Rory Giddings

Andrew Goodwin – Me dia Theorist

Andrew Goodwin (1992) is a media theorist who wrote a book called ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’. In this, he states there are six key features of a music video, and five ways to analyse a music video.

Goodwin’s Six Features of Music Videos:

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music.

4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artists and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).

5. There is a frequent reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc.) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. There are often intertextual references to films, TV programmes and other music videos, etc.

Rory Giddings

Goodwin’s Five Ways to Analyse a Music Video:

1. Thought Beats – ‘seeing’ the sound. Goodwin points out the artist’s mode of address. Songs can be seen as stories and the artist (the storyteller), makes the music video a two way communication device; them telling us the story, and us listening/watching as the audience.

2. Narrative and Performance – songs fail to give us the complete narrative, we only get a gist and have to make up our own idea. He explains that we should ignore common narrative. Music videos should have coherent repeatability, makes it easier for the audience to watch over and over again. The audience need to believe this could be real.

3. The Star Image - another vital aspect of music videos is the ‘star image’. Featuring established celebrities/musicians/actors can often enhance the dramatic potential of the music video for the song. Examples include Rupert Grint in Ed Sheeran’s ‘Lego House’, Shia LaBeouf in Sia’s ‘Elastic Heart’, etc.

4. Relation of Visuals to the Song – Music videos can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics & genre. However, sometimes the meaning of the song can be completely ignored which can sometimes lead to poor music videos that hold no relevance to the original song.

5. Technical Aspects - hold the music video together through use of camera work, movement, angle, mise-en-scene, editing, sound and special effects. Lighting and colour also help to set the mood and emphasise key movements of the song for dramatic effect. Mise-en-scene is another important aspect to consider, as the setting of the music video needs to look authentic to attain professionalism. Cuts are also used to sync with the beat or rhythm, making the video more engaging.