Andrew Goodwin - Theorist

There are five key aspects of music videos that Andrew Goodwin says we as an audience should look for;
             - Thought beats (seeing the sound).
             - Narrative and performance.
             - The star image.
             - Relation of visuals to song.
             - Technical aspects of music videos.


Thought Beats - Seeing the sound in your head.
    Firstly; look at the music itself, take into account the structure of the song (e.g. chorus/verses). Secondly; the voice of the song. An artists voice is extremely unique and can form an identity of trademarks that'll work with the stage image. (Roland Barthes theory: Grain of Voice, can be related to this). Thirdly; songs can be seen as stories and the artists as storytellers, making music videos a two communication device - the artist telling the story while we listen to it.

Narrative and Performance
    We tend to only get a gist of the meaning of songs, generally resulting in us making up our own ideas of what is being told to us. Goodwin explains that music videos should ignore the common narrative, being an important in their advertising role. Narrative and performance would together well, and make it easier for the audience to watch more than once without loosing any interest. By the artist acting as both a narrator and a partcipant, it helps to increase authenticity of the music video. However, mimed actions (such as lip syncing) reamin the heart of a music video.

Star Image
    This is another vital aspect of music videos. A narrative which is a big story describing the development of the star over time, has an important part to play in the production process of a music video.

Relation of Visuals
There are 3 ways that music videos work in promoting a song.
Disjuncture ->  The meaning of the song is completely ignored.
Illustrate     ->  Music videos can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of a genre and lyrics.
Amplify       ->  Meanings and effects are manipulated and repeatdely shown throughout the music video, and being drummed into our vision.

Technical Aspects
    They hold the music video together though the use of camera work , camera movement, camera angles, mise-en-scene, editing, sound, and special effects.
    Speed, camera movements, editing, cutting, and post-production are all forms of the use of a camera.
    Lighting and colour help to set the mood of the music video and emphasise key moments of the song, creating a dramatic effect.
    The mise-en-scene of the music video is vital, in order to attain professionalism and keep audiences interested it needs to look authentic.
    Music videos use cuts to go with the beat or the rhythm, making the music videos more entertaining.