1. {
Music video theories
Here I will present the music video theories
through 2 music videos, namely
1. Bon Jovi – Its my life
2. Robbie Williams – You know me

2. Bon Jovi – Its my life

3. Andrew Goodwin
1. Music videos represent Genre characteristics:
Rock band performing in the music video.

4. 2. Relationship between and visual and lyrics.
Lyrics “Its my life, its now or never” the boy hanging to the back of a dump-truck, living life on the edge.
3. Relationship between music and visuals.
In the video it can be seen that the narrative action is fast paced just like the tempo of the song, plus
shots change at times just as the drum beats.

5. 4. Records demands: close up of artists, Star image.
5. Notion of looking
Another close up, and eye
contact, or notion of looking
to engage audiences and
feel more welcoming.
Record labels demand to
have more emphasis on
creating a star image,
because that is what
audience want to see and
idealize.

6. 6. Inter textual references
Within the music video is a inter textuality refernce of people dressed as
elvis presley, commonly known as Elvis Wanna be’s. This links to showing
the representation of the real star Elvis Presley in this music video.

7. Sven E Carlsson
He believed that every thing should be categorized in white and black
boxes, then it can be seen as binary opposites, everything as an opposite
of the other.
The only part of Carlsson’s
theory that matches the
video is the binary
opposites, it can be clearly
seen as 2 opposing
lifestyles, The Celebrity,
and the fans.
The other parts of his theory are the Commercial exhibitionist, Televised
Bard and the Electronic Shaman, these are not in this music video.

8. Michael Shore
He said that there are certain kind of things used in the music video
such as
Recycled tools
Information overload
Male fantasies
Clichéd imagery
These are also not in this music video.

9. Steve Archer
He says that there is a strong relationship between Narrative and
Performance, this music video also links both of these, and that music
videos possess repeatability factor.
The repeatability factor here I believe is the same tunnel in the
background, which is there in every shot in which the band is
performing.

10. John Stewart
He believes music videos have aesthetics of TV commercials.
Namely Cinema, fashion and art photography.
The music video did have some cinema type movie scenes such as the slow
motion part when the boy enters the marathon, and the pan when he jumps
rom the bridge, it seemed like an action movie genre inspired music video.

11. Laura Mulvey
She believes that women are only used as sexual objects in music videos,
only present to attract Male gaze and to give pleasure to men where as in
this video the girl who calls the boy, is just a typical youngster, not seducing
or acting as an object for men, but instead shows her superiority when she
angrily says to the boy “Where have you been”.

12. Robbie Williams– You know me
I chose this because this music video covers the theories that ‘its my life
by bon jovi’ did not. So I will emphasis on the main theories this music
video goes by.

13. Andrew Goodwin
1. Music videos represent Genre characteristics:
Pop music video convention, the artist performing and dancing.

14. 2. Relationship between and visual and lyrics.
3. Relationship between music and visuals.
Shots change with the beat, and cabbages and frogs doing the back vocals at
times in the music video
No such relation between lyrics and visuals, as narrative is not quite
literal to the lyrics

15. Inter textual references
Inter textual references are in abundance in this music video,
Firstly is the entrance into the scene, which looks like alice in wonderland,
the same whole in the earth and branches. Secondly when the Artist wears
the bunny costume and goes out, the background and the look of the artist
are intertextual references to the bunny in alice in wonderland and his
home, they also look like the bunny in Winnie the pooh, with the house
and the mail box. Lastly at the end of the video is a intertextual reference
to MGM films , in place of the lion is the artist dressed as a bunny,

16. Michael Shore
He said that there are certain kind of things used in the music video
such as
Recycled tools
Information overload
Male fantasies
Clichéd imagery
Dream like, male fantasies
Male fantasy, cliched imagery

17. Steve Archer
He says that there is a strong relationship between Narrative and
Performance, this music video also links both of these, and that music
videos possess repeatability factor.
The repeatability factor here I believe is the same trees in the
background, which is present in every outdoor shot

18. Laura Mulvey
She believes that women are only used as sexual objects in music videos,
only present to attract Male gaze and to give pleasure to men.
The Male gaze has been used quite often in the music video, especially
towards the end, in which around 6 female bunny costumed girls are
dancing around a male bunny ‘the artist’. Here the females are wearing
short sized dresses exposing all their legs, creating voyeurism and giving
pleasure to men, this clearly explains what laura mulvey’s theory is about.

19. THE END