Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin states that there are 6 vital aspects within music videos; 

1. Demonstrations of genre characteristics
The majority of artists use this technique to show the category which they fall into; examples of this are aspirational qualities in Hip Hop/R&B videos, strong narratives in Pop videos, dance routines in band videos and live performances for heavy metal groups. These typical themes presented throughout music videos are linked with the genre of the music the band/artist fit into.

2. Relationships between lyrics and visuals. 
Lyrics are represented with images (illustrative, amplifying  or contradictory) throughout music videos, there is usually a tight correlation of the lyrics within the song and the visuals displayed to the audience; these can either support the lyrics with a demonstration of the situation or narrative, amplify the inner message with a visual interpretation, or completely contradict the lyrics all together. 


3. Relationships between music and visuals.
There is typically a link between the music within the song and the video attached to it, specifically relating to tempo and transitions; for example, in more up-beat pop videos the editing will be fast and clean cut with a general tempo matching the speed of the song. However a more sombre video will feature slower, fading cuts to enhance the mellow beat expressed throughout the song. Particular high and low points throughout these songs can be emphasised by specific changes in the style of the video, like a flash of harsher lighting or a slowed down motion in a scene. For example in the opening of Rihanna's video Unfaithful; a slow, calm tempo is used with long fading and dissolving shots, but as the pace of the music picks up, faster, clean cut editing is used. By quickening the speed of the video this emphasises the speed of the music, an effective technique used to build a growing sense of tension.  

4. Frequent references to the notion of looking
This includes screens within screens and telescopes as well as particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body; it is mainly a reference to more dated music videos which in their mise-en-scene features several depictions of people looking through mirrors or telescopes. As well as this, a lot of music videos contain lots of voyeurism, meaning depictions of the female body in a sexual manner. This is a constant feature throughout music videos whether it be the singer herself, for example Nicki Minaj, who presents herself in a sexual way in many of her music videos, or female dancers in the background of a male singer or band like the ones featured in Robin Thickes video Blurred Lines; the majority of these videos are linked with rap, hip hop or r&b videos but are recently making an appearance in many other music genres.
  

5. The demands of the record label
This will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist so they audience can familiarise themselves with the star of the video, the artist may also develop motifs which recur across their career to keep a consistency throughout their performances. It is used to primarily sell the material of the artist and also to introduce a style to which fans can relate to and imitate. An example of this is modern pop sensation Katy Perry, whose use of daring attire and gordey accessories (much like the ones worn in the California Gurls video) help promote her alternative fashion sense and bring out her bubbly personality; this has secured her a wide fanbase and broadened her popularity, in addition to having a massive impact on her fans as well as the music industry as a whole.
 

6. Intertextual references
This includes references to to films, tv programmes and other music videos; certain images are used and then recognised by the viewer, making an attempting to replicate something for either a comical effect, or the attempt to create a relationship between the artist and the original images. This technique is used in Jennifer Hudson's video Think like a man, which continuously links to the hit film Think like a man in which the song was featured. A range of chapter names included in the book within the film are projected on a screen behind the dancers in the video. Viewers who have watched the film 'Think like a man' would recognise this immediately as the book is extremely significant to the narrative in the film and is mentioned continuously. This creates a strong link between the song, music video and the film.