Research: Goodwin's theory of music videos

Andrew Goodwin is a theorist that applied his own understanding to the world of analysing music videos, he came up with 8 very simple however generic ideas about what music videos within mainstream or popular culture consist of. He is regarded as an important theorist in the music industry and is also well known amongst people involved with music.

Goodwins theory that is based on 8 main principles:

• 1) Genre Characteristics.

 The first aspect that Andrew Goodwin identified as a common factor that features in music videos, was that they demonstrate ‘genre characteristics’, i.e. the video is specified to the particular genre of the song it is using. For example, some characteristics we might expect to occur in videos would be 

• A stage performance in heavy metal videos, featuring the band playing their instruments
• A dance routine for a pop group, particularly girl or boy bands
• Expensive luxury items such as cars and jewellery for rap/hip hop videos
• Footage of night clubs and dancers for techno/house/rave videos

• 2) Relationship between lyrics and visuals. 
• There has to be a connection or match from what the words we hear (lyrics) to the shots and filming that makes up the actual music video. There are 3 ways in which the lyrics can be portrayed in a music video these are:

• Illustrative
• Amplifying
• Contradicting- opposite visuals to lyrics hear

  

Often in most music videos the visuals are able to relate to the lyrics of the song in some way. This can be portrayed through the illustrative concept where the lyrics explain what is happening in the scene, this is shown in the music video where he hear the rapper explaining what happened to his dad and family at his apartment and at the same time we are getting the exact visuals of whats happening. The amplifying concept where the visuals seen are an exaggeration to the lyrics in the video and lastly contradicting which is when the visuals are the opposite to what is being said in the lyrics.

• 3) Relationship between music and visual

Most visuals shown within a music video have a clear distinction between the music being played. The visuals being portrayed are often either illustrative of the actual music video or contradicting towards it. For example, a video with fast pace and upbeat music will reflect this in the visuals with fast editing and action. However, if its a slow accoustic song for example, the on screen visuals will often be very soft and slow to be able to relate to the music.

Simz and other Space Age members performing on rooftops, and in hallways under torchlight. The track demonstrates the youthful rapper's all-round skills, and ensures to she continues to live up to the immense hype that's surrounding her. Through the music we that the visuals match her movement and the fat paced editing utilised within the music video. this is one of the main principles i will focus on as it will make my video more appealing to the audience.

• 4) Star image motifs

Music videos nowadays often contain a star imagine motifs, this is when the music video includes as many close ups of the artist as possible. This is done in order to make them popular and identifiable. This is important as it helps promotes the artist and also for the audience to be able to establish who the artist is.

Throughout Rihanna's career, she has built up an icon image. Her music videos need to emphasise, support and reflect her active, rollercoaster, unique style, personality and music. Star image motif portrayed in all her music videos to represent her style and personality. Due to her status in her past music videos her new music videos need to live up to that standard.

• 5) Notion of looking

Goodwin's theory talks about voyeuristic or in other words sexual treatment of the females body in music video's. These are women who are seen as sexual objects in their music video, this could be because of the way they are represented in their music video or their own real life characteristics which is followed with them from the real world. In addition, women wearing revealing clothing has become very conventional and acceptable due to a list of mainstream artist such as katy perry, Rihanna revealing a lot in their videos.

In this video the female body is clearly revealing which would attract the attention of a male audience. The iconography is also used to relate back to the attraction of a male audience as there are sexual dances included. This is one of the principles i'm least likely to use as i would need permission from the female actress which i wouldnt get due to their young age 

• 6) Intertextual references

Intertexual reference is when you're able to find a close link between a music video and a Television programme, a movie or other music videos in general. This is done as a promotional act, linking the lyrics of the song and visuals together in order to create an effect amongst the audience, or to diss and insult another artist.

This music video conveys intertextual reference to Big Sean's song "Play no games" has an intertextual reference to the TV show "Martin". Intertextual references can aid to promoting a video as people can relate to the music video in more than one way. A popular intertextual reference such as referring to 'Martin' which was aired in the 90s, would attract a wider audience and interest into the music video would increase.

• 7)Genre Characteristics

Music videos often reflect their genre through the use of specific characteristics which makes them conventional. So whatever the genre of the music video is, the specific characteristics which are conventional to the genre make us identify the genre by watching the music video. This applies to all genres.

Examples of genre's that carry the genre characteristics

Hip hop 

Fancy cars
Big houses
Portraying women in a sexual nature.

The genre is Hip-hop, the characteristics usually consist of the artist originating from a black background with promiscuous women surrounding the scene. The setting is mostly glamorised with iconography such as gold chains, cars and money in order to promote the lavish life they live. 50 Cent's song 'Candy Shop' fits Goodwin's theory as it glamorises the idea of the rich lifestyle. This video can also be seen as "ghetto" as he presents the stereotypical lifestyle of a "thug" which is conventional to the Hip-hop genre.

