Andrew Goodwin theory

Andrew Goodwin
key components of a music video
Leah Aston

Andrew Goodwin: 7 key ideas
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performances
in metal videos, dance routines for boy/girl bands)
2. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (Either
illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)
3. There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (Either
illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)
4. The demands 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 (e.g. a visual style)
5. There are frequent references to the notion of looking (Screens,
telescopes, etc.) and particularly voyeuristic (sexual) treatment of the
female body.
6. There is often intertextual references (to films, TV programmes, other
music videos. Etc.)
7. Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based or
concept based and how elements of each is used in it.

Ariana Grande (ft. Nicki Minaj) – Side to side
‘Side to side’ is Grande’s third single from her studio album, Dangerous woman (2016). The song features
reggae-pop and dancehall influences, guest vocals from Nicki Minaj and peaked at number 4 on both the US
Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart.

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
(e.g. stage performances in metal videos, dance routines for boy/girl bands)
Side to side is a pop ballad, so the music video holds certain conventions of this genre.
• Pop music videos are either performance based or narrative based – Grande’s video takes the former, performing
throughout in different outfits and locations. The featuring artist in this video, Minaj, does the same – performing to
the camera. There are a lot of dance routines in this video, with it being nominated for the MTV music video for best
chorography. These routines are shot throughout the video, with there not being one main dance performance that
you’d find in a Britney Spears music video for example. The dance performances are cut with shots of Grande walking
or performing to the camera.
• Mise en scene: Pop music videos use a lot of bright colours – especially on costumes and make up. Grande is doting
bright lipstick colours and costumes. Costumes in pop music videos tend to be revealing, and this video is no different
– both artists doting sparse outfits.
• Shots: Pop music videos tend to feature a lot of close ups of artists or product placement and long shots (particularly
of people dancing) As the video draws close attention to both of these, it conforms to the genre conventions.
• Editing: pop music videos tend to have bright lighting, and recently most pop music videos have been lit with red,
purple, green and blue lighting. This is true for Justin Biebers ‘What do you mean?’ and Demi Lovato’s ‘cool for the
summer’ and ‘sorry not sorry’

2. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals
(Either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)
“Side to side”
“Been tryin’ hide it”
While the link between the lyrics and
the video isn’t exactly clear, small links
appear here and there – such as when
Minaj raps the word ‘bicycle’
“I’m the Queen of rap”
“Making everybody think that we
solo”
“See you standing over there with
your body”
As ‘side to side’ includes a performance and not a narrative, there isn’t a story line that specifically matches the lyrics.
While this is true, some aspects of the video reflect the lyrics:
When Grande sings ‘side to side’ the
choreography matches her
movements.
When Grande sings ‘Been tryin’ hide it’
the scene is shot from behind
something, linking the lyrics to the
visuals. Perhaps this is used to make the
audience feel they’re the person she's
singing about.
Literal examples
Less obvious examples
When Grande sings this line, the video cuts to a shot of her crouching alone on the
ground. This is a literal example of ‘solo’ but again, her looking directly at the
camera insights the idea she’s singing to the audience. This is the same with ‘See
you standing over there…’ as she looks at the camera when singing these lyrics.
“Bicycle”
Another literal example, when Minaj
raps ‘I’m the queen of rap’ she places
a metaphorical crown on her head.

3. There is a relationship between the music and the visuals
“I’m talking to you”
As the beat drops so do the dancers
0:13
“I’m coming at you”
hair flip in time with the
track
0:25
Hand claps in time with the song
0:38
As the song slows,
the dancers choreography does also
0:51
The beat stops the dancers fling themselves back –
movement to the track
1:25
Pop music videos are usually cut on the beat. This is true for ‘side to side’, and the dance choreography also matches the
beat of the music. Here are a few examples of where the music matches the visuals of the video:

4. The demands 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
(e.g. a visual style)
‘side to side’
‘Bang Bang’
‘into you’
‘focus’
There are multiple close up shots in ‘Side to side’.
This is a key element to Grande’s music videos (and
most pop music videos) as the audience feels
connected to the artist. It adds a personal element
to the music video, especially considering the artist
is staring into the camera lens
Grande has a specific motif that recurs in her
most recent videos – lighting. This is similar with
most recent pop music videos also – the video
being lit with deep blues, purples, or in Grande’s
case – pinks.

female body.
While there isn’t many notions to looking, the music video for side to side features many voyeuristic shots
of the female body.
The mise-en-scene regarding costume is very scant, with Grande, Minaj and the dancers wearing bathing
suits, visible underwear etc. This is a technique used to be deemed as sexually desirable and perhaps grab
the attention of a male audience. The camera gaze is also voyeuristic, zooming in on the dancers legs or
bottoms, or using high angle shots to highlight the tops of their breasts. Perhaps this is due to the songs
lyrics, the words ‘side to side’ highlighting the after effects of their sexual endeavours.
While this may be deemed as ‘scandalous’ or ‘risky’, the lyrics to the song match the visuals, and in the
modern pop industry – sex sells. Grande has never been one to shy away from ‘scandalous’ outfits either:

