Music promo video research 1

Music Promo video research
Seth Tumwa

Goodwin’s Theory
In his book ‘Dancing in the distraction factory’ Andrew Goodwin
identifies the following features of music videos:
• There's a relationship between lyrics and the visuals
• There's a relationship between the music and the visuals, the lyrics
(e.g. sad song with sad lyrics and vice versa)
• Some music genres may have their own music videos style and
iconography (e.g. hip-hop with girls, cars and gold jewellery)
• There is often a demand for a lot of close-ups of the main artist or
vocalist from the record company to establish the artist on screen
and identify them with the music
• Likely to be a reference to voyeurism (notion of looking) usually fro
females but also in the methods of actually looking (e.g. screens
within screens or cameras
• Likely to be intertextual references either to other music videos
(usually to seminal videos) or to films and TV texts

Video 1 – Justin Timberlake Suit & Tie
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tWvTW
16atE

Mise en scene
• Video itself adopts a vintage style
• Refers to being "being handsome and well-dressed". Mainly
through the line ‘as long as I’ve got my suit and tie’ which ties
in with the costume that Justin Timberlake wears throughout
the video, a suit and tie, representing this suave/slick
appearance, its clear that this subverts to Godwin’s theory
where he states that there is a relationship between lyrics and
the visuals.
Genre: R&B
https://en.wikipedia.o
rg/wiki/Suit_%26_Tie

Camera angles, shots and movement
• The video subverts to Godwin’s theory of
music videos as the main focus of the video is
on Justin Timberlake himself with many close
ups of his body and face, making him
identifiable with the song and establish him as
the main vocalist

• The intertextual reference is very clear in this
music videos. Most music videos in this decade
and in the last few decades would not tend to use
a black and white filter and feature an old
school/vintage style so the intertextual reference
is to old music videos where artists did where a
suit and tie on stage during a performance,
accompanied by a live band, for example
• I believe there is also an intertextual reference to
film

Notion of looking: Timberlake
watches the girls as they run past
him from the stage, in their
cabaret-like costumes, smiling to
himself as if he ‘likes what he
sees’
Black and White filter consistent
throughout the whole music
video, intertextual reference to old
music videos before colour images
were even possible to be shown
Suggests they are back
stage as this is an old
light to keep the area
lit as its dark. The
curtains also suggest
they are back stage as
they are waiting
behind them, perhaps
waiting to go on stage

If you look closely you can see that this isn't just
any stage, it is within what appears to be a
bar/club and Justin Timberlake is one of the acts
that gets paid to perform there, linking to the
cabaret dancers who have just ran off stage past
him. Intertextual reference film perhaps, old films
where dancers and singers perform at a club while
people come to drink and sit and watch them
perform.
Consistency of
black and white,
like old music
videos

Video 2: Route 94 - My Love
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS46C2z
5lVE

Music Video Analysis
Reference to drug abuse
close up of the girl
putting pill into her mouth -
reference to drug abuse
which is a huge occurrence
in nightclubs
References to alcoholism with
the girls drinking and this idea
that you have to drink to have

The video takes place in a nightclub and is
displayed as a heat pattern throughout the
video, this in a way makes you focus more
on the people in the video and what they
are doing but detaches you from them, as
you can’t connect with their features (e.g.
eyes) therefore you see them as
just characters in a video partying in a
club.
If you can’t guess that's the music video takes
place in a nightclub there are some obvious
signs, for example at eh start of the video, there
is no heat patterns and he can see the
main character waling down a street towards the
club at night as it is dark and street lights shine
behind him. after this a bouncer nods to him and
allows him into the club and if you look around at
the scene that takes place e.g. there is a DJ
present, people are dancing, drinking alcohol,
kissing and generally having a good time it
makes it obvious that they are in a nightclub.

Notion of looking
recurs throughout the music
video, and it is always aimed at
women.
Women seductively
touches her own
body in this close-up
Conforms to Goodwin’s theory, with a subtle link
to the lyrics of the song, ‘ My love, and my touch,
up above, made with the warmth of my’ which
suggests that she runs the mind games on the
man she is referring to with her touch and the
relationship they share is electrifying. In these
shots a notion of looking is shown with the man
staring at the girl from a distance and she almost
plays a game with him, making him look over
then walking away after gaining his attention,
leading him to the dancefloor and seducing him

Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
• Music video recorded in 1982
• Directed by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
• Pop/R&B Elements clearly shown: upbeat music &
dancing in the video
• Narrative structure, follows how Michael is accused of
getting ‘Billie Jean’ pregnant but in the lyrics Michael
denies the claim. Michael is followed by an investigator
for the whole video who tries to take pictures of
him/find evidence to support Billie Jeans claim but in
the end Michael gets away and the investigator gets
arrested after not finding any evidence against
Michael.

