Andrew Goodwin's Theory and How it Affects My Music Video

1 - Music videos demonstrate genre and characteristics

This means that all parts of the music video will reflect the genre and characteristics of the music. This includes costume, mise-en-scene, cultural references/conventions, and more. 

The famous rap musician Eminem

An example of this is a music video for a rap song - these will normally include a main character, a man, dressed in baggy trousers, a t-shirt, a hooded jacket, a baseball cap, as well as expensive jewellery or "bling" (they will often have tattoos as well) while he is admired by his friends and women. This is the "street" look that is often associated with teenagers nowadays. These types of music videos will normally be set in a nightclub or a similar kind of location.

In our music video, we are representing the alternative, pop and dance genres. So, we will have to include things in our music video that represent this so that people can connect to both the music video and it's genre.

2 - There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals - either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting

This describes the way the music video can reflect the lyrics of the song. For example, the recent music video for Hall of Fame by The Script shows the performers in the music video achieving their dreams by becoming boxing champion and a famous ballet dancer while lyrics such as "You can be the greatest" and "Sitting in the hall of fame" are played in the background. The visual reflection of these lyrics in the music video strengthens their effect and meaning, imprinting the music video more firmly into the viewer's mind.

For our music video, we have thought of several ways that the video could reflect the lyrics - for example, our idea of someone running towards something they want could reflect the lyric "I just keep on running" in more than one way - he is literally running, but he is also running determinedly towards the thing he wants. Also, at the end of the music video, we plan to contradict the lyrics by having the main character and the girl he runs to get together, while the lyrics ironically say "Tonight I Let You Go".

3 - There is a relationship between music and visuals

This means that the visual part of a music video should reflect the tone, beat, etc. of the song at that point. The mise-en-scene needs to contain elements that are related to the song so that the two parts interconnect to create a smooth, high quality music video.

An example of this is the music video for Nothing Compares 2U by Sinéad O'Connor. The music video creates a sad, sombre tone by reflecting the low tempo, downbeat feel of the track with the use of black - a colour associated with grief and loss (it is the colour of clothes worn at funerals) - and the location of a graveyard. The use of lengthy shots, with few quick transitions, also matches the slow tempo of the track. By using both the music and visuals to try and create this effect, the effect is emphasized and works more effectively.

In my music video, I plan to reflect the tone of my chosen track - which is quite upbeat, with the use of a reasonably high tempo - with short clips and many quick transitions. This will optimize the upbeat nature of both the track and the music video (the music video is all about going on a journey and becoming a better person by taking responsibility) by having both of these aspects of my productions have a positive tone.

4 - The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motives across their work

The artist is often a big part of the music video and a big part of marketing the song. So, the record label will want to feature the artist in an attractive way to market the song as well and possible and so bring in as much money as possible. This can result in a voyeuristic treatment of the artist, mainly with female artists (more on that in the next point). For some music videos, the artist becomes famous and a bigger draw to the song than the actual music - even if the song is average, it can sell well due to the popularity of the artist and the audiences fixation on him/her. Motives can appear due to this, with a certain image - for example, a close-up shot of the artist - recurring throughout the music video and becoming a motif of the music video that creates a focus on the artist; a motif is a repeated image used to create an effect.

The shot of the artist in the shadows is repeated
throughout the music video for Tender is the Night
by Jackson Browne - it becomes a motif

An example of close-ups being used are the music video for Tender is the Night by Jackson Browne. The use of many close-up shots makes the artist the focus of the music video and subsequently the whole brand of that track. The close-up shot of the artist in the shadows creates a motif as the recurring shot creates a mysterious feeling around the artist, and also creates a focus on him (partly due to the mystery created around him; the viewer wants to know why he is being presented in this mysterious way).

In my music video, I will use many close-up shots of the main male performer. This will make the artist the focus of the music video (the main male performer represents the artist). This will create a motif because of the repeated close-up shots of the figure representing the artist creating a focus on him.

5 - There is frequent reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body

Leading on from the last point, female artists are often focused on in music videos in a different way to male artists. Their bodies are usually treated in a voyeuristic way - the body is focused on more than the actual person. A clear example of this is the music video for "Single Ladies "Put a Ring On It" by Beyonce.

In this music video, the focus is on the three women dancing in little clothing - the women are focused on more than the music.In my eyes, this is wrong, as the focus should be on the talent of the person and the actual music.

There will not be a voyeuristic treatment of the girl in our music video - her costume will reflect the song and the character, not just the body.

6 - There are often intertextual references (to films, TV and other possible references)

Intertextual references are often used in music videos to link them to books, films, TV and other forms of entertainment. These links can be used for several reasons - an example is to reference something to reinforce a connotation. This can be done through many methods, such as costume, camera movement, mise-en-scene, representation, lyrics and location.

An example of intertextuality is in the music video for Afrika Shox by Left Field. The representation of the black man as an inferior slave figure, combined with the breakdancing the black man comes across at the end, creates an intertextual reference to the poem Limbo. The poem Limbo is all about the slave trade of black people, and how they used to play Limbo - a form of dance - in the slave ships. The topic - the slavery of black people - and the theme of dance links the two texts together. The music video for Afrika Shox was almost definitely influenced by the poem Limbo, and so an intertextual link is formed.

Click the following link to see the poem Limbo: Limbo

In our music video, we will knowingly insert several intertextual references. The main one will be the walking/running boy, which links to many other music videos.