Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin- Conventions

1) A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics

McFly- Shine
a Light and Michael Jackson- Thriller
2) Thought beats: seeing the sounds (the relationship between the music and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the music)
Ed Sheeran-Thinking Out Loud

3) Genre-related style and iconography presents
Bruno Mars- Uptown Funk

4) Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist: the creation of a star image to promote a recognizable brand image
Taylor Swift- Blank Space

5) Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females
Kylie Minogue
6) Intertextual references to other media texts may be present, especially in humorous videos
For example, Ellie Goulding- Love me like you do is linked with 50 shades and Busted- Thunderbirds are go is linked with the film Thunderbirds

1) Thought beats- where you see the sound, a unique voice/ sound, telling a story
For example, Adam Levine from Maroon 5 has a unique voice which you can recognise instantly
2) Narrative and Performance- a story, or performance and crowd shots
For example,
3) The Star Image- a natural performer encouraging you to watch the music video
For example, Beyoncé is publicised as being a star performer
4) Relation of visuals to the song- illustrating the song or contradicting the song
For example,
5) Technical aspects of a music video- camera, sound, mise en scene and editing in the music video
For example,