Andrew Goodwin was a professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco who published the first comprehensive study of MTV in 1992 called "Dancing in the Distraction Factory", in which he analyzed the characteristics of music videos. Goodwin identified several defining characteristics of music videos including genre conventions, the relationship between lyrics and visuals, the use of star image motifs, intertextual references, and whether the video takes a performance, narrative or concept-based approach.

1. Andrew Goodwin (1956–
2013) was a Professor of
Media Studies at the
University of San
Francisco.
In 1992 he published the
first comprehensive
study on the MTV,
Dancing in the
distraction factory
(Routledge, 1992) in
which he analysed the
characteristics of music
videos.

2. What genre does this music video
belong to? Think about the use of
stylistic conventions
EXT: are there any other genres these conventions could be placed
into?

3. ANDREW GOODWIN’S THEORY
of music videos
L.O: To apply Goodwin’s theory to the
analysis of music videos

4.  All: will understand Goodwin’s theory (grade
D)
 Most: will understand Goodwin’s theory and
identify the features within a music video
(grade C-B)
 Some: will identify Goodwin’s characteristics
and use it to critically analyse videos of
different genres. Link to audience response
(grade A-A*)

5. Goodwin’s characteristics
1) Genre Characteristics
2) Relationship between lyrics and visuals
3)Relationship between music and visuals
4)Star image motifs
5) Notion of looking
6) Intertextual references
7) Performance, Narrative or Concept-based?
8)Technical elements

6. Music videos often reflect
their genre through the
use of specific
characteristics which
makes them
conventional.
Pop
Rock
Indie
Dance
Hip-
Hop

7.  A connection is shown through the visuals relating to the
lyrics. Either being Illustrative; explaining the lyrics visually,
amplifying; exaggeration of the lyrics linking to the video and
lastly contradicting; being the opposite visual to the lyrics
heard.
Can you think of any amplifying or contradicting examples?

8.  Visuals show a connection to the music. These are also
either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting.
 If the music is upbeat, so are the visuals.
 If the music is monotone, usually so are the visuals.
Can you think of any amplifying or contradicting examples?

9.  A music video is a marketing device in order to promote an artist.
It is a conventional characteristic to include many close-up shots
of the artist, demanded by the record labels to make them
identifiable by the audience.
Does ‘star image motifs’ just include the attractive?
What genres do not rely on this idea and why is this so?
EXT: importance of this idea?

10.  Particularly voyeuristic
treatment of the female
body – women that are
seen as a sexual object.
There are many music
videos/artists that could
fit into this section
nowadays.
Does the music genre determine the
representations of gender?

11.  In many music videos you will find there are often links to other
films, TV programmes or other music videos etc, this is called an
intertextual reference.

12.  Intertextuality is the shaping of texts' meanings by
other texts. It can refer to an author’s borrowing and
transformation of a prior text or to a reader’s
referencing of one text in reading another.
 The term “intertextuality” has, itself, been borrowed
and transformed many times since it was coined by
poststructuralist Julia Kristeva in 1966.
 As critic William Irwin says, the term “has come to
have almost as many meanings as users, from those
faithful to Kristeva’s original vision to those who
simply use it as a stylish way of talking about
allusion and influence”
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13.  Intertextuality uses references to other media texts
with which the audience may be familiar to generate
both potentially nostalgic associations and new
meanings.
Some examples of intertextuality inThe Simpsons:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=656k6b09mF4
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4I9gQr6muE
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LloIPhC2s0Q
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVEzuhQzKpE
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xto8_lj_G7M
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bbNrbCurnI
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rszVJFUNiKw
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1sp14qNr0c
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex26S2q1-vU
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1L3rMBCaZA
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDhAJPy6aiY
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2LeYF2NSTA
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWA_7y4Dok8
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlsNpaw_2Dw
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14. ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’
from Gentlemen prefer blondes
(Howard Hawks, 1953)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g__ANxxwKIk
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Madonna ‘Material Girl’ (Mary Lambert ,1985)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3wYIjI8WcI

15. 09/07/2019 15
Robert Palmer AddictedTo Love
(Donovan, 1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vE
ShaniaTwain Man I Feel Like AWoman
(Paul Boyd, 1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJL4UGSbeF
g

16.  From Madonna’s ‘MaterialGirl’ (Mary
Lambert ,1985) drawing on ‘Diamonds are a
Girl’s Best Friend’) to 2Pac and Dr Dre’s
‘California Love’ (HypeWilliams 1996,
drawing on ‘Mad Max’) there are many
examples of cinematic references which
dominate music video.
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17.  Performance-based means the focus is
solidly on the artist/band.
 Narrative-based means that it has a
story attached related to the lyrics of
the song. Artic Monkeys – ‘When the
sun goes down’ e.g. “So that she had to
roam the streets”
 Finally concept based is usually a single
concept – this can be purely technical or
based on a specific idea.

18. Cinematography: Multiple close ups of the artist are used to create a
sense of proximity between the artist and the audience.
Mise en scene: Lighting reflects the mood of the genre.
Sound: Can we talk about diegetic/non-diegetic sound in music videos?
Editing: Cuts between shots normally follow the rhythm of the song
(The pace of the editing is usually determined by the pace of the song).

19.  Using Goodwin’s theory,
analyse one music video of
your choice. Estate the
following:
 Genre:
 Artist:
 Song:
 Generic conventions found
in the video, illustrated
with detailed examples
(from the video).
 All: will understand Goodwin’s theory
(grade E)
 Most: will understand Goodwin’s theory
and identify the features within a music
video (grade C)
 Some: will identify Goodwin’s
characteristics and use it to critically
analyse videos of different genres. Link
to audience response (grade A)

21. Structure of your post:
 Introduce the theory: Who was Andrew Goodwin?
What does his theory try to explain?
 Mention the 8 characteristics and use few examples to
support your work.
 Analyse your own example using Goodwin’s theory.
Conclusion:
 Which, if any of these characteristics will you apply to
your own video?