Music Video theory

Andrew Goodwin

 

These are the key features that distinguish music as a form:

• A relationship between visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics
• A relationship between the music and the visuals again either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music
• Music genres have their own music video style and iconography
• There is likely to be voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women
• There's a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/vocalist
• There is likely intertextual references either to other music videos or to films and TV texts

 

Andrew Goodwin suggested that all music videos would contain this.

 

Voyeurism is the practice of obtaining sexual gratification by looking at sexual objects or acts, especially secretively. For example objectifying a woman in a music video as a sexual object