Goodwin’s Theory
In his book ‘Dancing in the distraction factory’ Andrew Goodwin
identifies the following features of music videos:
•There's a relationship between lyrics and the visuals
•There's a relationship between the music and the visuals, the
lyrics
(e.g. sad song with sad lyrics and vice versa)
•Some music genres may have their own music videos style and
iconography (e.g. hip-hop with girls, cars and gold jewellery)
•There is often a demand for a lot of close-ups of the main artist
or vocalist from the record company to establish the artist on
screen
and identify them with the music
•Likely to be a reference to voyeurism (notion of looking) usually
for
females but also in the methods of actually looking(e.g. screens

Lyrics
She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene
I said don't mind, but what do you mean, I am the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
She said I am the one, who will dance on the floor in the
round
She told me her name was Billie Jean, as she caused a
scene
Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of
being the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
And mother always told me be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes
the truth
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son
For forty days and forty nights
The law was on her side
But who can stand when she's in demand
Her schemes and plans
'Cause we danced on the floor in the round
So take my strong advice, just remember to always think
twice
(Don't think twice, don't think twice)
People always told me be careful of what you do
And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
She came and stood right by me
Just the smell of sweet perfume
This happened much too soon
She called me to her room
She says I am the one,
(you know what you did, (she says he is my son)breaking
my heart babe)
She says I am the one
Billie Jean is not my lover (don't Billie Jean)

Close up of
Michael’s face
in this frame
which
Identifies the
artist
Pillar glows as Michael leans on it, suggesting
everything he touches ‘Lights up’/’turns to gold’ he
has the power to make little things a big deal, perhaps
relating to the song itself about the story of Billie Jena
being bigger than it needs to be just because it
involves Michael Jackson
Iconic white
shoes and bright
socks with
trousers exposing
his ankles, a style
that Michael
Red bow tie, pink
shirt and black
trousers
Red: connotations
of danger but also
passion, desire,
and love which
could be
Conforms to Goodwin’s
theory that There is often a
demand for a lot of close-
ups of the main artist or
vocalist from the record
company to establish the
artist on screen
and identify them with the
music

Scandal – Suggests a story has been
made up around him, the tabloids
cant get enough of it so they write
articles about the story whether it is
Newspaper
headlines,
relation to lyrics
and song ‘Billie
Jean’ suggesting
an importance
to her name
Relation to lyrics: “Billie Jean is not my lover
She says I am the one, but the kid is not my son”
The detective is following Michael wherever he goes
trying to find some evidence to support Billie Jeans
story or find something to incriminate him and make
him look bad.
Two Shot of Michael and
the detective.
Private investigator:
evident through costume:
Long brown trench coat,
brown hat, black shades,
black trousers and black
shoes – an outfit that is
often associated with
investigators (e.g. in
charterers like ‘Inspector
Gadget’ the costume is
very similar)
Brown: connotations of
security, protection,
material wealth and being
serious
Evident through
movement in shots:
He sneaks around and
never lets Michael see
him & runs away
whenever there is a
risk of getting caught
Conforms to
Goodwin’s theory
that there's a
relationship
between lyrics and
the visuals

Trying to catch
Michael out like
paparazzi, find
evidence/ a story to
stick on him, but
Michael gets away
and escapes the
attempts to
incriminate him
Full of cameras
perhaps to
represent the
paparazzi and
everyone trying
to get stories
put of his life
One
camera
tries to
snap a
photo of
Michael.
Catch him
out and
have
evidence to
implicate
him
Recurring colour of
black (all the
cameras are black)
with a dark
background
Connotations of
black: power,
mystery, fear and
the unknown

Repeats the
idea that
everything
Michael
touches/every
thing
associated
with him
‘turns to the
gold’/gets
better/ ‘Lights
up’
Costume of the
homeless man
changes from
dirty, dark
coloured clothing
(black and brown),
to a fresh white
suit, white socks,
white shoes and a
red bow tie.
Connotations of
White: Purity
Iconic lighting of
pavement whenever
Michael steps on
them

Michael is often shown to be dancing whether it is on stage or in his
music videos and this relates to that, Michael dances for the majority of
the video, entertaining his audience. This was a fairly new concept,
most videos didn’t feature a lot of dancing from the artist like this at the
time
Iconic hip
thrusts, spins
and fancy
footwork of
Michael
Jackson.
Moves which
were likely to
have been
inspired by
artists like
Elvis Presley
‘Yellow Brick Road’
similar to the Wizard of
Oz, perhaps Michael is on
a journey. Every tile lights
Iconic lighting of tiles,
inspired use in modern
music videos and films
Conforms to
Goodwin’s
theory that
some music
genres may
have their own
music videos
style and
iconography, in
this case the
pop/r&b genre
often features
dancing

Music promo video research 1

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