The document summarizes Andrew Goodwin's analysis of key features and ways to analyze music videos. It outlines 6 features of music videos including demonstrating genre characteristics and intertextual references. It also lists 5 ways to analyze music videos such as examining thought beats, narrative and performance, the star image, and the relationship between visuals and song through illustration, amplification, or disjunction. Technical aspects like mise-en-scene, sound, cinematography, and editing are also important to analyze.

1. Andrew Goodwin (1992)
Wrote a book called‘Dancing in the distraction factory’
He suggeststhere are:
 6 keyfeaturesof amusic video
 5 waysto analyse amusicvideo
The 6 features:
1. Music videosdemonstrategenre characteristics
Certainfeaturesare expectedoutof a videodependingonthe genre of the music,forexample agirl
bands/artistsare expectedtohave dancersandclose upsingerswhicharock videowouldbe darker
and no dancing.
2. There isa relationshipbetweenlyrics andvisuals.The lyricsare representedwithimages
Theme,mise-en-scene andeventsof the videomatchwithlyricof the song,to helptoportray the
message of the song.
3. There isa relationshipbetweenthe musicandvisual.The tone andatmosphere of the visual
reflectsthatof the music.
The cuts and editsof the videoare insync withthe rhythmand beatof the songmatchingcuts and
effects.
4. The demandsof the record label will include the needforlotsof close upsof the artist and
the artist may developmotifswhichrecuracrosstheirwork(a visual style)
Thisallowsthe recordlabel topromote a setimage for the band/artist,whichwillhelptarget
audiencesempathisewiththe band/artist.
5. There isfrequentlyreference tonotionof looking(screenswithinscreen,mirrors,stages,
etc) and particularlyvoyeuristictreatmentof the femalebody
The ‘male gaze’isoftenusedto attract a male audience.
6. There are oftenintertextualreference (tofilms,TV programmes,othermusicvideosetc)
Music videosreference otherformsof media,mostcommonlyfilm, butcanalsobe televisionand
othermusicvideos.(KatyPerrybasicallydressedasTarzan soit isa reference toTarzan)
5 ways to analyse a music video:
1. Thought beats – where you ‘see’inthe sound
 Seeingthe sound –take intoaccount the structure (verse, chorus, verse)of the song
 The voice of the song- have theygota unique voice we canrecognise thistrademarksthat
workwell withthe starimage
 Artistmode of address- seeingthemasastoryteller(dowe visualise astory)
2. Narrative and performance
 Songsfail to give usthe whole narrative

2.  We onlytendtoget the general gistof the meaningof the songand thenwe add our own
meaningstoit
 Music videosshouldhave coherentrepeatability.Narrativeandperformance workhandin
hand,makesit easyforaudience towatchover andoverwithoutlosinginterest
 The artist isboth narrator and participanthelpsincreaseauthenticityhoweverthe lipsync
and othermimedactionsremainsthe heartof the video
 The audience needtobelieve itisreal
3. The star image
 How isthe star beingrepresentedinthe video?
 Meta narrative (meansbigstorythat describesthe developmentof the star)
4. Relationof visualsto song
 There are 3 ways inwhichmusicvideosworktopromote a song:
 Illustrate-illustrate the meaningof the lyricandgenre (relationshipsandbreakups)
 Amplify –takingthe general themesandmoodsof the songs
 Disjunction –completelyignoringthe lyricsandtheme of the song
5. Technical aspects of a musicvideo
Mise-en-scene (authenticity),sound,cinematographyand editing(matchingcutswithbeats)