Research Task: Andrew Goodwin's Theory

The Structure of Music Videos

Rethinking Narrative Analysis

Andrew Goodwin Andrew Goodwin's theory towards the structure of Music Videos is not the typical traditional narrative analyses like how a film would be structured. Pop videos aren't trying to be avant garde but they approach narrative from a different perspective.

The Reasons are as follows:

1.      Videos are built around a song which do not pose as traditional narrative structures

2.      They use the singer as both narrator and as a character

3.      The singer often looks directly into camera by trying to involve the viewer at home with the performance

Repetition

Music videos also contain repetition by repeating images in the way the song repeats choruses, lines or rhythms so that we become familiar with the genre and have certain expectations. Additionally, the song would be played on TV, radio and could be advertising a film or TV tie-in making the song very familiar.

Pop songs do have a form of closure and ending. It will build to a climax usually before fading away or could end in a cliffhanger with a second part to the video which reveals the ending.

Sometimes videos provide a visual pleasure for the audience that encourages repeated viewing. Some videos might be promoting their commodities such as films. There are 3 types of relations between song and video:

1.      Illustration: This is where the video tells the story of the lyric ''Thinking of You'' (Katy Perry) for example. Here Katy Perry tells a story of her boyfriend that goes to war and tells her to move on however she can't because as the song quotes ''when I'm with him I am thinking of you'' meaning when she does find someone knew all she can think about is her lover at war.

2. Amplification: Occurs when the video introduces new meanings that do not contradict with the lyrics but add layers of meaning, for example ''Russian Roulette'' by Rihanna which illustrates the actual life threatening game Russian Roulette but is a metaphor relating to her previous relationship with Chris Brown ''Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving'' which involved an incident that physically put her life at risk and made her complement death which is shown in the video.

3. Disjuncture: Where there is little connection between the lyric and video or where the video contradicts the lyrics. Lady Gaga songs are a perfect example of this. ''Telephone'' for example the video portrays Lady Gaga and her partner in crime Beyonce together as partners poisoning people and jail breaking but has no relation to the actual lyrics which gives this impression that it's about an annoying person who keeps calling her .

Other Easily Recognisable Features

1.      A noise or dance move - Michael Jackson

2.      Women present as sexual objects - Beyonce and Madonna do this deliberately to appeal to a males desires however they look directly at the viewer and cease to be passive but in fact quite intimidating and dominating.

3.      Instruments represented by an object - Rock the Cashbar by The Clash, every time the piano is played during the chorus and armadillo is shown treading along.

4.      Appealing to a wide audience - Without alienating their core audience a video might feature older bands when they were younger to jog their memory so an older audience can still identify them.

5.      Songs written for films - Particular movies often incorparate images from that movie in the video not only to promote the artist but the film as well for example Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On