Todd Goodwin is a theorist and founder of USF's media studies department. He authored a book analyzing music videos and developed theories about codes and conventions in music videos. His work showed that visuals can illustrate, amplify, or contradict lyrics and music. Common conventions include demonstrating genre characteristics through repeated actions, using sexual imagery for voyeurism and wider appeal, including references to other media, and promoting artists' star quality through close-up shots. Goodwin's theories provided a framework for analyzing relationships between audio and visual elements in music videos.

2. WHO IS HE?
• Theorist
• Goodwin is one of the founders of USF’s
media studies department
• Author of dancing in the distraction
factory: Music, Television and popular
culture
• His theory about music videos changed
the way the audience viewed them and
enabled people to analyze them in an
easier way

3. CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF MUSIC VIDEOS
• Relationship between lyrics and visuals
• Relationship between the music and
visuals
• Genre stereotypes
• Voyeurism
• Intertexual references
• Star quality (artists style and motif)

4. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS
Goodwin noticed the visuals tend to illustrate, amplify or contradict the
lyrics.
This can be seen in Taylor Swifts,
Love story video, the visuals
illustrate the lyrics which are ‘I
sneak out to the garden to see
you’ as wee see her going out into
the garden meeting the man she
is singing about.
Goodwin’s theory can also be
seen in Jessie J’s video – Price
Tag, here Jessie J sings ‘it’s
not about the money’ where as
seen in the screen shot below
the artist is stood with a tree
with money surrounding and
growing on it. This shows how
the visuals contradict the lyrics.

5. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MUSIC AND
VISUALS
Goodwin also noticed that the visuals can illustrate, amplify or contradict
the music. He noticed that the visuals within a music video may be
edited in time to the lyrics and the pace of the song. He also stated that
these visuals are commonly repeated within a chorus to emphasize the
repetition in lyrics and beats.
This can be seen in Natasha Bedingfield’s video ‘These words are my own’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5RuGj0g1tk

6. GENRE STEREOTYPES
• Goodwin recognized that music videos tend to include
demonstrations of genre characteristics. He noticed most
artists tend to repeat certain actions within their music
videos in order to establish this as their ‘trademark’
action and therefor be recognized due to this reoccurring
so often. This can represent the style of the artist and
their music.

7. VOYEURISM
Goodwin recognized that music videos often included men or woman being
portrayed in a sexual manner to entice usually the opposite sex to
watch the videos. Again voyeurism can be used as a marketing
technique to gain a wider audience.
A perfect example of this can be seen in a video by Nicki Minaj, Anaconda.
Below I have screenshot clips of the video in which I think she has
purposefully been put in positions to sexualize her and mainly engage
men.

8. INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES
Goodwin recognised that it is not uncommon for the visuals or lyrics to a
song to be a direct link or reference to another media text. References
to films, television programs, other videos, etc. Allows the audience to
be in on the joke.
This can be seen in Robbie Williams video ‘You know me’, the video shows
the artist being taken into an ‘Alice in wonderland’ type setting, he is
also dressed as the rabbit from the film. This creates intertextuality
between the film and the music video.

9. STAR QUALITY
Goodwin identified that it is common for record labels to feature close up
images of the artist in order to promote the artists music with their look.
The convention is commonly used in female artists to sexualize them
and give a more intimate angle for the audience to view them.
Star quality can also shape an artist such as Lady Gaga who is known for
her quirky style which is often shown in her music videos. One video
being Poker Face in which we see close up shots of lady gaga. (left
screenshot)
Lana Del Rey also shows this in her video ‘Blue Jeans’ where we see
multiple close ups of her face and lips in order to entice a wider
audience and promote her song (right screenshot)