Music Video Theorists:

Andrew GOODWIN:
Andrew Goodwin identifies 5 key aspects of music videos:

• Through beats e.g. seeing and hearing the sound
• Narrative and perfromance
• The star image
• Relation of visuals to song
• Technical aspects of music videos

• There are a vast amount of intertexual references from music videos, films/TV programmes etc.
•  Music videos are used to demonstrate specific genre characteristics. (e.g. dance routines are essential for RnB music videos)
• The camera shots used will mainy consist on close ups and extreme close ups to advertise the artist and promote them in link with the demands of the record label. Along with to recognise to the audience the artists feelings and emotions they are trying to potray.
• There is a significant relationship between the lryics within the song and the visuals represented to potray this.
• There is a frequent usaage of looking through something towards the camera e.g. such as screens/mirrors or stages etc.

An example of this is 'Bruno Mars; Lazy Song'

 

 

This is an example of a close up shot used to advertise and promote the artist. This shot is also used to recognise the artists feelings and emotions within the shot. Within this shot we can see the artist has a cheeky smile place upon his face therefore, as an audience we instantly warm to him due to this action occuring.

The next shot holds intertexuality from another film/TV programme due to the other characters wearing monkey head costumes which emphasises on the gimiky side of the music video. This obviously shows that sterotypically, they would not be found in this type of music video therefore, it adds that little bit more of interest towards the peice, which attracts the eye of the intended audience.




The artist and other characters are seen to be doing subtle but apparent hand gestures which could be classified as dance moves. This therefore, applies to the theory that dance routines are essential for RnB videos, such as other factors are essential for other genres.

It is also apparent that the lryics within the song match the visuals represented. The shot to the right is shown when the lyrics state 'throw my hands in my pants, nobodys gonna tell me i cant'.
Therefore, as the characters are doing exactly what is stated within the lryics this ticks the box for doing this connotation of this theory correctly.

 

The next shot emphasises on the point of the artist always looking, as if they are looking towards the camera but through something while doing this. This is shown by bruno moving right up close towards the camera but looking as if he is either looking at himself, perhaps through a mirror or perhaps he is trying to give of the essance he is looking at us, being the audience.

 

Steve ARCHER:

• Needs to be a strong coherant relationship between the narrative and the performance within the music video.
• Music videos will need to cut between performance and narrative before the end of the music video. It is essential to keep an even balance of the two.
• He also stated that a carefully choreographed dance could be part of the artists performance of the song in which could add an extra aspect to the video in aid to represent air visualisation and the 'repeatability' factor.

An example of this is would be; 'Pink - So What'

These two shots represent the coherant relationship between the narrative and perfromance side of this music video. This is due to the artist singing 'so what i'm still a rock star', to then moving on to the narrative of her acting crazy and wild.
Therefore, this is what a sterotypical rockstar would be pressumed to be doing, so the artist lives up the pressumed actions of a rockstar.

 

The artist is seen to be trashing cars, breaking guitars and generally breaking anything she can get her hands on.

 

It is stated in this theory that a carefully choreograped dance could be part of a certain genre trate. Therefore, due to the fact rock artists are prodominatly steotyped for taking their clothes of and stripping, by Pink doing this in her video, she could be sticking to the pressumed steroypes that make up a particular genre of music video.

 

 

 

John STEWART:

• States that the music video created must attain the aesthetics that could be used on a TV commercial.
• Should include a vast amount of close ups of the artist. Lighting should be used to focus on the stars face.
• Visual references should come from a range of sources, mainly from cinema, fashion and art.
• The video should allow more access to the performer than a stage performance could do.
• The mise-en-scene can be used to emphasise on an inspirational lifestyle for the audience.

Sigmud FREUD:

• He refers to the notion that erotic pleasure may be attained by visualising sexual objects, in the case of when the object is not aware they are being watched. This technique is used vastly in certain types of genre music videos and this technique is called Voyeurism.

Laura MULVEY:

• Feminist theory that states that in sterotypical main stream Hollywood films, that women are gazed upon by males and almost judged upon the sexual essance they hold, rather than their beauty. 
• This theory see's women from a males perspective as just objects of pleasure, rather than any other real relevance to society.
• The gaze of the camera is from a males perspective, looking at a female character
• This theory can also be used for TV, perfume ads, Art designs etc.
• However, this theory is reffered to as a dated theory due to theory linking back to artists such as Madonna, whereas there are other more powerful female individuals to date e.g. Britany Spears.

An example of this would be; a perfume advert for Dior

The women is being looked at from what we as an audience can pressume, a males perspective. This is due to her body posture being seen as sexual, due to her having her assets on display, mixed with the look of desire and lust within her eyes. This is then juxtaposed by the positioning of her facial features e.g. her lips are pursed to represent her possibly wanting to kiss someone. The mise-en-scene being the costumes are all of a gold theme. Therefore, this could represent her wealth which is also an attraction point for many males. The models facial position is looking down on the audience this could therefore, represent her authority over the audience. The background is plain back therefore this makes her stand out to the audience, and show of her importance and relevance within the peice.

 

Roland BARTHES:

• He stated there was an enigma code. This is when you hold back sufficent infromation frow the viewer being the audience in hope that it will enable them to ask questions and to hopefully consider their own explinations of what could have happened before finding it out.
• He stated there was also an action code. This is when the producers attain interest and tension from the audiences persepective when they are not aware of what will happen next.

Pamela ROBERTSON:

• This theory is known as the 'Madonna Studies'.
• This theory was influenced by the 'Queer Theory', and the work produced from Focault Madonna is seen to be emphasising on Feminist critiques, particularly one in particular eing Judith Butler.
• One quote Paula Robertson stood by was:

 "Is Madonna a glamorized fuck doll or the queen of parodic critique?"

 

 

 

 



Paul WILLIS:

• Paul Willis (Sociologist) did a study of 12 working class boys from  a comprehensive school in a comprehensive school in the midlands.
• Willis states that the vast majority of young people involved with particular genre's of music such as pop are from working class backgrounds. Therefore, knowing this he states that these pupils have an inability to process and articulate the meanings represented in a verbal manner e.g. speaking about it.
• Willis states that the rise in popular music culture is an way of expression for working class youths, who are inable to express themselves in other forms.
• He states that popular music could be classed as a new form of media literacy and learning for groups that are traditionally seperated and marginalized.