G324 Research into music videos - “Audiences always want a beginning, a middle and an end”. What drives the audience consumption of Blur’s ‘Coffee & TV’ narrative?

The music video for Blur’s 1999 track ‘Coffee & TV’ uses a linear narrative structure which can be fully understood applying Tzetvan Todorov’s narrative theory. The theory involves the idea of a feature being split into 3 acts, the acts are known as ‘equilibrium’, ‘disequilibrium’ and lastly ‘new equilibrium’.

The video begins with the equilibrium which depicts the living milk carton walking towards London’s centre in search for a missing person who appears to be Graham Coxon who is the band’s guitarist and lead vocalist of the song as opposed to Damon Albarn who is usually the main vocalist in the band. This search for Coxon is then disrupted when the milk carton faces dangers such as people and other ‘deceased’ bottles and cans. The new equilibrium then begins when the milk carton finds Coxon with the other members of Blur, Coxon is then lead home by the carton and returns to his family, Coxon then consumes the contents in the milk carton and throws it in the bin.

The video also has a prologue and epilogue to accompany the main video. The prologue establishes the main plot of the video, this is introduced with the image of Coxon on the side of the carton and the sadness and despair that his family is going through during his absence. The epilogue then takes place immediately after the milk carton is thrown into the bin, it displays the carton flying up to Heaven and this creates a

comedic and happy ending, this leaves no further questions of what will happen next as the epilogue will answer possible unanswered questions. The epilogue also creates satisfaction that the ending is clear and answers questions, this is all due to the issue being resolved and completed fully, the main video then adds on a sad note as the milk carton dies and is thrown into the trash, this is reversed when the milk carton rises as an angel and goes to Heaven therefore creating a happy, comical and warming note and leaves the audience with a smile. The resolution that is projected in the video is considered to be an ideological closure as it is resolved in a positive way, Coxon is found safely and unharmed and the milk carton is now a good samaritan and goes to Heaven.

By examining the narrative in the Coffee & TV video the audiences will be able to clearly identify the beginning, middle and end of the video, the beginning establishes the plot, the middle establishes the dangers that the carton faces and the end establishes the safety of Coxon therefore the issues are resolved and answers questions of where Coxon was and that he is safe.

The video also uses a proairetic and enigma codes to create uncertainty and tension within the video’s plot. These codes are linked to Roland Barthes’s narrative codes. Proairetic builds up tension which refers to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, the audience is guessing as to what will happen next. Enigma codes is when a certain concept, thing or person is hidden and mysterious. An example of Barthes proairetic code is when the milk carton faces the dangers of man and other cartons and cans. With the carton continuously facing dangers it is unknown on what he will face next but it is explained and revealed later on the video as the plot progresses.

The enigma code is used in the milk cartons missing sign, the audience may not be able to tell who it is fully as the name is blurred so it cannot be read easily, the audience also have no knowledge why the missing person is not to be seen within his family’s home and how he went missing, this creates a tense atmosphere as the audience will need to continue watching the video in order to answer their questions about the missing man.

The video thirdly uses of narrative device, the example that the Coffee & TV video uses are images. There are multiple images of Coxon in the video including a family photo, a portrait within the family’s house and on the milk carton. The multiple use of Coxon’s photo creates an important aspect for the plot, and also to create a main focus for the plot. The images disappear after the milk carton finds Coxon with the rest of the members of Blur.