Andrew Goodwin's Theory On Music Videos : RESEARCH

Andrew Goodwin believes that traditional narrative techniques are not relevant when it comes to pop videos. This is because pop videos take a different approach when telling a story, for example

•  Pop videos are assembled around the use of music, and this is why he believes the traditional story telling techniques don’t apply because songs do not use traditional narrative structures.

• Unlike traditional narrative structures, music videos use the artist in a dual role, singer and also character/actor.

• Dissimilar from traditional narrative structures that are one dimensional, music videos tend to try and involve the viewer at home by having the artist look directly at the camera, creating a more personal touch.

Goodwin says that music videos depend heavily on repetition, this allows us the audience to familiarise ourselves with the genre and creating certain expectation and ideas about that particular genre. Pop videos must have an end and this is why they are repeated heavily and then at the end faded away.

He also believes that some music videos are made to go beyond the songs original meaning, for example sometimes the music video can become a visual spectacle that entices the viewer to watch again and again. Goodwin also recognizes that sometimes music is used as a marketing tool to promote other products such as films.

Goodwin stressed that there are three main types of relations between songs and their videos, and these are:

• Illustration is used to tell the story of the song visually, for example in rap music, gun and jewellery is used to illustrate the lyric.

• Amplification is when the video goes into further and deeper levels of visuals that do not contradict the lyrics but add more meaning.

• Disjuncture happens when there little to no relation between the lyrics and the visuals.