2. Andrew Goodwin
Andrew Goodwin created a theory that there are 6 Features and
characteristics that can be found in the majority of Music Videos. These
are:
• There is a relationship between lyrics and visual. The lyrics are
represented with images
• There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and
atmosphere of the visuals reflects that of the music
• Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
• The demand of the 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
• There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within
screens, mirrors, stages) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the
female body
• There are often intertxtual reference (to films, tv programmes, other
music videos ect)
I intend to look at these sections and applying them to the music video ‘jar
of hearts’ to see how well the theory fits music videos
3. There is a relationship between
lyrics and visuals
‘collecting your jar of hearts’ to live half alive’
‘learn ‘collecting your jar of hearts’
‘wish I had missed the first time that we kissed’
4. There is a relationship between
lyrics and visuals
You can see a relationship between the music and the visuals in this music
video as the image on the video often goes with the lyrics of the song. For
example the title of the music video is jar of hearts and the jar is often on the
screen which enforces the name of the song however when she sings the lyrics
‘learn to live half alive’ we see that the jar is empty representing her heart
break. The lyrics ‘collecting your jar of hearts’ is also emphasized throughout
the video as you see the boy inhaling the contents of the jar from the women
and therefore collecting the hearts. Nearer the end of the video we also see two
people kissing onscreen as the lyrics ‘I wish I had missed the first time that we
kissed’ as if she is watching the moment over again. Overall the image on the
screen enforces the lyrics.
5. Music videos demonstrate genre
characteristics
The video features genre
characteristics of a popular pop
video with performance and
some narrative shown within the
video. The main characteristics of
Features Artist a pop genre is the artist featuring
the video which happens the
majority of this video with the
camera only off her during small
parts of narrative. The artist often
sings within popular videos giving
Artist Singing a sense of performance and there
is often dancing within the video.
It has both of these as she sings
throughout the video and a dance
routine is incorporated half way
through the video and in the fight
Dancing scene towards the end, done
using ballet and dance. So this
6. The demand of the record label
Close Ups of Artist
Expensive Edits
Fog Special Effects
7. The demand of the record label
This video was created by the record label, Atlantic which is shown by the high
budget of the music video. It uses expensive looking effects with the transitions in
the video to show the jar of hearts It also uses expensive special effects such as
the fog used in the video. The record label also does its best to promote the artist
by using a lot of close up shots and keeping her the dominant feature of the frame
in the majority of the image.
8. Notion of looking and voyeuristic
treatment of the female body
A lot of body shown
Frame within a frame
Women treated like objects by the man
9. Notion of looking and voyeuristic
treatment
of the female body
This video uses both the notion of looking and the voyeuristic treatment of the
female body. It shows a number of women being used by the man in a sexual
manner and treated like an object. It also has some girls showing a lot of flesh and
the way the man goes from girl to girl shows the voyeuristic treatment of the
female body. The video also uses frame within a frame using the car window to
frame the boy and girl and the phone box window to frame another couple.
10. There are often intertextual
reference reference is a
The intertextual
reference to the film kill bill as she is
left on her wedding day broken
hearted and then goes for revenge.
The mise-en-scene of the artist is a
sort of wedding dress which sort of
Wedding Dress references to Kill Bill. The other
main reference to this film is that
the girls go and get revenge on the
boy for the broken hearts which is
also similar to the story line.
Revenge of broken hearts
