yellow have good connotations that will present our artist in a positive light. We have also alternated between black & white and a normal filter to show the binary opposite (good vs evil). This will show that he is trapped inside the head of his alter ego and is attempting to escape. At the start of the clip he is playing with a lighter which presents the evil in the alter ego character. This is because it shows that he has bad intentions. My group and I filmed this video in front of a Church which connotes that he has good inside of him trying to come out. For costume we chose a grey hoodie for our artist to wear. This is because hoodies have negative connotations and bad reputations. We also can use this item of clothing to cover his face which also covers his identity. This would be effective because the alter ego is trying to take control of his normal self therefore ruining his identity and covering up his real personality. Our intention of this would be to show a true battle of a good side and a bad side whilst using one person.

In the final version of our music video we plan to include a variety of different things that will represent the evil in our artist such as hand cuffs, chains, straight jackets, Black jumpsuits and many more. This is because these items all have negative connotations and it would best show the story of our music video. To represent the good in our final version we will be using white backgrounds, white costumes, jesters hat and many more. This is because the colour white has many positive connotations such as purity and innocence. 

In the first video above we tried to present Todorov's theory. The problem was that he had just been trapped inside of a shed and we attempted to show the solution by having him walking out of it looking enraged at the fact he was trapped for so long. 


In conclusion, we feel Levi Strauss's theory of Binary opposition best gets across the story of our music video much better than Todorov's theory, therefore we are going to use it in our final version.