Pop 

• Parties 
• Dancing
• Mainly performance based

An example of a pop music video is Katie Perry's song, 'Last friday night' which can be applied to Goodwin's theory well. This is because the video is extremely performance based which compliments the upbeat song and portrays a "cheesy" aspect to the genre.

 

• 8)Performance, Narrative or Concept – based
  

A performance based music video is often used to present the audience in a whole different way and make them the main focus. This allows them to present their artistic talents to their target audience, this could range from singing to even a dance routine. For example, artist such as Micheal Jackson tends to throw in couple dance moves within his performances in order to show off his high level of skill to his audience and also to primarily entertain them.

In this example we can see that the focus is on the band, this can be done because the band using a variety of musical instruments and it could be more conventional for their music video to be concentrated on them.

Adele's song is a mixture of performance and narrative based. Narrative based often means that the music video has a story attached to it which is able to relate to the lyrics of the song. For example, Adele - Someone Like You, this music video talks a lot about Adele's previous relationship and her transition through the tough break-up. This music video is also performance based which allows her to become the main focus of attention and allow her audience to be able to relate to it. This concept is effective as it helps build a relationship with the artist and their audiences.

A music video can be concept based which means that the video consists of a variety of scenes which do not quite make sense however is put together to still create a music video. For example, the song "Only" by Nicki Minaj is concept based due to the fact that the lyrics have no relation to the visuals which suggest why the video is seen as a concept.


Positive Comments:

• Theory is easy to apply to all videos
• Allows you to breakdown the content of video
• Allows you to analyse lots of media ideas (representation, micro elements, genre etc)

Negative Comments:

• Very reliant on mainstream music and pop
• The question whether Goodwin should even be credited for his theory or is it natural?

Conclusion:

Goodwin's theory enabled me to be knowledgeable about the 8 main generic ideas about what music videos consist of. His theory is significant because it is most likely to be the theory that my own music video would consist of for example it being concept based is a main idea this would spark controversy and allow my artist to grow in popularity. Therefore, being familiar with his theories would give me an advantage as I would know what do include in my own music video to make it successful.

Research: The purpose of the music video

what is a music video?
A music video is a short film integrating a song and visuals, they’re mainly produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos date back much further, they came into prominence in the 1980s. usually when an artist makes a song there is a high demand for a music video. most artists get views on there videos by making it as controversial as possible.

Conventions & elements of a music video:

They are usually stylish and modernised to help attract a bigger audience, the more mainstream the video is the more attention it will get. However when a video is alternative its purely made by the artist not to please anyone but to present their video in an artistic way. singers such as Madonna have a high profile within the music industry so she can afford to do so without anyone questioning her.

A music video contains a number of different elements:

  Performance based music videos.

•   This is when the artist or group performing in the music video. They often contain close up shots of the artist/band, for 'Vampire weekend' they are filmed playing instruments. This is an effective way of advertising the talent of the band. I like this way of filming however I would prefer to do a concept based video because it adds more meaning to the song.                                                                                                                                                                                  

The performance video can be hampered by repetition; when every shot is of the band playing, what’s to hold the viewer’s attention? Here director Garth Jennings takes that repetition and turns it into the video’s focal point - each line of the song triggers a new shot, as the band fly back and forth on the camera dolly. Seeing the dolly takes away some of the mystique of the video - the band become part of the shoot, which makes them feels less remote and more engaged

Narrative based music video. 

• This is when a music video often tells a story either that features in the lyrics or that is suggested in the lyrics and then dramatized in the video itself. Narrative videos often follow the generic beginning, middle and end layout as illustrated by ‘stand by be’. I prefer this category of music video because it is a lot more effective in illustrating the lyrical content and the connotation of the song I am confident that I will create a narrative based music video for my final piece of media.

Narrative videos can often emphasise an artists insistence that they are more interested with their music than portraying themselves on film. - The simple plot is often easy for the audience to follow and keeps them engaged.

Concept based music videos.  

• Concept based music videos are based upon a single idea or theme, for 'Actin crazy' the music video is in the form of a cartoon animation, not only does this intrigue a specific target audience but also emphasises the technological advancements and practices that modern music videos are now accustomed too.

The unusual content is an attraction to many consumers, which draws them in. A successful concept video will keep the audience entertained and constantly looking at what or who is on the screen.

Thematic music video. 

• This is where the artist priorities the music and song over the lyrics. There are lots of common themes in music videos. Depends on the genre of music E.g. Heavy Metal bands go for performance dominated clips, Rap has lots of street images, Dance routines are common in pop videos.

Has a running theme throughout the music video. Repetition of image.  Sometimes black and white colour scheme throughout . Absence of recognisable settings. Does not include much Mise-En-Scene Examples of Symbolic Music Videos

Symbolic music video. 

• This is where a particular music video is based around a conspiracy theory or religion. Uses a of lot of symbols to build up meaning e.g. graveyard…death. Lots of use of montage – lots of images to create meaning sometimes often contradictory. Lighting often used to suggest mood. Fast paced – often only a few seconds per shot to build up meanings. Pictures can support or contradict the lyrics.

