Andrew

Goodwin

Music Video Theory

Form

s and

Conve

nti

ons

of

Musi

c V

ideos

There is a relationship

between the lyrics and

the visuals. There is a relationship

between the music and the visuals.

Particular music genres may have their

own music video style

and iconography.

Form

s and

Conve

nti

ons

of

Musi

c V

ideos

There is a demand on

the record company for

lots of close-ups on the

main artist. The artist may develop

their own star iconography. There is likely to be

reference to voyeurism.

There are likely to be

intertextual references.

Lyri

cs Lyrics establish a general feeling or mood but do not offer

a coherent meaning.

Musi

c The tempo of the track

drives the editing of the video.

Genre Different genres use

different conventions

and iconography in their videos.

Cam

era

work

Camera movement, camera angle and distance all have impact on the meaning of the song

and video. They also create a more dynamic feel to

stage performance.

Edit

ing

The editing is related

to the pace of the song. For example, a

fasted paced song will

generally include fast

paced editing. Digital effects and CGI

add a uniqueness to

the video which is enjoyed by the audience.

Narr

ati

ve

The narrative in music

videos and songs are

rarely complete. They tend to suggest

storylines or offer complex fragments in

a non-linear order, leaving the viewer with the desire to see

them again.

Voye

uri

sm

This suggests that erotic

pleasure may be gained by

looking at a sexual object.

Film presents us with a

variety of pleasures not

exclusively sexual ones.

Laura Mulvey proposed the

idea of the Male Gaze where

women are objectified for

the ‘pleasure’ of the

audience. This has also been put on

it’s head with the Female

Gaze as well.

Sta

r co

nst

ruct

ion

A pop star image is created from the following materials:

The songsThe record coversMedia coverageLive performanceMusic videos