This document summarizes Andrew Goodwin's theories about music video conventions and techniques. It discusses common elements in music videos like genre characteristics, narrative/performance, intertextual references, and relationships between lyrics/music and visuals. Techniques covered include illustration, amplification, and disjuncture. It also addresses the star image, iconology, notions of looking/voyeurism, genre characteristics, and the role of record labels. The document provides many examples to illustrate Goodwin's points about how music videos are typically constructed and aim to promote the artist.

1. ANDREW GOODWIN’S
MUSIC VIDEO THEORY

2. MUSIC VIDEO CONVENTIONS
• Music Video intend to have the same, cliché and
stereotype conventions when it comes to genre
characteristics, which can also put a label on
what kind of artist is performing. For example a
stage performance is very typical for a metal
video; dance routines for boy and girl bands and
beautiful girls in bikinis by a pool while a flashy
sports car pulls up outside a penthouse would be
influenced by a rap video.
• Many music videos can also link to film genres,
this is know as intertextuality. One example for this
might be a heavy rock song that is influenced by
a horror film or a pop song that could be
influenced by a rom-com.

3. NARRATIVE AND PERFORMANCE
• Songs fail to give us the complete narrative! We only tend to
get a gist of the meaning of the song and then tend to make
up our own idea of what is being told. Goodwin explains that
music videos should ignore common narrative. It is important
in their role of advertising . Music videos should coherent
repeatability . Narrative and performance work hand in hand it
makes it easier for the audience to watch over and over
without loosing interest. The artist acting as both narrator &
participant helps to increase the authenticity however the lip
sync and other mimed actions remains the heart of music
videos. The audience need to believe this is real.

4. INTERTEXTUALITY REFERENCE
• There are often intertextual reference
(to films, TV programmes, other
music videos etc.). This allows the
audience have a much more
clearer understanding of the music
video- meaning what it is related to
and what it is all about.
• For example, Will Smith doing “Men
in Black” for the film ‘Men in Black’,
or Beyoncé doing “Listen” for the
film ‘Dreamgirls’.

5. LYRICS AND VISUAL
• There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images (either
illustrative, amplifying, contradicting). The lyrics and visual idea makes the music video clear
about what it is the singer or band is singing about. Examples of this include the singer or band
member interacting (acting) with various people in the video in certain ways that are mentioned in
the lyrics. Take ‘The Wanted’ for example, when the lyrics say “the sun goes down” it shows the sun
going down or when the lyrics mention “Take her by the hand”, the video shows a band member
joining hands with a woman. The Visuals display which band member with a beautiful woman
enjoying their holiday and loud party.

6. MUSIC AND VISUAL
• There is a relationship between music and visuals. The
tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the
music. For example, many genre characteristic are shown
when it comes to music and visual.
• For instance, a rock music video would include live music
and a rap music video would present images of a
gangster lifestyle.
• This also relate to..
- Illustration
- Amplifying
- Disjuncture

7. Illustration
Illustration is simples and
easiest concept to base a
music video. An example of
illustrative ideas is Fireflies,
when the artist is singing and
as he says ‘fireflies’ the world
fireflies some up on the
screen to a little toy gadget.
Amplification
Performance and narrative is included in this
meaning, for example Kanye West
‘Homecoming’ where it does clearly shows
his home but the audience can work out that
the song is homecoming
Disjuncture
This simply means that the
meaning of the song is
completely ignored from
what it is really about. These
music video’s don’t always
tend to make sense and can
often be quite abstract.

8. STAR IMAGE• The star image is also the vital aspect
of the music video. This completes
who the star is and how it separates
them from other artist.

9. ICONOLOGY
• Every successful artist has their
own signature on who they are
and what they represent, for
example big iconic superstars like
Michael Jackson does certain
dance moves in his music videos
which he does repeatedly that
become his moves. Also Mariah
Carey seems to have a rapper of
some sort always repeat the word
“MC” (indicating her name) in the
beginning of her music videos or
Amy Winehouse’s hair.

10. REFERENCE TO NOTION
• There are frequent references to the
notion of looking and the voyeuristic
treatment of the female body. The notion
of looking includes men or women being
portrayed seductively or if there is eye
contact with the camera. The notion of
looking can also be referenced by the
use of props. e.g. Mirrors, television
screens, cameras, telescopes, binoculars
and magnifying glasses are all references
to, these are commonly used.

11. VOYEURISM
• Voyeurism is widely used to
sell the artist's music through
sex appeal, a recent
example being Miley Cyrus.
Voyeurism today is only
shown at one angle. You do
not see a male doing that,
only women.

12. GENRE CHARACTERISTICS
• All celebrities have a certain style that
matches their music genre, certain artist
genre characteristics can change from time
to time never really putting a label on
themselves but other artist such as Lady
Gaga have obvious characteristics, for
example she represents a unusual style of
crazy outfits in nearly all of her music videos
and all themes are always based around
something strange yet original.

13. RECORD LABEL
• A record Label which artist are assigned to tends to have certain
demands. They normally need a lot of close ups on the artist and the
artist will have a visual style which recurs across their work ,for example
lady gaga always wearing quirky clothes or Avril Lavigne wearing funky
rock chick clothes