Music video theory - Andrew Goodwin

 Andrew Goodwin

This week, I looked at more music video analysis, specifically by Andrew Goodwin, who was a director of music videos. He created 6 steps to help directors bring the audience's attention whilst watching music videos. 

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics 

This is the idea that music videos show what style or type of video they are and will heavily depend on their music video as a visual aid for their genre. For example, a Rock video, such as the 1974 music video for Queen's 'Killer Queen' will show a video of the band performing the song, dressed in clothes an audience will recognise as part of their genre. Another example is that a Disco music video may show people dancing in a nightclub, so the audience is familiar with the genre they are watching. 

Relationship between lyrics and video

Narrative music videos commonly use a close relationship between the lyrics and the actual video, however some videos may just use this to add to the 'aesthetic' of the video. For example, here is Kate Bush dancing in a field in her music video for 'Wuthering Heights'. This is close to the lyrics as it represents the characters Cathy and Heathcliff playing in the Yorkshire Moors, which is part of the song. Bush almost acts as a storyteller here, dancing in the setting of her song and representing the joyful but toxic relationship she is singing about.

Another example of lyrics matching the video is in Lady Gaga's 'Telephone', which features Gaga singing into a telephone as the music starts and showing expressions similar to the tone of the lyrics, which are about someone calling repetitively at the wrong time.

Relationship between music and visuals

This is done to match the tone of the video. The atmosphere that the song creates must be reflected in the music video, for example, in David Bowie's 'Life On Mars' video, there is bright lighting and close ups on Bowie's eyes, with him utilising his different pupils, androgyny and pale complexion to look like he himself is from mars. This is to fit the drama of the song and to exaggerate the out of world experience the audience will feel from watching it. 

Star representation (Voyeurism)

Another crucial element to Goodwin's theory is star representation, otherwise known as Voyeurism, an idea that demonstrates how music videos should be used to reinforce the image of an artist it is promoting. This is most common for a lot of young artists, specifically young female artists who want to put across a certain image to their audience to fit their 'brand'. This is also especially evident in Pop videos as the artist is on screen for the majority of the video, with the band either in background shots or not at all. An example of this is Taylor Swift, who has multiple close up shots to emphasise her image and how she is represented in her music videos. The first gif is from her album 'Red', from 2012. Here, she is presented with warm, bright lighting, with the focus of the camera being on her face, so that even through the heart she makes with her hands, the audience can still see she is warm and smiley. The heart also gives a warm impression.

This next gif is from Swift's 2017 album 'Reputation'. Here, she is presented as powerful, on a throne with CGI snakes as servants who serve her tea and slither around her. Her makeup is less natural and her expressions are more serious and lacking in any vulnerability or weakness. Here, the representation of the star is still the sole focus of the video, even if that representation is to make them look loveable or powerful - either is to prove a point. This also fits with the theme of the album they are trying to promote, with 'Red' being an album about heartbreak and growth, and 'Reputation' being about struggling to thrive under public opinion. 

Intertextual references

The final element that Goodwin stated in his theory was the idea that some music videos may reference other existing media or parts of the performance industry to give subtle nods to the audience, to use the media to create a representation of the star or to make the audience feel as if they are in on the joke the artist is trying to create for them. The artist also may be referencing this media to add fame and publicity - or it may have relevance to the song itself or its storyline. An example of this is Madonna referencing the iconic scene from 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' (1953), featuring legendary Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe dancing to 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend'. This in itself is put in the video to make Madonna look beautiful and glamorous like Monroe, however it is also to cater to her brand in 1984, which was very virginal and pure. Her album, 'Like A Virgin', presented Madonna like this, especially during her early career, with presenting themselves as innocent being something common with young female stars in the industry. The name 'Madonna', though her birthname, also comes from the sense of the Virgin Mary in Christianity, reinforcing the artist's pure and holy representation in the early 80s through her branding. However, the use of the intertextuality here is turned on its head slightly, with Madonna biting her finger to hint at a possible use of sexuality and passion in the video, especially with her breaking the fourth wall by staring directly into the camera as she does this. It's clear that she knows exactly what she means by using the reference from the Monroe film, showing she is in control.

[Marilyn Monroe in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' performing 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Bestfriend']