Support sheet for analysis

1. Detailed analysis of music videos
Use the below table to help structure your notes when analysing music video. High
grade responses make sustained reference to appropriate theory.
Andrew Goodwin - 7 key ideas to identify
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. Stage performances in metal videos,dance routines for
boy/girl bands)
2. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (Either illustrative,amplifying or contradicting)
3. There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (Either illustrative,amplifying or contradicting)
4. The demands ofthe record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may
develop motifs which recur across their work (e.g. A visual style)
5. There are frequentreferences to the notion of looking (screens within screens,telescopes, etc) and particularly
voyeuristic (sexual) treatmentof the female body
6. There is often intertextual references (to films,TV programmes,other music videos,etc)
7. Whether the video is primarily performance-based,narrative-based or concept-based and howelementof
each is used in it
Artist: Song title:
Concept/narrative:
Features Observations Examples
Genre characteristics
Relationship between
lyrics and visuals
Relationship between
music and visuals
Are there close ups of
the artists and star
image motifs?
Is there reference to
the notion of looking?
Are the examples of
intertextual
references?
Is the video category
illustration,
amplification or
contradicting? How
much of each?