This document discusses different types of music videos and how they can promote songs. It examines three ways music videos can relate visuals to songs: illustrating lyrics and genre meaning, using repetitive images to drum meanings into viewers' minds, and ignoring the song's meaning. The document also analyzes several example music videos and discusses what makes videos memorable and achieve different promotional aspects. It provides a case study on the music video commissioning process and highlights Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" video as an early influential work.

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- There are
three ways in which music videos work to promote a 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

3. Will Young- Leave right now
http://youtu.be/WbrSLLv0AlA
The song fails to give us the complete narrative meaning that it does not present a
clear understanding of the actual purpose it has been produced for. In this case It is
unclear as to whom the video is directed to when Will sings in front of the camera.
This then allows the audience to create a different image in their mind depicting
what they think they know therefore making up their on ideas. Studies (Goodwin)
explain that music videos should ignore common narrative. It is important in their
role of advertising. Additionally 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. What makes it memorable?
• To make an artistic statement – e.g. Talking Heads ‘Once in a Lifetime’
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU
• Why are these good examples of a promo video?
• How do they achieve a range of different promotional aspects?

5. 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

6. Lady Gaga “Born This Way”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw

7. 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

8. A Historical Perspective.
• Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975) Dir. Bruce Gower.
• 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.