 The song to express his critical views on how the media seem to shy away from songs that address matters of faith, while embracing songs discussing violence, sex, and illegal drugs.

Other conventions...

• Visually stylish. ‘ Artistic’ and the use of Mise en scene, costume, body language etc.
• Rhythmic
• Experimental, yet there is conventional use of camera/editing
• pace
• Lighting

Purpose and benefits of a music video

A classic purpose of any music video would be to entertain the audience. By having a music video, the artist offers a extra feel to the song by adding visuals and therefore entertaining the audience.

A music video would also be a marketing tool to promote the artist or song in order to gain popularity. The reasons behind a music video could be that there could be high demand for the making of a music video following the song being released beforehand.

This is a music video by the artist Chris brown. The incredible visuals and creative choreography throughout the video enhances the entertainment purpose of the song and also the lyrics are being mirrored through the video. The music video also related perfectly to the flow of the song as the action is upbeat as well as the audio. By entertaining an audience its a simple way to market the song as they are more likely to buy the record because of the entertaining visuals.

Many other artists use music videos to express their image/personality. In these kind of music videos the lyrics do not exactly have to match the visual as their costume, body language,facial expressions and actions can all represent their image.

Tyler the creators music video shows his wild unusual personalities also featuring friends from his group odd future. By creating videos like these it allows the audience to feel more connected to him as a fan. furthermore by releasing a video like this and showing off his personalities it makes him special and different as an artist which can be seen as his unique selling point.

furthermore there are also artist who use music videos to connect to their political or religious views. Many of these videos would be so controversial, that they wouldn't make it on TV or become mainstream because many people would be against it.

Lowkey is an artist who is against the united states government therefore he uses his lyrics to express his opinions. The visuals in the music video can also help us understand exactly what he mean in his lyrics as he says "is it Obama nation or an abomination" whilst saying this he shows the USA attacking other countries. his video are also less likely to become mainstream because most people who listen to rap prefer to hear about cars, women and lust however because he is a controversial artist he will have a much smaller audience.

Synergy

Synergy is the strategy of synchronising and actively forging connections between directly related areas of entertainment for an overall outcome. It is when promotion on different media platforms occurs. A music video is one strand of this. Music videos play a massive part within Synergy as it allows an audience to be attracted therefore giving it success. radio interviews, film soundtrack also allow the song to be promoted.

'Earned it' by 'The weeknd' is an example where synergy is utilised as the song was used for the movie Fifty shades of grey as promotion before releasing it onto his album several months later

 Fifty shades of Grey



 As music videos it is often only one strand of their multi media campaign of their promotion. The singles they often release are usually to promote the up coming album, using the music video to gain popularity. The music industry as a whole has a relationship with a number of different other medias and for different purposes for e.g. radio, tv shows, print media, film and the internet. For example, the Rapper 'Asap rocky' uses these different types of synergy in order to gain publicity.


 Asap rocky staring in 'DOPE'

 

 Front cover of 'Billboard' magazine
 

 Redbull academy show

 Asap rocky's twitter account (for of social media)

 

 

Audiences Impact

The audience also play a big part within music videos as it is the audience who are left to watch these videos of our favourite artists and decide on whether they deserve success and further on ratings.

Within this music video Eminem shows constant montages of tours and his fans showing how far they've helped him got where he is today. "Sing for the Moment" deals with the themes of rap music's effect on society and the misunderstanding Eminem claims critics and parents have towards his message. Eminem uses the song to refute critics who have accused him of promoting violence to young people He also explains that his music has an advantage for young people, claiming that his music is a relief from boredom and depression.

Technological Advancements

With technology advancing year by year, the future of music videos is very bright. Music videos are now filmed using the latest high definition cameras and are directed by famous directors who put time and effort in these videos which are now being made into short films for the audiences approval and excitement.

The use of a director help to create an interesting narrative around an artist single which can then be used by others such as; commercials, blockbuster films etc.

Technologies are often seen as a threat by copyright owners because they encourage piracy by making digital copies easier to obtain. In response, major record companies have come up with new devices designed to protect original material, and lobbied to reinforce legal protection. due to advancment in technology their are many threats towards and artist here are some examples

• People listen to music on the go on their phones and iPods using organisations such as iTunes and Spotify with no need to watch the music video.
• Impact between the artist and audience if artists start to charge to watch music videos on websites such as 'Tidal'. This may push the audience to refuse to watch any paid videos.
• Censorship is becoming much harder.
• Covers or remixes of songs which the audience may prefer giving less publicity to the original artist.

Conclusion

Identifying the purpose of a music video has allowed me to start thinking of the planning stage in which i will attempt to create a conventional music video. This research has allowed me to come familiar with the different conventions in which allows a music video to be successful. I've also learned how to use the use of different micro-elements to change the audiences perception of the music video in hope to make them feel differently about it. i plan to focus on creating a performance and narrative based video as our song will be more mainstream therefore the audience have a better understanding as to what its about.