Andrew Goodwin's 6 parts and 5 key things in a music video...

Music Theory

Andrew Goodwin (1992) media theorist

His book… Dancing in the distraction factory

The element in which he observed…

He came up with this theory that there are 6 key elements to a music video and 5 ways to analyse a music video.

6 key elements to a music video…

• Visuals that fit the music- The cuts and edits of the video are in sync with the rhythm and beat of the song- matching the overall atmosphere of the video.
• Genre characteristics- Dependant on the genre there will be different representation of gender, ethnicity e.c.t.
• There is relationships between lyrics and visuals- This can help portray the message of the song to the audience.
• The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motif which reoccur across their work- this allows the label to set a certain image which will help to target a specific image.
• There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc.) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body- The ‘male graze’ is often used to attract a male audience. The male graze is a focus on presentencing things that appeal to males. The emphasis on looking also includes the artist looking directly into the camera helping the audience connect with the artist.

 Three parts to the male gaze…

1. Men looking at women
2. Women looking at themselves
3. Women looking at women
    

• There are often intertextual references (to films, TV programs, other music videos etc.)

Goodwin’s ‘how to analyse music videos’…

1. Thought beats- ‘Seeing the sound’

• Set 1- to look at the music itself. We must take into account the structure of the song.
• Set 2- The voice of the song. The artist’s voice is extremely unique and can form identification or trademarks that work well within the star image.
• Step 3- Goodwin points out the artist’s mode of address. Songs can be seen as stories and the artist is the storyteller.

1. Narrative and performance.

• Songs fail to give us the complete narrative. We only tend to get a gist of the meaning of the song and then tend to make up our own idea of what is being told.
• Music videos should have coherent repeatability- easier for the audience to watch it over and over again.
• The artist acting as both narrator and participant helps to increase the authenticity however the lip sync and other mined actions remain the heart of music videos.
• The audience need to believe this is real.

1. Star image-
   This is a vital aspect of music videos. Meta narrative (which is a ‘big story’ that describes the development of the star over time) has an important part to play in the music video production process.
2. Relation of visuals to the song-
   There are three ways in which music videos work to promote a song.
   Illustrate amplify disjunction…
   Illustrate- Music videos can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of lyrics and genre, this is the most common.
   Disjunction- this is where the meaning of the song is completely ignored.
   Amplify- this is similar to repeatability, Meanings and effects are manipulated and constantly.
3. Technical aspects-
   Through camera angles, movement, angles, mise-en-scene, editing, sound, lighting, colour, special effects. (What holds the video together).