Goodwin's Theory: Music Video Codes and Conventions

Textual Analysis

There should be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals either illustrating, amplifying of contradicting the lyrics

There should be a relationship between the music and the visuals (again with visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music)

Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography (such as live stage performance in heavy rock)

There appear to be lots of close ups of the main artist/vocalist – this is usually demanded by the record company

The artist may develop their own star iconography

Some other points that are worth considering:

There is likely to be reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of systems of looking e.g. screen within screen, binoculars, cameras etc

There are likely to be intertextual reference, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts

Lyrics

Lyrics tend to establish a general feeing, or mood, or sense of subject matter rather than offering a coherent meaning. Key lines may play a part in the visuals associated with the song but very rarely will a music video simply illustrate the lyrics wholesale.

An example of this:

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Music

A music video tends to make use of the tempo of the track to drive the editing and may emphasise particular sounds from the track by foregrounding instruments such as guitar, keyboards or drum solo

Genre

Most music channels concentrate on particular music genres. If you watch these channels over a period of time, you will be able to identify a range of distinct features which characterise the videos of different genres. These features might be reflected in types of mise-en-scene, themes, performance, camera and editing styles.

Camerawork

As with any moving image text, how the camera is used and how images are sequenced has a significant impact on meaning. Camera movement, angle and shot distance all need to be analysed. Camera movement may accompany movement of performers but it many also be used to create a more dynamic feel to stage performance, for instance, by constantly circling the band as they perform on stage.

The close-up predominates partly because of the size of the screen and partly because of the desire to create a sense of intimacy for the viewer. A music video is essentially an advert for an artist, so the close-up shots allow audience recognition of the star.

Here's an example:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/r_8ydghbGSg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Editing

Although the most common form of editing in music video is fast-cut montage, rendering many of the images impossible to grasp on first viewing, so ensuring multiple viewing, some videos use slow pace and gentler shot transitions to establish mood. Female solo artists with a broad appeal (Dido for example) often use this style of editing. Digital effects are also important. They might take the form of split-screens, colourisation and CGI special effects.

Intertextuality

If we see music videos as frequently drawing upon existing texts in order to spark recognition in the audience, this can be referred to as intertextuality. Not all audiences will spot the reference, but when they do they can gain pleasure from this recognition and may even feel flattered by this. Arguably it also increases the audience’s engagement with the product.

It is perhaps not surprising that many music videos draw upon cinema as a starting point, since their directors are often film school graduates intending to move into the film industry itself. Can you think of any examples?

TV is often referenced and sometimes spoofed. Particular genres can be parodied in music video.

Narrative and Performance

Narrative in songs and music videos is often incomplete and fragmentary. Often music videos will cut between performance and narrative. Occasionally choreographed dance might be part of the artists performance or an extra aspect to the video. Sometime the artist will part of the story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time. But lip-sync close-up and the miming of playing instruments remains at the heart of music videos.

Here's an example:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bKDdT_nyP54" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


In today's lesson we learnt about our first theorist. This will be useful in the exam, to use as back up, but also, the use of his theory will be applied and thought of when creating our own music video.