6. There is often intertextual references
(to films, TV programmes, other music videos. Etc.)
Ken doll
During the latter part of the music
video, Grande and Minaj are seen in
a sauna surrounded by scantly clad
males. They’ve doting lines around
their arms and knees (much like a
ken doll) and are moving in a roll like
fashion.
Perhaps this is used to insight the
idea that they’re the artists’ ‘boy
toys’ or reverting the idea of women
as robotic models over male singers.
A loose link: Million Dollar Baby
One could argue that this specific
scene in the music video is similar to
that of Maggie in Million Dollar
Baby. The robe is similar, and
walking around an empty boxing
ring.
Fitness videos
One could argue that this scene in the
video is similar to that of group fitness
videos, with Grande being the
instructor

7. Whether the video is primarily performance based, narrative based
or concept based and how elements of each is used in it.
The ‘side to side’ music video is completely performance based, switching from different locations
throughout the video, there is no narrative – no story line. It’s an accumulation of dance pieces and up
close shots – something similar to the pop genre.
The video depicts both Grande and Minaj in gym locations, Grande moving from lockers, an elliptical, a
boxing ring to a sauna. There is also a choreographed dance scene in the gym showers towards the end
of the video, which Grande or Minaj do not appear in. Yet Grande – as the main artist - takes the majority
of the shots, which is a characteristic of pop music performance videos.

Fifth Harmony (Ft. Ty Dolla $ign) – Work
from home
The song ‘Work from home’ is the bands lead single from their album ‘7/27’. The song has both pop
and R ‘n’ B influences and debuted at number 12 on the ‘Billboards hot 100’.

Similar with Ariana Grande’s ‘side to side’, Fifth Harmony’s song ‘Work from home’ is a pop ballad,
featuring a rapper. Genre wise it’s a pop song, so it should hold these genre characteristics.
Pop music videos are most either narrative based or performance based and ‘Work from home’ takes the latter,
performing to the camera with no following story line. There are multiple dance routines for this music genre, and it
adheres to the genre convention of group dance performances for girl bands.
Mise en scene: pop music videos tend to use a lot of bright colours, such as pastels or primary colours. This video,
however, doesn’t, sticking to mute and warm browns. The artists make up and clothing matches this colour scheme also.
Current pop music artists tend to dote revealing outfits, and this adheres to this concept.
Shots: Pop music videos tend to feature a lot of close ups, which can be seen in the stills above. As it’s a girl band, there
are also a lot of group shots – the members standing side by side as the camera pans outwards.
Editing: As usual pop music videos, it’s cut on the beat. The dance choreography almost matches the track perfectly. To
match the colour scheme, the video is also edited with a gold tone.

“I’m sitting pretty”
drops her body to the ground in a
sitting positon – 0:16
“I just need your body”
She highlights her body – drawing
attention to it – 1:26
“Take it to the ground”
As this lyric is sung, the band drops
their body into a sitting positon – 2:24
“Work from home”
On a construction site – 0:38
The lyrics of ‘work from home’ aren’t very elaborative, and neither is the music video. The locations are quiet contradicting
to the lyrics, because a construction site worker cannot work from home, but there are a few links.

A significant feature of pop music videos is that they’re cut on the beat. The dance moves, movements etc. all match the
beat also, so the video smoothly runs. ‘Work from home’ is no different.
“Baby”
With the syllables ‘ba’ and ‘by’ the
artist flips her hair – another example
of the dance moves of movements
matching the music.
There is very elaborative dance sequences in this music video, creating the idea
that the artists are multitalented – singers and dancers. The dance routine
matches the music, promoted here when the artists mimic the clapping heard in
the backing track.
The entirety of the video is cut on the beat, yet at the end,
as the backing vocals and track picks up, the cuts match
that, with the video pace speeding up to match the music.

There isn’t a specific motif for the artists that recurs across their work. They do, however, use a lot of close
ups of the artists.
Highlighting the artists lips and eyes, the camera zooms in on their facial features – perhaps connoting a
sexual aspect to the music video.
Zooming in and using close ups of the artists also highlights their make-up, presenting them as fashionable
and modern women who spend a lot of time on how they look.
The artists all look directly at the lens, signifying how it’s a performance video, but also promoting the idea
that they’re performing to the audience and for the audience.

female body.
In the video, there are many references to the notion of looking, with the males staring at the females throughout the
scenes. The males look at the females in a sensual and predatory way, perhaps in a way to sexualise the artists and to
portray them as appealing to the audience.
The artists are also scantly dressed, wearing shorts and low cut tops, and also dancing in a provocative way – highlighting
their bodily assets. This popularises the band with male audiences, even if they dislike the music.
The camera itself is voyeuristic, zooming in on body parts.
The filter, lights and sheen on the video also promotes the sexual aspect of the video, highlighting the males arms and
chests. This, perhaps, tries to grab a female audience, or, to portray the females as desirable.
Some YouTube comments

Due to the ‘normal’ or non specific nature of the
location in the music video, there isn't one specific
intertextual reference that I can highlight. Instead, the
video features many references to other pop music
videos, highlighting the idea that many pop music
videos adhere to the same guidelines.

