Andrew Goodwin - Media Theorist

1. Rory Giddings
Andrew Goodwin – Media Theorist
Andrew Goodwin(1992) is a media theorist who wrote a book called
‘Dancing in the DistractionFactory’.In this, he states there are six key
features of a music video, and five ways to analyse a music video.
Goodwin’s Six Features of Music Videos:
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The
tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the
music.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need
for lots of close ups of the artists and the artist may
develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual
style).
5. There is a frequent reference to notion of looking
(screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc.) and
particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There are often intertextual references to films, TV
programmes and other music videos, etc.

2. Rory Giddings
Goodwin’s Five Ways to Analyse a Music Video:
1. Thought Beats – ‘seeing’ the sound. Goodwin points out the artist’s
mode of address. Songs can be seen as stories and the artist (the
storyteller), makes the music video a two way communication device;
them telling us the story, and us listening/watching as the audience.
2. Narrative and Performance – songs fail to give us the complete
narrative, we only get a gist and have to make up our own idea. He
explains that we should ignore common narrative. Music videos should
have coherent repeatability, makes it easier for the audience to watch
over and over again. The audience need to believe this could be real.
3. The Star Image - another vital aspect of music videos is the ‘star
image’. Featuring established celebrities/musicians/actors can often
enhance the dramatic potential of the music video for the song.
Examples include Rupert Grint in Ed Sheeran’s ‘Lego House’, Shia
LaBeouf in Sia’s ‘Elastic Heart’, etc.
4. Relation of Visuals to the Song – Music videos can use a set of images
to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics & genre. However, sometimes the
meaning of the song can be completely ignored which can sometimes
lead to poor music videos that hold no relevance to the original song.
5. Technical Aspects - hold the music video together through use of
camera work, movement, angle, mise-en-scene, editing, sound and
special effects. Lighting and colour also help to set the mood and
emphasise key movements of the song for dramatic effect. Mise-en-
scene is another important aspect to consider, as the setting of the
music video needs to look authentic to attain professionalism. Cuts are
also used to sync with the beat or rhythm, making the video more
engaging.