Andrew Goodwin's theory of intertextuality in music videos identifies 5 key aspects: 1) the star image of the artist, 2) narrative/performance in the video, 3) relating the visuals to the lyrics, 4) technical elements like editing, and 5) the relationship between the visuals and song. Goodwin believes the star image is most important for promoting the artist and video. Narrative/performance helps audiences understand the song. Technical aspects produce a professional video, while visuals can illustrate, disjuncture from, or amplify the lyrics. Intertextuality is used to keep elements familiar to audiences and signify genre.

1. Intertextuality in Music Videos –
Andrew Goodwin’s Theory

2. What is Intertextuality?
Intertextuality is simply the referencing of another media text in an
original media text.
Goodwin believe that there are 5 aspects to a music video and these
include:
1. Star image
2. Narrative/Performance
3. Thought through beat (seeing what the lyrics mean in your mind)
4. Technical aspects of the music video
5. Relationship between the visuals and the song

3. Star Image
Star image is the most vital part of a music video according to Goodwin. This is because the artist is what
makes the video more interesting and appeal to the audience in addition to adding their own unique style to
the video in the way that he/she is portrayed.
The artist can be portrayed in different ways, for example; their attitude, outfit, and how they act. Their star
image helps to promote the artist which may give them attention in other media texts on top of promoting the
video itself.
Katy Perry is quite literally an all-American 'Californian girl'. Katy is always keeping up with the latest fashion
trends and if not, creating her own. She is really well known for her music videos where she dresses up in
various outfits such as an Egyptian and all different sweets. Katy is a very girly person which incorporates many
bright colours including pinks, yellows and blue which younger audiences are attracted to as well as young
adults. Most of her music is about having fun and doing what you want, and this is portrayed in her image on
magazine covers where she will really wear anything.

4. Narrative/Performance
Goodwin believed that it was important for the artist to be involved in their own music video somehow. Either
by performing or acting because this helps to give the audience a more of an understanding of the song/lyrics
making it look more realistic.
An example of this is Rihanna’s music video, Unfaithful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp4UwPZfRis
Rihanna is the main actor within this video as well as the artist of the song. This therefore makes the video
more believable due to the song which is sung by her, and the amplification of the lyrical content which
engages the audience further.

5. Technical Aspects of the Video
Technical aspects hold all of the different parts of the music video together this could be through the use of the
mise-en-scene, editing, sound and transitions.
• Mise-en-scene helps the music video to look more professional and this is because specific items such as
outfit/costume.
• Lighting and colours can contribute to the mood/setting of the music video, using different brightness's of
light and colours can emphasise or symbolise significant parts of the video, creating an exciting or calm
mood of the song.
• Different beats of the song can help the creator to edit the music video effectively. This could be by making
the different transitions of each shot in time with the beat of the song.

6. Thought Through Beat
There are three different steps to this:
The first part to this is listening to the actual music and to analyse it, identifying the verses and chorus.
Then, to listen to the artists voice as this will be unique to any others, forming a form of identification which
then can be used to enhance their star image.
The third part of this theory is the artist’s mode of address. Goodwin believes that the song has a
story/narrative to it and that we can establish the artist as the story-teller. Therefore, the music video acts as
an aid to the lyrical story, a two-communication media text.

7. Relationship between the visuals and the
song
Illustration
Illustration is when everything in the
video is rooted in the lyrics of the
song.
Disjuncture
Disjuncture is when there are no clear
links at all to the lyrical content of the
song. The content of the video may
seem surreal or abstract and a new set
of meanings are created.
Amplification
Amplification is when there are no
clear links to the song lyrics but the
video may combine narrative and
performance and create more varied
intriguing or ambiguous meanings.

8. Why is intertextuality used?
Intertextuality is used in music videos because to keep something familiar towards the audience to identify
with. It signifies the genre of the music video and the star image. So, for example in Lady Gaga & Beyoncé's hit
Telephone links with the film ‘Thelma and Louise’ which associate with ‘bad girls’ and murder.