Andrew Goodwin analysed music videos and found that there are six key conventions when it comes to producing a music video. These were that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals, there is a relationship between music and visuals, the demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs that recur across their work, there is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body, and there is also intertextual reference (to films/TV shows etc). Andrew Goodwin clearly states that different genre's of music use different conventions in their videos.
A good example of this is Lady Gaga who has a specific style of music video and can clearly be placed within the Gothic genre. Many of her videos are easily remembered and there tends to be a relationship between what we can hear and what we are seeing on screen. Her videos have a lot of close-ups and she often looks straight into the camera. A good example of a music video created by Lady Gaga that is easy to remember is 'Born this way'.Additionally the beginning of the video starts with her in her underwear and continues with this image throughout which shows how the female body tends to be represented sexually. The lyrics relate to the video as she sings about how we should love ourselves no matter your sexuality or looks and this is represented by the range of different characters in the video.
Goodwin states that there are three ways that a music video relates to the song which are Illustrate, Amplify, and Ignore. Illustrate means that music videos can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of lyrics and genre which is the most common. Amplify is when the images of the music video do not contradict the lyrics but add additional meanings. Finally ignore simply suggests that the meaning of the song is completely ignored. Pace of editing can also be used to clearly illustrate, amplify or contradict the song and music video.
A music video can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics and genre which is the most common form of music video. A good example of this is Vance Joy and 'Riptide'.
Throughout the music video the images that we see on screen relate to the lyrics being sung by the artist. The video starts of with the image of a girl at the dentist then a room that has gone dark with the lyrics 'I was scared of dentists and the dark'. This method continues throughout so we can always tell what is being sung from what we are seeing on screen. This is a good style of video as we are likely to remember the lyrics because we have seen corresponding images on the screen at the same time.
However the images in a music video can also add additional meaning that are not always obvious when we first hear the lyrics. An example of this is The Script and 'Hall of fame'.
When we first hear the lyrics to the song not many people understand the true purpose of it, however when we watch the video the visual images start to unravel additional meaning to the words being sung. It is clear that this song suggests how you shouldn't back down and you can always achieve your potential and that you should always have a goal in life because one day you'll be in the 'hall of fame'. One line reads 'you can be the hero you can get the gold breaking all the records they thought never could be broke' and it's not until we see the video that we truly understands what that means.
Sometimes music videos completely ignore the meaning of the song and create a video that has nothing to do with what is being sung. An example of this is 'Call on me' by Eric Prydz.
The video to this song completely contradict the lyrics and they do not relate at all. The video shows a group of women and a man in some sort of yoga or exercise class. Each of the women are portrayed sexually and almost objectified by the man in the class who is constantly staring at the women.
Andrew Goodwin's third convention suggests that the visuals in a music video will almost always have a connection with the pace of the music/song. Again the video can be edited so that it either illustrates, amplifies or contradicts the beat of the song. An example of this is 'Do I wanna know?' by the Arctic Monkeys.
This music video clearly shows how the beat of the song is used to create a visual image. The image on the screen is almost like the sound waves of the song being played so every time there is a beat drop or a range in the notes we can see the sound wave change on the screen. As the video goes on the sound waves start to change into images of women with tyres that are being placed in the floor in time with the music. The visuals change into several different lines and then a cartoon is shown on the screen, the video then finishes with the sound waves slowing down and this matches what we can hear on screen.
The fourth convention states that across all music videos the demands of the record label will attempt to develop a motif (a recurring style) that regularly occurs in their work. Lots of close ups of the artist are used to help create a clear visual style/image. An example of this is the work of Katy Perry who has a particular style when it comes to music videos.
Katy Perry has a style that seems almost alien like. The videos she creates tend to be really huge and expensive and have a strong female feel about them through the use of bright and vibrant colours. There's a lot of close ups of her face throughout both videos so we get an idea of her style. There is a strong theme of female empowerment in many of her videos.
In his fifth convention Andrew Goodwin states that in music videos there are frequent references to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. An example that contains both of these examples is Beyonce&Lady Gaga's 'Video phone'.
Throughout the video there is a constant reference to the notion of looking and this idea is made very clear through the name of the song and the video itself. There is a continuous image of men dancing with camera's instead of heads and the main singer makes reference to a video phone throughout. There is a lot of technology used by different people within the video. Additionally the women in the video are objectified by the camera and dance in a provocative way throughout .
Finally, for his final convention Goodwin suggested that music videos are filled with intertextual reference, often to films,TV programs, or other music video's. An example of this 'I'm glad' by Jennifer Lopez.
This is a good example of an intertextual music video as the video is clearly a reference to the movie 'Flashdance'. The way in which she is dressed is similar to the character in the movie and certain scenes, especially the final performance, are recreated in this video. Many of the dance routines are the same and the locations are also similar. It's almost as if the video is an actual scene from the movie.
There are a number of genres when it comes to music videos, and each genre portrays the artists song in a different way. The genres include; Narrative, Animation, Parody, Pastiche, Performance, Intertextual, As hive/concert, Cinematic, and Abstract/concept. There are a number of forms of music video as well such as 'Stop motion animation', 'as live footage', and 'cinematic'.
The first form of music video is Narrative. This means that the video tells a story through the length of the song and there is a meaning behind it rather than just a video that doesn't relate to the song. An example of a narrative music video is Katy Perry's Part of me.
