Music video conventions; Andrew Goodwin Theory.

Andrew Goodwin’s Music Video Theory/How to analyse a music video

Key Points;

1 - Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.

- Themes, mise-en-scene and events of the video match with lyrics of the song, to help to portray the message of the song.

2 - Relationship between the music and the visuals.

- The cuts and edits of the video are in sync with the rhythm and beat of the song matching cuts or effects to specific drum beats or notes.

3 - Music videos have genre characteristics

- Certain features are expected out of a video depending on the genre of the music, for example a girl bands/artists are expected to have dancers and close ups of the singers, whilst a Indi band are expected to have performance shots ofthe band and cut to a fast beat.

4 - Often due to the demands of the record label, artists' videos will include many close ups of the artist and will often develop motifs that recur across multiple videos

Music Video Motif from Ryan Miles

- This allows the record label to promote a set image for the band, which will help target audiences empathise with the band.

 

5 - Emphasis on 'looking'

- The 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience. The male gaze is a focus on presenting things that appeal to men. This often means a voyeuristic view of, and an objectification, of women. The emphasis on looking also includes the artist looking directly into the camera helping the audience connect with the artist.

6 - Intertexual references.

- Music videos reference other forms of media, most commonly film, but can also be television and other music videos.

How to analyse music videos;

Andrew Goodwin identifies 5 key aspects of music videos that we, the audience, should look out for;

- Thought beats – Where you ‘see’ in the sound

- Narrative and Performance

- The Star Image

- Relation of visuals to song

- Technical aspects of a music video

‘Thought Beats – ‘Seeing’ the soundStep 1. To look at the music itself. We must take into account the structure of the song.

Step 2. The voice of the song. The artists voice is extremely unique and can form indentification or trademarks that work well with the star image. 

Step 3. Goodwin points out the artists mode of address. Songs can be seen as stories and the artist the storyteller, making the music video a two communication device – them telling us a story and we listening.

Narrative & Performance
Songs fail to give us the complete narrative.

We only tend to get a gist of the meaning of the song and then tend to make up our own idea of what is being told – A negotiated view of a text. (Stuart Hall theory).

Goodwin explains that music videos should ignore common narrative. 
It is important in their role of advertising.

Music videos should include coherent repeatability. 
Narrative and performance work hand in hand its make it easier for the audience to watch over and over without loosing interest.

The artist acting as both narrator & participant helps to increase the authenticity however the lip sync and other mimed actions remains the heart of music videos. 
The audience need to believe this is real.

‘Star Image’The star image is another vital aspect of music videos. Meta narrative which is a big story that describes the development of the star over time, it has an important part to play in the music video production process.

• Andrew Goodwin stated that there were three different ways in which the music video can connect back to the song itself . These are:
• 1. • Illustration 
      

1. • Amplification
    

• 1. • Disjuncture

•  Illustration- 
• Commonly used. 
• Images illustrate the lyrics.
• • Illustration is the simplest and easiest concept to base amusic video around as it is just a literal meaning to the song’s lyrics in visual form. Owl City have used illustrative ideas in their videos before, for example inFireflies’ when the artist is singing and as he says‘fireflies’ the word fireflies comes up on the screen to alittle toy gadget.
• Amplification-
• Amplification is second. The conventions demonstrated by the music video creative director. They may use both performance and narrative, connotations of the meanings. An example of this is Kanye Wests Homecoming where it does clearly show his home but the audience can work out that the song is homecoming and it is him walking around a city that he knows.
• t
• Disjuncture - Intentionally ignores the content of the song and genre of the music and tries to create a whole new set of meanings. These music videos dont tend to make a lot of sense and can often use abstract imagery. In fat boy slims “praise you” there is no relation from the video to the lyrics.

Task 1: Analyse Lady Gaga's music video Judas using Andrew Goodwin's Music Theory.