Andrew Goodwin Theory

Andrew Goodwin's Theory of Music Videos is that a music video can be identified by set features. Here are what he believes to be the conventions of a music video:

• Each genre of music has its own conventions that can be seen in a video.

E.g. a stage performance is typical of rock, a dance routine is typical of pop bands, and women in skimpy outfits usually appear in rap.

• There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images.

This can clearly be seen in George Michael's music video below, where as certain lyrics are sung the words will appear. For example at 0:24 the lyrics are "to be free", and the words on screen are "To B Free".

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

Sinéad O Connor's music video has clearly sad music, and the visuals in the video complement this. As the music becomes more passionate, and sadder so does the video as Sinéad O Connor cries whilst singing.

• The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work. This leads to the 4th wall being broken in most music videos, because the artist will look and sing directly to the camera/audience.

Lady Gaga is an example of an artist who has a recurring theme, which is her costume always being quirky.

• There is frequently reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

Sometimes voyeuristic images are shown with a camera angle which suggest the audience is secretly watching such as through a keyhole.  The notion of looking can also be referenced by the use of props such as a mirror, a television screen, a magnifying glass or a camera. This convention of Goodwin's theory can relate to male gaze theory, where in some music videos the camera will zoom in on the female body.

Below in the music video 'Littlest Things' voyeuristic references are shown with the use of props. For example the mirror at 1:35. In addition at 2:53 a reverse zoom is used where we find that the image is being watched by the audience on a camera.

• There are often intertextual references.

Katy Perry's music video below includes frequent intertextuality throughout it. The whole video as a whole is an intertextual reference to 80s teen movies. This is signified by the opening the costumes in the video, which are all 80s clothing, additionally Katy Perry is the geeky character who after a makeover changes completely and becomes popular, which was typical of many films in the genre. Another intertextual reference is at 1:46, where Rebecca Black opens the door, the girl infamous for her music video 'Friday'.