Andrew Goodwin developed a theory based on what he thought made a music video successful. His theory was broken up into 6 key aspects of music videos.
Firstly, he said there could be a relationship between the songs lyrics and the visuals seen in the video. In this aspect, we look at how the lyrics associate with the visuals, how a narrative is formed, if there is a story line that the viewer can follow and if that story line has a clear message to it. An example of this is seen in the music video of the song ‘Love Yourself’ by Justin Bieber. We can follow the story line between a couple and this shows a clear message to the viewer about the struggles in a relationship.
Next, Goodwin stated that there could be a relationship between the music of the song and the visuals seen by the viewer. With this aspect, again we are looking at how the music and visuals of a video create a narrative and a storyline for the viewer and what effect this has. An example of this is in the music video for the advert. ‘We will rock you’ by Britney Spears, Beyonce and Pink. We can clearly see how the rhythm and beat of the song is transferred into a chant and banging an object against the wall in time with the rhythm.
He also stated that that the video needs to be relevant to the genre the song represents. This element looks at what aspects of the video have made its genre clear to the audience right from the very start of the video and song. An example of this is that during the heavy metal video below, there is a lot of stage performance and a big emphasis on masks and dramatic performances.
Next, Goodwin stated that there could be an element of voyeurism. Voyeurism is the objectification of men and women in music videos in order to create a certain appeal for the viewers. Although this often applies far more often to women, it can also be used with men. A great example of this is the music video for ‘Wrecking ball’ by Miley Cyrus. This is where we see a very blank environment with the main focus being on Miley herself with minimal to no clothing on. This has a greater impact on male viewers than it does on female and is used as a way to present the artist to that particular gender.
In addition to this, he also stated that the narrative of the music video was important. Narrative is the account of connected events in a media text, basically meaning the storyline of a product. However, it is not the storyline as in each specific element is a product, but more of a general aspect of the story and how/why each event is connected to move the story along. There are generally two types of narratives in a music video, one being the narrative of the video and the other being the narrative of the song. From this, we can look at how the two narratives work together to make an either contrasting or hybrid narrative.
Finally, the last element in his theory was based on the ‘Star image’ aspect. This refers to the representation of the ‘characters’ in the video which are often the band members/ artist. They are represented in a way that puts them in the spotlight. It is often the singers that are focussed on as they are the 'voice' of the band and their name is what is recognised by their fans. They are in the spotlight in order to get their image out into the public arena and be seen as ‘stars’ in their fans eyes. as well as gaining further credibility.
Goodwin said that each of these elements make a music video what it is and what makes it a successful product. I will consider each of these features when I come to creating my own music video in order to give it the most professional feel possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment