This document discusses key aspects of music videos, including different types (performance, narrative, concept-based), how visuals relate to songs, and what makes some videos memorable. It provides examples like Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" and Ok Go videos that stood out for their artistic statements and unique choreography. The document also outlines the process for commissioning a music video and highlights Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" as an important early video that drove sales and was considered art.

1. Blog 6. Key features
• It is also worth considering:
• Whether the video is primarily performance-based,
narrative-based or concept-based and how elements
of each are used in it.
• You can use Goodwin’s categories to analyse music
videos for yourself.

2. Relation of Visuals to Song
Music videos can
use a set of images
to illustrate the
meaning of lyrics &
genre, this is the
most common
This is similar to
repeatability.
Meanings and
effects are
manipulated and
constantly shown
through the video
and drummed
into our vision
This is where the
meaning of the song
is completely
ignored
There are three ways in which music videos
work to promote a song

3. Narrative & 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 have coherent repeatability.
Narrative and performance work hand in hand. It makes it
easier for the audience to watch over and over without
losing interest.
The artist acting as both narrator & participant helps to
increase the authenticity however the lip synch and other
mimed actions remains the heart of music videos. The
audience need to believe this is real.

4. Leave Right Now- Will Young
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbrSL
Lv0AlA
• This video proves that those points are
true, for Will Young does not give us the full
meaning of the song, and we have to make
up our own meaning on what it is about.
• Also, he uses repetition to engage with the
audience and keep them interested in the
video.

5. What makes it memorable?
• To make an artistic statement – e.g. Talking Heads ‘Once in a Lifetime’
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU
• Ok Go – “Here it Goes Again” “White Knucklers” - one million YouTube hits after six days of initial
posting.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHlJODYBLKs
• Lady Gaga “Born This Way”
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw
• Why are these good examples of a promo video?
• How do they achieve a range of different promotional aspects?

6. Talking Heads- Once In A Lifetime
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg
1DNHbNU
• This song is very memorable for the video
is different to other music videos; it is
trying to make an artistic statement.
• Also, it uses repetition for they repeat
dance moves which they have already
done.
• The editing was very effective for this
video for it was editing to the beat of the
music.

7. Ok Go- Here It Goes Again
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA
• This video is very memorable for it wasn’t like any other
music video. It was all filmed in one take, and there was
only one camera shot used, which was a long shot. Also,
they used choreographed moves on running machines,
which haven’t ever been used in a music video, and so it
was unique. This could be memorable to the audience
for they could tell each other about it and the video
would get noticed by that.
• This video reached one million YouTube hits after six
days of initial posing.

8. Ok Go- White Knuckles
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHlJODYBL
Ks
• This video is very memorable for it uses an
audience pleaser- it uses dance moves with
dogs.
• This would be memorable for the audience as it
is unusual and unique, and the audience would
watch it over and over again to watch the dogs
perform, and the song would get in their head,
and so they would buy the song, which would
benefit the band.

9. Lady Gaga- Born This Way
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1Frq
wZyKw
• This video is effective for the audience
through the use of costume and the opening
sequence of the music video. It starts off
with a mini film, and the budget of this video
was large for there were many different
effects and the costume would have been
expensive.
• Also, the dance moves were choreographed
and they would be memorable.

10. Case study 1
• This is how the process works:
• A ‘Commissioner’ from a record label sends a track to 5-10 directors
• The directors then each submit a treatment
• This stage is unpaid
• The director who has submitted the ‘best’ treatment is then
commissioned to make the video
• Only then is the director paid

11. A Historical Perspective.
• Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975) Dir.
Bruce Gower.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzI
McZQ
• The reason this Music Video is regarded as
important is that it was the first Music Video
to:
1. Really have an impact on sales – after the
video release the song went to number 1.
2. Be regarded as a work of Art in its own
right.