Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

In todays lesson I had an introduction into Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory, he splits his theory into six different conventions within a music video. So I spent the lesson learning about his theory by reading through his conventions.

Theory
"Music videos ignore common narrative as they are essentially advertisements. As consumers, we make up our own meaning of a song in our minds. A music video can anchor meaning and gives the record company/artist a method of anchoring meaning"

1. A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics.

This convention relates to how the artists actions in the music video can have a direct contrast to the lyrics in the song or it can have a similarity. There is an example of this in the music video below,

As you could see from this music video the group used hand signals during the song which was relevant to the song lyrics. The hand signals in this particular music video go along with the lyrics, this shows a clear connection between the lyrics of the song and the choreography in the video. The fact that they have done this it just supports the lyrics giving visual examples aswell as the music and lyrics.



2. Thought Beats: seeing the sounds- The relationship between the music and the visuals, which illustrates, amplifies or contradicts the music.

This is much like the first convention but this time you focus on not the lyrics but on the music only, this is where the choreography becomes important for the video. To have a great dance routine your actions must make sense with the music. The beat has dramatic affect on how the music video should be edited, for example if there is a fast paced beat it would be wise to use fast edits and jump cuts so that the visuals and music go together.


3. Genre-related style and iconography present. (This helps recognise the genre of music)

Iconography is when either an artist, group or music genre is excepted to be recognised through either certain objects or styles.
Slash has had his top hat since 1985, when he decided to shoplift it from a store. At the time, he was still extremely poor and didn’t have the money for it, so he just took it. Luckily for Slash, the hat didn’t have any sensor to set it off as he left. When he got home he decided the hat was a bit boring, and added one of his belts to it for a little flavour. It has been a trademark part of his look ever since. 

Now when I think of Guns n Roses the first thing I think of is Slash's top hat, this is an example of iconography. His unique trademark has separated him and the band a part from the rest of the bands and artists who share the same genre.

4. Multiple close ups of the main artists or vocalist: the creation of a star image to promote a recognizable brand image. (Male Gaze)

Do you trust someone you look up to, marvel and respect? The most common answer is “yes,” and brands gladly use this weak spot of their consumers to sell more by teaming up with celebrities, who actually ‘advise’ you to use some products. This tried-and-true strategy usually delivers nice results, since it builds on the traditional approach—if you like somebody, you trust them and so you are more positive about things they promote. When brands enlist a well-recognized person for their advertising campaigns, they rely on his or her flawless image and perfect relevance with the target audience, put people (including Hollywood A-listers).