theory on music videos

1. ANDREW
GOODWIN’S
THEORY
I L L U S T R AT I O N , A M P L I F I C AT I O N A N D D I S J U N C T U R E
R O S S H E M M I N G S

2. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
LYRICS/MUSIC AND VISUALS
• Illustration: The images in the music video illustrate the lyrics. Easiest concept as you
bring the lyrics to life through imagery. An example of this is ‘Park Life’ by Blur.
• Amplification: the music video and lyrics are still linked but they are enhanced in an
artistic way. Different performance and narrative techniques are used in the
amplification of a music video. An example of this is ‘the scientist’ by Coldplay.
• Disjuncture: Completely ignore the content/lyrics of the song and creates a new,
often abstract meaning. Often these videos are very effective due to their unique
An example of this is ‘Free the Robots’ by Capital Steez.

3. ICONOGRAPHY
• This can be an effective way of promoting a successful music video, however the
conventions for the genre of music must be taken into consideration:
– Rock – guitars, stage performance
– Rap – Expensive house/cars, urban location
– Boy/Girl bands – Dance routine, tropical location
• Conventions rely on mise-en-scene such as location, costume, props and lighting
• In order to create a successful music video, iconography suggests that the conventions
of the chosen genre must be used, this does not apply to disjunctured music videos
however.

4. CLOSE UP’S OF BAND/ARTIST
• Close up’s are done in order to promote the band or artist
• The use of this is dependant on either the demands of the record label or what
message the artist is trying to get across
• This is more often seen in chart music due to record labels focusing more on the
promotion of the artist than the music created
An example of this is Gotye in
the music video for ‘somebody
that I used to know’

5. EMPHASIS OF LOOKING
• The notion of looking suggests that there’s an emphasis on looking
• Voyeurism/male gaze:
– this is mainly used in music videos for chart music in which the female stars are being
sexualised
– Some see this as a negative, women being exploited for their bodies
– Others see it from a different angle, men are being drawn in with this relatively simple
technique
– The main aim is to get men interested by showing the female’s body and women interested
by wanting to look like the female star
In ‘Can’t remember to
forget you’ both Shakira
and Rhianna
demonstrate voyeurism

6. INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES
• This is when a music video contains references to other types of media such as TV and
film, the target audience are able to then relate these two types of media
• Such references could parody, create allusion, plagiarise, translate or quote from other
forms of media
• The best example is ‘The real slim shady’ by Eminem which parodies superheroes and
contains conventional job roles, this creates controversy and relatability which
increases the popularity of the music video