1. KEY FEATURES OF A MUSIC VIDEO
• WHETHER THE VIDEO IS PRIMARILY PERFORMANCE-BASED,
NARRATIVE-BASED OR CONCEPT-BASED AND HOW ELEMENTS
OF EACH ARE USED IN IT.
• YOU CAN USE GOODWIN’S CATEGORIES TO ANALYSE MUSIC
VIDEOS FOR YOURSELF.

2. RELATION OF VISUALS TO
SONG
Music videos can
use a set of images
to illustrate the
meaning of lyrics &
genre, this is the
most common
This is similar to
repeatability.
Meanings and
effects are
manipulated and
constantly shown
through the video
and drummed
into our vision
This is where the
meaning of the song
is completely
ignored
THERE ARE THREE WAYS IN WHICH
MUSIC VIDEOS WORK TO PROMOTE A
SONG

3. 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 EMBED OUR OWN INTERPRETATION OF WHAT IS BEING
TOLD.
GOODWIN EXPLAINS THAT MUSIC VIDEOS SHOULD IGNORE COMMON
NARRATIVE, AND RATHER THAN BEING TOLD THE PLOT, WE GIVE OUR
OWN ANALYSIS OF THE MUSIC VIDEO. IT IS IMPORTANT IN THEIR ROLE
OF ADVERTISING.
MUSIC VIDEOS SHOULD HAVE COHERENT REPEATABILITY. NARRATIVE
AND PERFORMANCE WORK HAND IN HAND. IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR
THE AUDIENCE TO WATCH OVER AND OVER WITHOUT LOSING
INTEREST.
THE ARTIST ACTING AS BOTH NARRATOR & PARTICIPANT HELPS TO
INCREASE THE AUTHENTICITY HOWEVER THE LIP SYNCH AND OTHER
MIMED ACTIONS REMAINS THE HEART OF MUSIC VIDEOS. THE

4. WILL YOUNG “LEAVE RIGHT NOW”
• HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=WBRSLLV0ALA
• THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE AUDIENCE FILLING IN THE NARRATIVE.
• WE ONLY GET THE GIST OF THE MEANING OF THE SONG AND THEN TEND TO
MAKE UP OUR OWN IDEA OF WHAT IS BEING TOLD (HE IS TALKING TO THE
PERSON WHO BROKE HIS HEART, ALMOST AS IF HE’S HAVING A BREAK DOWN IN
THE MIDDLE OF AN ART GALLERY – THE AUDIENCE IS IN THE POINT OF VIEW
PERSPECTIVE OF THE PERSON WHO HE’S TALKING TO).
• WILL YOUNG IN THE VIDEO IS ACTING AS BOTH NARRATOR & PARTICIPANT TO
HELP TO INCREASE THE AUTHENTICITY. NARRATIVE AND PERFORMANCE WORK
HAND IN HAND. IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR THE AUDIENCE TO WATCH OVER AND
OVER WITHOUT LOSING INTEREST (THE VIDEO HAS COHERENT REPEATABILITY –
WILL SINGING, PULLED AWAY, SINGS AGAIN).

5. WHAT MAKES IT MEMORABLE?
• TO MAKE AN ARTISTIC STATEMENT – E.G. TALKING HEADS ‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME
• HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=I1WG1DNHBNU
• THE VIDEO IS CLEVERLY EDITED TO THE BEAT OF THE SONG.
• THE LYRICS AND THE ACTUAL VIDEO CONTRADICT ONE ANOTHER WITH THE WORDS CONSISTING OF THE MUNDANE REALITY WHILE THE VIDEO IS
SURREAL AND COLOURFUL.
• THE ACTIONS OF THE VIDEO PORTRAY A FEELING OF BEING CONTROLLED, WITH THE ARTIST’S MARIONETTE-LIKE MOVEMENTS AND THE
‘UNIFORMED’ MICROBES IN THE BACKGROUND
• OK GO – “HERE IT GOES AGAIN” “WHITE KNUCKLERS” - ONE MILLION YOUTUBE HITS AFTER SIX DAYS OF INITIAL POSTING.
• HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=DTAASCNK7RA
• HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=NHLJODYBLKS
• SOLD THE VIDEOS ON ORIGINALITY
• BECAUSE THE BAND MEMBERS WERE UNATTRACTIVE, MIDDLE-AGED MEN, THEIR FACES WERE NEVER SHOWN UP CLOSE IN ANY OF THE VIDEOS
• BECAME THEIR ‘BAND’
• LADY GAGA “BORN THIS WAY”
• HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=WV1FRQWZYKW
• THE VIDEO WAS CINEMATIC AND HIGH VALUED
• LADY GAGA WAS THE OBJECT OF THE MALE GAZE IN THE VIDEO (WEARING NOTHING BUT LINGERIE)

6. CASE STUDY 1
• THIS IS HOW THE PROCESS WORKS:
• A ‘COMMISSIONER’ FROM A RECORD LABEL SENDS A TRACK TO 5-10
DIRECTORS
• THE DIRECTORS THEN EACH SUBMIT A TREATMENT
• THIS STAGE IS UNPAID
• THE DIRECTOR WHO HAS SUBMITTED THE ‘BEST’ TREATMENT IS THEN
COMMISSIONED TO MAKE THE VIDEO
• ONLY THEN IS THE DIRECTOR PAID

7. A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
• QUEEN’S “BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY” (1975) DIR. BRUCE GOWER.
• THE REASON THIS MUSIC VIDEO IS REGARDED AS IMPORTANT IS THAT IT WAS
THE FIRST MUSIC VIDEO TO:
1. REALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON SALES – AFTER THE VIDEO RELEASE THE SONG
WENT TO NUMBER 1.
2. BE REGARDED AS A WORK OF ART IN ITS OWN RIGHT.