Media studies - music theory research and analysis of music videos

2. Andrew Goodwin’s theory consist of six key features which are present within music videos –
I. A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics.
II. A relationship between the music and the visuals though beats, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the music.
III. Narrative and Performance in relation to the genre’s style and iconography.
IV. The creation of a star image to promote a recognisable brand image, though the use of multiple close-ups of the
main artist or vocalist.
V. Technical aspects such as camera movements and mise-en-scene engages the target audience.
VI. Relation of visuals to song. Intertextual references to other media texts may be present.

3. Lyrics and Visuals – A music video's visuals in contrast to the lyrics
either display similar or direct visuals which relate to or contradict the
meaning of the song. In Katy Perry’s ‘Last Friday Night’ the lyrics of the
song state “Last Friday night, Yeah we danced on tabletops” these
lyrics are paired with a scene of party go-ers dancing in the
background whist Katy dances on a table with a red cup in her hand.
Music and Visuals – Music video’s
can be edited to fit the pace of
the music, lyrics or visuals .
Visuals are usually repeated
within a chorus to emphasise the
repetition of the lyrics and beats.
Narrative and Performance – The artists/performers that are
present within the music video act as the narrator/narrators
of the song. Though their lip syncing, choreography and other
actions they portray the meaning of the song or video as a
story and therefore must make it authentic and believable.
Technical Aspects – Camera movement
is strategically used to capture a songs
emotions or to portray the artist in a
certain way, for example lose ups of
body parts such as lips or back are often
used to sexualize the artist.
Intertextual references – Video’s often contain intertextual
media references, often due to its familiarity as well as to
engage with its target audience.
Star Image – The portrayal of an artist though their
music, video visuals and overall presentation of
themselves can increase the audience's awareness of
the artist. Artist such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry
have built their star Image though their interesting
choice of outrageous outfits. Nowadays star image is
greatly important for artist as it is a means of
securing fans and media attention.
Andrew Goodwin

4. Sven E Carlsson proposes that binary oppositions drive the narration of music videos.
Carlsson believes that music videos fall into two categories:
A performance clip displays the artist/performers in various locations. This type of music production
focuses on portraying an artist/group within a staged performance or setting. There are three types of
performances: song, dance and instrumental. Carlsson theory also highlights that the performer is
displayed as a ‘commercial exhibitionist' and materialisation of what fans aspire to be.
A conceptual clip contains visuals which stem from a single idea or whole concept. The audience are
presented with images beyond the artists means. These videos often contain exaggerated settings and
focuses more on scenery than artist performance.

5. Richard Dyer’s theory is split into three sections –
Stars such as Rihanna and
Ke$ha are constructed for
commercial purposes. They are
imaged to gain media attention
and fans which ultimately
results in the artist and music
company making millions. As
the artist brand identity
increase so does the overall
benefits they obtain from being
on this media platform.
Dyer believes that all stars
are built with the intention of
attracting an audience rather
than staying ‘true’ to their
selves. Artist often create a
specific thing such as
different hair colours and
crazy costumes so that they
can set themselves apart
form others in the industry.
Hegemony refers to how audiences
relate to a star because they admire
them or believe they have
something in common. This
admiration turns into an idolization
and in some cases influences the
fans to replicate the star in their
behaviour or appearance which can
have negative consequences. This
audience interest ultimately
increases their star quality.

6. In Taylor Swift’s words the concept behind ‘You Belong with Me’ springs from the
annoying situation of ‘wanting someone who is with this girl who doesn’t appreciate
him at all. Basically like ‘girl-next-door-it is…You like this guy who you have for your
whole life, and you know him better than she does but somehow the popular girl gets
the guy every time’. This situation is creatively illustrated though Taylor- the main
protagonist’s split personality, playing both evil and manipulative brunette
cheerleader and the good blond girl-next-door. The construction of these two
characters is base greatly on the social perception of teenage life; as Irish playwright
George Benard Shaw states ‘Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine
what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will’. ‘You
Belong with Me’ perfectly summaries a typical teenage situation in a humorous way
and still remains within its context.
The personas of both protagonists are presented as typical stereotypes; the mean
cheerleader is shown to be rich, spoilt, popular and a social butterfly whilst the girl-
next-door is geeky, shy and a bookworm who isn’t interested in the latest fashion
trends.
‘You Belong with Me’ perfectly summaries a ‘typical’ teenage situation in a humorous
way and still remains within its context. Based on pop music conventions, there is
choreography which relates to the narrative, camera shots which draw the audience’s
attention to the protagonist and bright colours to reflect its youthful target audience.
Overall the director has stuck to pop music conventions in order to create a fun
teenage inspired setting.

7. Hip-hop artist J.cole avoided the typical
conventions of hip-hop music videos in
favour of a dark narrative concept, in
which Cole kills off his track collaborator,
Miguel, who plays the boyfriend of his
love interest.
Theorist Andrew Goodwin believed that
music videos often highlight ‘a
relationship between the lyrics and the
visuals, which illustrate, amplify or
contradict the lyrics’. ‘Power Trip’ is a
dramatic concept/narrative video. The
lyrics are amplified though the visuals
and the effective use of cinematography.