A powerpoint exploring the codes and conventions in music videos that Andrew Goodwin talks about, and how they convey meaning to an audience.

1. ANDREW GOODWIN’S
MUSICVIDEOTHEORY
FROMTHE BOOK: ”DANCING INTHE DISTRACTION
FACTORY” - 1992

3. Genre
■ Goodwin idetifies that music videos usually contain characteristics stereotypically
found in other music videos of that genre. The style and iconography will be
recognisable which means an audience knows what to expect and they can identify
the genre easily.
■ A successful example of this is Someone Like You by Adele. The song is a pop ballad, so
mise-en-scene, editing and camerawork are used to communicate this; it is one
continuous black and white shot throughout the video, with the artist at the forefront
of the frame at all times. This ensures that the audience’s attention is not diverted
from the artist’s emotion and the somber mood of the video, which is stereotypical of
pop ballad music videos.

4. “Thought Beats” – Seeing the Sound
■ Goodwin also talks about how the tempo, structure and the pace of the song is
reflected in the visuals. The speed of the cuts, the movement of the camera and how
these contrast between verses and choruses shows this. For example, a faster tempo
will include faster cuts between shots.
■ A good example of this is Where Are Ü Now by Skrillex, Diplo, Jack Ü and Justin Bieber.
The slower first verse is represented through almost one continuous shot of Bieber,
the lead artist, singing. Then, the increased beat of the song at the chorus is shown
through much faster cuts between shots; the cuts are also in time to the tempo of the
music. The lyrics are also shown through the visuals, as at the beginning they are
mellow so the colour scheme is darker and the shots are longer, whereas when the
track shifts to focus on the music at the chorus, the colour scheme becomes lighter
and the cuts become faster.

5. ■ Furthermore, a music video must represent the voice of the artist. Their vocals will
always link to their style and branding; we associate singers’ vocals with their image
which makes them and their music memorable.
“Thought Beats” – Seeing the Sound

6. ■ It is very common for music videos to tell a story as well as advertise the song. The
performance-narrative hybrid is popular because it means it will have repeatability and
will allow the artist to create an interesting video that will keep the audience hooked,
interested, and wanting to watch it over and over again without losing interest. The
artist can act as both the narrator and the participant, whilst the lip syncing is at the
heart of most popular videos; this will increase the levels of verisimilitude for the
audience.
Narrative and Performance

7. Relation ofVisuals to a Song
Disjuncture – the meaning of the song is
completely ignored. The images in the
video do not relate to the lyrics.
Amplify – The meaning of the song is
exaggerated through the use of visuals.
Illustrate – The meaning of the song is made clear through
the video. The video clearly illustrates the lyrics or ”story”
within a song; a set of images is used to illustrate the lyrics.
This is the most common use

8. ■ The main purpose of a music video is to promote an artist and their song. The record
companies to do it to increase the profiles and sales of artists, so the branding of these
artists must be perfect.
■ This is achieved by making the artist at the forefront of the video; this is most
commonly found in pop videos. They have the most screen time to ensure that the
audience’s attention is not diverted from them. Close-ups of the artist are also
commonly used, which are called “money shots”
Star Image

9. ■ Voyeurism is present in many music videos, usually with a female artist, which feature
shots solely of the artist looking into the camera, a mirror, or close ups of their eyes.
This emphasises their branding, and the idea that “sex sells”.Close ups to the face are
very intimate shots which can help to promote the artist as a sex symbol.
Voyeurism or “looking”
■ Nicki Minaj’s music videos will usually
always feature this technique because her
body is key to her brand image.
■ Male artists will also often use this technique and feature shots of
their body to attract the opposite sex.

10. ■ Codes and conventions are used to convey the tone and pace of a music video.
Camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing and sound all work together to form the video’s
meaning. For example, for a ballad (Someone LikeYou by Adele, for example) will
feature a slow pace of editing with minimalistic mise-en-scene to convey the mellow
emotions that the song portrays. In contrast to this, a song like Sorry by Beyoncé, will
feature a faster pace of editing and more elaborate mise-en-scene to demonstrate the
faster tempo of the song and the more angry lyrics.
■ It is very important that the meanings of the music videos are believable and realistic
because it creates an engaging experience that an audience will want to watch over
and over. Editing also shows meaning in the song and will cut in time to the tempo of
the song, making the visuals impressive and pleasing.