Notes on Andrew Goodwin

Notes on Andrew Goodwin

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  Andrew Goodwin (1992)– Dancing in the distraction factory He noticed that there were 6 key things in a music video: 1. Visuals that fit the music The cuts and edits of a music video are in sync with the rhythm of the song. 2. Genre Characteristics The way certain types of music have key concepts in music videos 3. The lyrics match the visuals Visuals help to portray the song and tell a story 4. The demands of the record label This allows the record label to promote the artist, and will allow the target audience to emphasise with the artist. 5. The artist looks at him/herself in the mirror The ‘Male Gaze’ used to attract a male audience (Laura Mulvey). This is usually used by young female artists to attract the opposite sex. (Men looking at women, women looking at themselves and women looking at women) 6. The intertextual reference to film/TV programmes/other music videos Music videos reference other forms of media, most commonly film. How to analyse a music video (according to Goodwin): 1. Thought beats-Seeing the sound  To look at the music itself. We must take into account the structure of the song  The voice of the song. The artists voice is extremely unique  Mode of address. Songs can be seen as stories 2. Narrative and Performance  Songs fail to give us a narrative  We tend to only get a gist of the meaning of the song  Goodwin says that music videos should ignore common narrative  Music videos should have coherent repeatability  The artist acting as both narrator and participant helps to increase the authenticity.  The audience need to believe this is real
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  3. The starimage  The star image is a vital part of the music video  Meta narrative (Big Story that describes the development of the star overtime) has an important part to play in the video production process  How is the star represented? 4. Relation of visuals to the song There are 3 ways in which music videos work to promote a song;  Illustrate: Images are used to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics  Amplify: Meanings and effects are manipulated and constantly shown through the video  Disjuncture: The meaning of the song is completely ignored 5. Technical aspect  Technical aspects hold the music video together through the use of camera work, movement, angle, mise-en-scene, editing, sound and special effects.  Speed, camera movement, editing, cutting and post production are all forms of use of camera.  Lighting and colour help set moods and emphasise key movements  Mise-en-scene is vital