1. Andrew Goodwin Theory on Music Videos
Andrew Goodwin feels that traditional narrative analyses doesn’t really apply to pop videos because
Pop videos are built around songs – and often songs do not pose traditional narrative structures
(normality-problem-resolution). Also they use the singer as both the narrator and the character. Not
only that but the singer looks directly at the camera – this is an extension of (music-hall)
performance and trying to involve the viewer at home with the performance.
Pop videos rely on repetition and often repeat images throughout the video; the way that a song
repeats a chorus. Eventually we become familiar with the genre and start to have expectations from
it, and become familiar with it on a whole. The videos have a form of closure and editing, the same
way pop songs do – it builds to a climax or to a constant repetition before fading away.
There are three types of relations between songs and videos and those are:
Illustration: this is where the video tells the story of the lyrics E.G: Beyonce – If I Were A
Boyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QIZtjhBSnA&feature=related / Move your body
Amplification: occurs when the videos introduce new meanings that do not contradict with the lyrics
but add layers of meaning E.G: Swedish House Mafia – Save The World
Disjuncture: this is where there is little connection between the lyric and video or where the video
contradicts the lyric. E.G: Frank Ocean – Thinking About You
Videos also try to appeal to as wide an audience as possible without alienating the target audience.