This is a good example of a narrative video as throughout the video a story is being told. The video starts of with Katy Perry in the car listening to the radio and watching her assumed partner flirting with another woman. She then goes in, confronts her partner and walks away. The idea behind the music video is to show that even after a break up the man can no longer control her and she is free to do what she wants. We get the idea that she turns almost bad and resentful and this leads her to join the womens army. This decision is made when she see's a sign in the petrol garage that reads 'All women are created equal, then some become Marines'. It's at this point that she starts to change her identity, she ultimately turns into a trained warrior.
Another form of music video is Animation. This means that the entire video is either digitally created or created through stop motion. An example of an animated video is The Beatles' Yellow Submarine.
Yellow Submarine by The Beatles is a good example of an animated video as they start the video as an animation and this is continued throughout, with a few shots of the band members appearing to be on holiday. The video follows a story about a man who lived in a town where they were born. This is a good way of creating a music video as it is enjoyable for all types of audience members. The animation appeals the the younger population who may enjoy seeing all the colours on the screen whereas the lyrics are enjoyable for those of an older age.
The third type of music video is Performance Based. This means that the video itself is shot like a concert but the actual shots focus more on the artist rather than the audience. An example of this is Coldplay's 'A sky full of stars'.
This is an example of a performance based music video as it mainly focuses on the artists themselves but also has the audience in it. It is shot almost as a live concert. The video starts with the main singer approaching the shot from the corner with a number of onlookers. He then proceeds to walk through the street dressed as a one man band and singing the song. The idea of putting the camera in front of the artist and having the audience in the background creates a successful shot as we can see the reactions of the public. The video then finishes with the band on a stage performing their song whilst audience gathers round them.
Parody is also another style of music video that is often used. An example of this is Madonna's 'Vogue'.
This music video is a good example of a parody because the entire song is based upon the idea of 'vogueing'. It belongs in the parody category as the dance used within the video is one that was inspired by dancers and choreographers Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza. Madonna has also used 70's style dancing and the upbeat sound of a 90's song, additionally the spoken bit in the song is a list of Hollywood Celebrities from the golden-era. The music video was directed by David Fincher and includes various stylistic inspirations from the 20's and 30's. Furthermore, Madonna has very similar resemblances to Marilyn Monroe which again places it in the parody genre.
The next style of music video is Pastiche. A good example of this is Lady Gaga's 'Judas'.
Pastiche means pinpointing a certain era and 'Judas' is a good example of this because the video is a clear reference to the biblical figure of Judas Iscariot. Though a very controversial character he was known for his betrayal of Jesus and the theme behind this song is reflective of this figure. It's shot as a modern music video but each biker has the name of one of Jesus's disciples on their back. Furthermore the main character of Judas himself has a crown of thorns on his head. There are a number of repeated religious ideas throughout the video.
Intertextual is another style of music video and means that a song is almost written for a film and normally features clips or a section of the film within it. An example of this is Elton John's 'Circle of life' written for 'The Lion King'.
The original song was written by Elton John and then used for the movie. It is and example of an intertextual music video as the video has a story line to it which is easily remembered due to it being used in a successful movie such as The Lion King. The original video is of Elton John playing the piano in a studio with various clips of the movie. The second video has actually been created by using a whole sequence of the film in order to create the desired effect. The song written is recognisable by a range of people as there are people who are fans of Elton John's music or have seen the movie, for their own enjoyment or because of having children.
As hive/concert is another style of music video. This consists of creating a video from a number of personal video's or concert clips to create the desired video. An example of this is Olly Murs' song 'Right Place Right Time'.
This is a good example of a concert video as it shows the journey of the singer from the start to now. It consists of a number of personal videos and concert clips, with videos of Olly Murs meeting fans. This is an effective style of music video as it makes the fans feel like they know him personally and see that he is just a normal person like everyone else. It is also emotional as it portrays the incredible journey of a singer to get from where he started to the result of his success.
Cinematic is another style of music video. This is a music video which is longer than normal videos and usually tells a story. An example of this is Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.
This is a really good example of a cinematic music video as the entire length of the video is 13:42 and is portrayed as a short film throughout. The first 4 minutes are filmed as though an audience are watching the film in the cinema and then the two main actors exit the cinema and that's when the music video starts. At almost five minutes Michael Jackson starts singing. This is an effective form of music video as its interesting to watch because it makes the audience feel like they are watching a film themselves and this is likely to keep them engaged throughout. However this may not be as effective as some people may not want to it down and watch the entire 13 minutes and will therefore turn it off or watch a shortened version.
The final style of music video is abstract/concept/surreal. This means that the video seems somewhat unrealistic and surreal. An example of this is Coldplay's 'Every tear drop is a waterfall'.
The style of this music video makes it a good example of an abstract/concept music video as it's almost like everything is coming to life in the video. The use of stop motion gives it an almost dreamlike effect and the use of close ups of the different, vibrant colours makes it enjoyable to watch. Using the stop-start idea makes it seem as though the singers are dolls and the colours behind them is like a scene from a cartoon. There is a lot of different things going on in each shot which makes it enjoyable to watch as we're left to wander where the music video is going and what will happen next. However some people may not like it due to this reason, some people don't like to watch a music video where lots of different stuff is happening as it can be confusing and hard to follow.
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