Andrew Goodwin's music video theory

2. GOODWIN'S THEORY IS MADE UP OF 8 KEY
CONCEPTS.
• 1) LINKS BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS.
• 2) LINKS BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS.
• 3) GENRE CHARACTERISTICS.
• 4) INTERTEXUAL REFERENCES.
• 5 )NOTIONS OF LOOKING.
• 6) VOYEURISM.
• 7) DEMANDS OF THE RECORD LABEL.
• 8) PERFORMANCE BASED, NARRATIVE BASED AND CONCEPT BASED MUSIC VIDEOS.

3. LINK BETWEEN MUSIC AND VISUALS.
• THE LINKS CAN VARY BECAUSE OF THE GENERAL GENRE OF THE MUSIC BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE PACE
AND RHYTHM OF THE MUSIC.
• WHAT I MEAN BY THIS IS THAT THE SPEED OF THE VIDEO COULD EFFECT WHAT WE SEE, SUCH AS AN
UPBEAT RHYTHM BEING ACCOMPANIED BY A DANCE VIDEO.
• “THAT’S WHAT I LIKE” – BRUNO MARS…

4. LINKS BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS.
• STATES THAT THE LYRICS OF THE MUSIC WILL HAVE TO MAKE SOME KIND OF REFERENCE TO THE VISUALS
OF THE VIDEO.
• THE IDEA OF THIS IS THAT THE VISUALS WILL REINFORCE THE MEANING OF THE LYRICS AND WILL HELP
THE VIEWER TO UNDERSTAND THE LYRICS.

5. GENRE CHARACTERISTICS.
• WHEN MUSIC VIDEOS INCLUDE PARTICULAR CHARACTERISTICS IN THEIR VIDEOS WHICH ARE SPECIFIC
TO THE GENRE OF MUSIC THAT THEY ARE.
• FOR EXAMPLE IN A RAP VIDEO, YOU CAN OFTEN FIND NICE CARS, MONEY AND GIRLS, ETC.

6. INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES.
• WHEN THE MUSIC VIDEO IS INFLUENCED BY CULTURAL REFERENCES.
• SYMBOLS TO REPRESENT IDEAS TO THE AUDIENCE.

7. NOTIONS OF LOOKING.
• THE NOTION OF LOOKING IS WHEN THE AUDIENCE IS MEANT TO FEEL INVOLVED WITH THE VIDEO WHEN
THE ARTIST DOES THINGS LIKE LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE CAMERA. THE ARTIST WILL LOOK DIRECTLY INTO
THE CAMERA AND ACTUALLY APPEAR TO SING OR PERFORM TO THE AUDIENCE.
• PROPS CAN ALSO BE USED IN THE NOTIONS OF LOOKING, SUCH AS WHEN THE ARTIST LOOKS INTO A
MIRROR OR SOMETHING SIMILAR.

8. VOYEURISM.
• VOYEURISM MAINLY COMES DOWN TO WOMEN BEING OBJECTIFIED BY THE USE OF CAMERA SHOTS IN
ORDER TO GIVE PLEASURE TO A MALE AUDIENCE.
• THIS COULD BE THROUGH CAMERA SHOTS WHICH LINGER ON THE BODY AS APPOSE TO GOING DIRECTLY
TO THE FACE.

9. DEMANDS OF THE RECORD LABEL.
• DEMANDS OF THE RECORD LABEL MEANS WHEN THE MUSIC VIDEO IS ALTERED IN ORDER TO MATCH THE
CRITERIA OF WHAT THE RECORD LABEL WANT TO APPEAR IN THE MUSIC VIDEO.
• THESE COULD BE FAIRLY SIMPLE DEMANDS BUT THEN THEY COULD ALSO BE MORE MAJOR.

10. PERFORMANCE BASED, NARRATIVE BASED
AND CONCEPT BASED MUSIC VIDEOS.
• A PERFORMANCE BASED MUSIC VIDEO IS WHEN THE VIDEO IS MADE UP OF A VARIETY OF SHOTS OF THE BAND
PLAYING THE MUSIC, OR A RAPPER PERFORMING THEIR SONG. THIS COULD FEATURE ALL ELEMENTS OF THE
BAND (INSTRUMENTS INCLUDED.) AND ALLOWS THE VIDEO TO PREDOMINANTLY FOCUS ON THE ARTISTS
THEMSELVES.
• NARRATIVE BASED MUSIC VIDEOS ARE WHEN THE VIDEO HAS A STORY LINE WHICH RUNS THROUGH THE
VIDEO.
• A CONCEPT BASED MUSIC VIDEO IS WHEN THE VIDEO FOCUSES ON A PARTICULAR IDEA. THIS CONCEPT COULD
BE ONE WHICH FEATURES IN THE SONG LYRICS OR COULD BE COMPLETELY RANDOM AND JUST IMPORTANT TO
THE ARTISTS.