1. Andrew Goodwin
Wrote a bookcalled“Dancinginthe DistractionFactory” – 1992
6 key features of a music video
1. Music videosdemonstrategenre characteristics –whatwe expectfromthe genre needsto
be in the musicvideoe.g.pop,dancingandrock, singing
2. There isa relationshipbetweenlyricsandvisuals –the lyricsare representedwithimages
3. There isa relationshipbetweenthe musicandvisuals –the tone and atmosphere of the
visual reflectsthatof the music
4. The demandsof the record label will include the needforlotsof close upsof the artist and
the artist maydevelopmotifswhichrecuracrosstheirwork – a visual style
5. There isfrequentlyreference tonotationof looking(screenswithinscreens,mirrors,stages,
etc.) and particularlyvoyeuristictreatmentof the femalebody.
6. There are oftenintertextualreferences –to films,TV programmes,othermusicvideosetc.)
5 ways to analyse a music video
1. Thoughtbeats – ‘seeing’inthe sound
Step1 – the structure of a song
Step2 – the voice of the artist
Step3 – mode of address(howthe artistcommunicatesastory)
2. Narrative andperformance –Songs nevergive acomplete story.We onlygeta sense of the
meaning.Musicvideosshouldhave coherentrepeatability –the abilitytoknow it.The artist
mustact as the narrator and the participantandthe audience mustbelieve itisreal.
3. The star image – Meta narrative showsthe changesinan artistovertheircareerin their
musicvideos.Howare theyrepresented?
4. Relationtovisuals –Theycan illustrate the meaningof the songanditslyrics.Theycan
amplifythe songbyusinga theme orthe tone of the song. Disjuncture meansthatthe video
has nothingtodo withthe song.
5. Technical aspectsof a musicvideo – 4 technical elements(mise-en-scene,sound,
cinematography,editing)