Summary of Andrew Goodwins theory on music videos.
Goodwin
believes that traditional narrative analyses don’t really apply to pop videos.
His reasoning for this is simple:
- Pop videos, unlike novels and films, are built and created around the songs: often songs do not pose or present traditional narrative structures. (Typically shown as normality-problem-resolution.)
- In Pop videos, the singer is used as both the narrator and as a character.
- The singer often ‘breaks the 4th wall’ – meaning that they look directly into the camera and address the audience. This involves the viewer with what’s happening.
· Pop videos also tend to repeat images in the way the song repeats choruses or lines. Intertextuality is also used as some tend to repeat parts and rhythms of other songs, which allows us to become familiar with the genre and have certain expectations.
· Pop videos do not have a form of closure or ending, the video is based on the music which tends to build to a climax or to a constant repetition before fading away.
· The visualization of a song may go beyond the original meaning: the videos sometimes provide a visual pleasure, encouraging repeated viewing which therefore promotes the music.
There are three types of relation between songs and videos:
1)
Disjuncture: Little Connection between the lyric
and video; or when the video contradicts the lyric.
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga is a good example of this: in the video she is prancing around and dancing in absurd, over the top outfits, however her lyrics are talking about romance, which suggests that the video may have been softer and less explicit than what it actually is.
2)
Amplification: When the videos introduce new
meanings that do not contradict with the lyrics, but add layers of meaning. What separates amplification from
disjuncture is the fact that amplification music videos retain a link with the
song whereas with disjuncture the video and the lyrics tend to contradict each
other.
Where is the love by The Black Eyed Peas, is a good example of this as is shows amplification within the song, as the lyrics are about a lack of humanity and a lack of love, and the video shows selfish acts and acts that present a lack of love such as stealing, for example.
Where is the love by The Black Eyed Peas, is a good example of this as is shows amplification within the song, as the lyrics are about a lack of humanity and a lack of love, and the video shows selfish acts and acts that present a lack of love such as stealing, for example.
3)
Illustration: With this type, the video tells the story of the lyrics.
Papa Don't Preach by Madonna, is a good example as she is singing about her father and their relationship and the music video shows images and footage of her father and her when she is younger. It also shows a reconstruction of a young girl and her father which, I assume, is meant to be Madonna and her father. Dance is also often used to express feelings and emotions as demonstrated within this video.
Papa Don't Preach by Madonna, is a good example as she is singing about her father and their relationship and the music video shows images and footage of her father and her when she is younger. It also shows a reconstruction of a young girl and her father which, I assume, is meant to be Madonna and her father. Dance is also often used to express feelings and emotions as demonstrated within this video.
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