‘Work from home’ is entirely performance based, with the artists being featured at different
locations during the video. Like Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Side to Side’, Fifth Harmony and Ty
Dolla $ign’s ‘work from home’ in an accumulation of dance pieces and performance shots.
The construction site location is the element that holds a strong connection to the lyrics of the song, with
the artists moving from different locations in an un-finished house. With pop girl group music videos,
there is the similar aspect of a dance routine at the end, where the band comes together from their single
locations.

Beyoncé - run the world (Girls)
Run the world (girls) was Beyoncé's lead single from her fourth studio album, ‘4’. The single peaked at
29 on the U.S. billboard chart, and was a top 20 hit in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, and the United
Kingdom. The song features heavy sampling from ‘pon de floor’ by Major Lazer and is a pop song with
hip hop and R’n’B influences.

As stated with the two previous videos, pop music videos are generally either narrative or performance
orientated. Beyoncé's take the latter, featuring many dance sequences and performing to the camera.
Editing: As with all pop music videos, the video is cut on the beat – perhaps to show that the artist has
dominance over the track.
Shots: As this song falls into the genre of popular music, there are many close ups of the artist, and middle
shots to show the full length of the dance scenes.
Mise en scene: Pop music videos tend to use a lot of bright colours, featured in Grande’s ‘side to side’
however, Beyoncé, Like Fifth Harmony, uses warm browns and mute shades. Perhaps this is used to
emulate the desolate wasteland in the video, the only colour coming from the artists and dancers clothing.
Or perhaps this is used to highlight the R’n’B element of the song. The artists makeup matches this also,
Beyoncé doting a dark Smokey eye. Beyoncé, as well as the back of dancers, are wearing revealing clothing
which adheres to the modern notion of objectification in pop music videos.

The entirety of this music video is very female oriented,
there are many female dancers and extras and they’re all
grouped together.
The lyrics ‘Girls! Who run this…’ are shown throughout the
visuals as it’s obvious the females in the music video take
reign over the males.
While the men are supposed to be policing the females –
emphasised in their combat gear – they’re overpowering
them through the metaphorical movement of dance.
‘Boy don’t even try to touch this’ is also made evident, as in
the beginning, there are visuals of Beyoncé in-between two
males, and their dance moves are quite static, as if they’re
afraid of the dominant Beyoncé in-between them.

At the beginning of the music video, the
music is soft, almost like a white noise, and
the visuals reflect that – the wind blowing
through Beyoncé's hair cinematically.
The dance moves and movements throughout the
entire video match the backing track. Shown here,
through Beyoncé slamming her fist down of the roof of
the car, she mimics the drum beat of the track.
Furthermore, the backing dancers emulate the lyrics
through their actions (fist pump at ‘girls!’ to add a
plosive element to the lyric)
Before the verse begins, the music slows down
and Beyoncé utilises this with an extreme close
up – the slow motion movement of her raising
her head adding an element of dominance,
danger, and fearlessness.

Like many of Beyoncé's music videos, and pop music videos in
general, it features a lot of close ups and extreme close ups.
Whether this be of facial features or body parts, this video
conforms to this characteristic.
Beyoncé's lips and eyes are especially highlighted, perhaps to give
the audience the notion that she is performing to them.
One of Beyoncé's motifs is her dance routines, with most of her
videos including a complicated dance structure that highlights her
abilities. This didn’t go unnoticed as the video won Best
Choreography at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

female body.
Most, if not all of the female dancers (and Beyoncé) are all scantly dressed, wearing clothing that highlights
their legs and chests. One could argue that they’re wearing these items to add a level of realism to the
video, as due to the orange lighting, it looks as if the location in the video has hot weather. However,
another reason could be as it adds a sexual level to the music video. While this is true, the whole video
emulates female empowerment and one could argue that the women are empowered through their sexual
objectification.
The men aren't looking at the women in a predatory way, instead, it looks as if they’re afraid of them with
many shots highlighting Beyoncé's power over the males.

Mad max & Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.
The main intertextual reference in Beyoncé's ‘run the
world (girls)’ is Mad Max and Mad Max: beyond
thunderdome. The video features a desolate wasteland
in which females rule and are all wearing slightly
ragged looking clothing, riding battered cars and
doting messy, wind swept hair.
The video also features explosions and deserts, which
is prominent in the movies. Many music videos have
gone in this direction, the same with Britney Spears’
‘I’m a slave 4 u’

The music video for ‘run the world (girls)’ is entirely performance based like that of ‘side to side’ by
Grande and Minaj and Fifth Harmony’s ‘work from home’. It features different performance shots,
moving from location to location with dance routines dotted throughout.
Out of all three of the videos I have analysed, Beyoncé's ‘run the world (girls)’ video holds the
strongest connection to the lyrics used in the song. The video is filled with multiple women, creating a
‘girl gang’ that rebels against the noticeably all men ‘police squad’ with Beyoncé as the leader.
Beyoncé being the main feature of this music video, a large majority of the shots feature her.

Andrew Goodwin theory

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