Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin spent many years analysing music videos and the music industry, he put together a set of key features which apply to all music videos. Features can be complimentary, contradicting or amplified in every music video. However, not all the features are featured in every video. These are the following features;

Links between the Music and the Visuals:
The links between Music and Visuals can vary depending on the different types of genres and the overall style of the music in general, such as, beats and tempos. An example of this could be in a dance video, due to the upbeat rhythm in which people can do a routine that will fit the tune of the song. Overall makes the video visually pleasing for the audience watching.

Links between the Lyrics and the Visuals:
Goodwin's theory states that the lyrics of the song will make reference to the visuals on the screen. The idea being that the visuals will either reinforce or amplify the meaning of the lyrics. This ensures that the audience understands the message behind the song.

Genre Characteristics:
Music Videos more often than not tend to include a demonstration of typical genre characteristics. For example in Heavy Metal music video you would expect the video to be a stage performance. In a rap video you would expect to see a lot of bling and flash cars.

Intertextual References:
Intertextual References is when the music video is influenced by other cultural influences. They are often symbols to represent ideas to the audience.

Notions of looking:
Notions of looking is the idea of looking into someones life. For example, in some hip hop music videos, women are often seen as objects rather than people. Men are also seen as violent or cheating on wives and girlfriends.

Voyeurism:
Voyeurism is when the artist tend to promote their character, music through a sign of voyeuristic treatment. It is almost always done using the female body. However, men can use voyeurism too.