Goodwin's Theory of Music Videos...

Andrew Goodwin’s theory allows us to analyse music videos concentrating on 7 main principles:

• Links between lyrics & visuals
• Links between music & visuals
• Genre characteristics/ Iconography
• Intertextuality
• Voyeurism
• Demand of the record label
• Performance, narrative or concept based videos.

Thought through beat is also a key aspect of Goodwin's which applies to music videos. ( this means - seeing what the song lyrics mean in your head)
The first step of this process is to analyse the music structure, understanding the chorus and verses.
The second step is to listen to the main voice of the song and recognise whether the artist is very unique compared to others, giving the singer a form of identification that can be referred back to.
The third step would be to establish what story the artist is trying to tell within the song. The music video can aid this, along with the lyrics.

Links between lyrics & visuals - Goodwin states that in this principle, the visuals should compliment the lyrics in the song and work well as a whole. An example of a music video which follows this principle is Eminem's 'When I'm Gone'.



The visuals in the video work in unison with the lyrics adding to the strong narrative which is being portrayed involving the negative aspects of his life.

Links between music & visuals - In this principal, Goodwin believes that illustrations and visuals should comply with the beat and rhythm of the music. Therefore, with every other beat, there should be a change of shot or transition. An example of a song which more or less complies with this principle is, Kendrick Lamar's "Alright". 




This song tends to use special effects and/or transitional shots in time with the beat of the music.

Genre characteristics/ Iconography - Goodwin states that these two aspects are vital traits in relating music to a specific genre. There are many examples of each genre that can be thought of here. In a typical Rock music video, you would expect to see the instruments such as drums and guitars, whereas in a pop music video you would see a lot more backing dancers and special effects.

Intertextuality -  This principal set by Goodwin is what is needed to create a successful music video ( interlexuality, parody and pastiche ) making light references or paying homage to another music video. This may include references to films and television programmes which is then classed as intertextuality.  An example parody using this principle could be Alien Ant Farm's "Smooth Criminal"

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Voyeurism - is a principle which is interpreted as watching people in the video or them watching someone do something (screen within a screen) for example, watching attractive men and women engage in something which may be sexual and/or provocative. The artist in the shot may also look directly at the camera or use direct address towards the audience, therefore, breaking the 4th wall ( a Brechtian technique). An example of voyeurism can be seen in the music video to "Bang Bang" by Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj.


Ariana Grande is shown here using direct gaze ( looking at the camera directly) breaking the fourth wall with the audience.