Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

The media theorist Andrew Goodwin invented a list of conventions which all music videos seem to follow. 

The first one is that music video's characteristics suit the genre of the song itself. For example, a pop video would have to be colourful, contain a kind of cheeky rebellion, contains dancing, humorous, stylish, and possibly have an urban setting. These can all be seen in the video for Olly Murs's "Heart Skips A Beat":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5dFe-WKuPs  (I couldn't find the video on the blogger youtube)

However, with a rock music video there is likely to be: dark colours, a stage performance, a strong sense of rebellion, a unity with the audience and heavy use of instruments. These can all be seen in 30 Seconds To Mars's video for "Closer To The Edge":

The second one is that there is a relationship between lyrics/music and visuals. This can be done in three ways: to illustrate, to amplify or to contradict. Illustrating means that the video follows the lyrics/music completely. This is seen in the video for Taylor Swift's music video for "Love Story":

The video follows the lyrics of the song completely, particularly when she sings: 'I'm standing there/on the balcony in summer air' and she is physically where she is singing about. 

Amplifying means that the lyrics aren't really followed, but the overall meaning of the song is kept in the video. This can be seen in Muse's "HYSTERIA":

The overall meaning of the song is about somebody with hysteria and desperately wanting someone. This is conveyed very well in the video, even if the lyrics are not followed to the letter.

A contradictory video is one that ignores the meaning and the lyrics of the song completely. This isn't done often because it veers away from the audience's expectations, particularly if the music itself is ignored. A good example of this is the video for "FAKE PLASTIC TREES" by Radiohead:

The lyrics and even the rhythm of the music is ignored. The only relationship to the song it has is the lip synching from the lead singer. 

The third one is that music videos have plenty of close-ups of band members so the audience can recognise who is playing. This is a way to easily commercialise the video for music companies. The video must also have recurring motifs which suit the band's style. This can be seen in the videos for 30 Seconds To Mars, which are often done like short films with preludes and dialogue on top of their music:

This is probably because audiences will know of Jared Leto's film acting career.

The fourth one is the notion of looking. Band artists are constantly seen looking in the distance or looking straight at us. This can be seen in "THE KILL (BURY ME)", where Jared Leto looks up at the camera as if he were addressing a dominant presence.

This also contains voyeurism, which is the second half of this point. The video contains a woman walking out of the shower with just a bath towel on and two lesbians kissing one another. There are no female protagonists. This video also suits the final point, which is intertextuality. This video makes heavy references to the 1980 film The Shining, with its copying of plot-lines, character actions and editing style. 

Intertextuality

It is theorised by Andrew Goodwin that there is a great deal of intertextual references in music videos. This is when there is a scene from a music video has been manipulated to look almost identical to that of a popular film. This can be done briefly in the video like in the "HYSTERIA" music video:

The scene where the protagonist trashes the hotel room references the scene from the Pink Floyd film "The Wall", based on their album. As we can see, it is very similar:

This is interesting because this film isn't the most popular. The reason they chose to reference this film is probably because both Muse and Pink Floyd are a part of the Progressive Rock genre. So, die-hard fans of progressive rock will be able to understand the reference - this is who the "HYSTERIA" music video is trying to appeal to.

Other videos use the exact same scenes from certain films, but do not use the reference through the entire video. Some start with the reference and carry on with something completely different. Some may continue to jump back and forth from the reference to something else. A good example of this is Geri Halliwell's cover of "It's Raining Men":

The introduction references the iconic scene from the film "Flashdance":

Halliwell's video copies the entire audition scene with the same dance moves, most of the same clothing, the same initially disapproving judges (who change their minds after a while) and the same turntable. Since most of Halliwell's audience is likely to be women, the makers of the video clearly wanted to use something that they may recognise - since "Flashdance" is mostly aimed towards women.

There are also music videos that have one large intertextual reference which carries on through the entire thing. The best example I have found of this is the music video for "THE KILL (BURY ME)" by 30 Seconds To Mars:

This video is obviously a reference to the 1980 horror film The Shining. It copies the plotline, the style of editing, the transitions, the different characters and how they act, and the enigmatic ghostly doubles. Since this video copies, to a large extent, the entire film I will pick out one specific example of intertextuality:

Although the 30 Seconds To Mars video uses a shower and she has a towel around her, both scenes are very similar. I think this is because 30 Seconds To Mars has quite a dark style and in this video they wanted it to be scary as well as dark. People who enjoy this dark style are also likely to enjoy scary movies. The movie which is often rated the best scary movie of all time is The Shining.


In my own music video, I plan to use some intertextual references. This shouldn't be very difficult because - since my video will be about schizophrenia - there are many films about mental illness and psychotics. However, I don't want to place my protagonist in a villainous, negative light like in The Shining. I would want him to be more like Donnie in Donnie Darko who actually suffers from schizophrenia. I thought about using a rabbit mask to convey the idea that he is seeing things that aren't there. In Donnie Darko, the bunny rabbit helps Donnie. But in my video, I would want him to be the antagonist of the piece - a kind of personified schizophrenia.

I think I would want it to be more human though and rabbit suits like that are quite expensive. So I thought about using a venetian-style mask. I haven't thought about the rest of the costume yet, but I'm sure something will come. 

Categories of Music Videos

Performance Based Videos

Performance based videos are ones which only show the band performing with their instruments. These are usually done with footage of the band playing in concert. A great example of this is "Closer To The Edge" by 30 Seconds To Mars:

This video consists of footage from the band's "Into The Wild" tour in 2010. They filmed at every 30 Seconds To Mars concert on the tour, which - as the video makes clear - occurred all around the world. It begins with fans of 30 Seconds To Mars talking about things which are relevant to the themes in their songs and, indeed, music itself. These people are slowly cut together with visuals of the band preparing themselves for a concert, some of which was clearly filmed in a studio as opposed to a concert. It brings forward the suggestion of a sentimental connection between the artists and the admirers. This is especially shown when Jared Leto is seen in the video to run amongst everybody in the crowd. The music video doesn't have a pure narrative because it is all about the music. It's all about the experience that music gives you, whether you go to a concert or not.
They have title sections for each individual band member doing things that resemble their personality. Jared is seen interacting with the audience and even jumping in with them - showing his incredibly enthusiastic nature. Shannon is seen riding a motorcycle down a road, which probably means he is the 'cool' one of the group. Tomo is only seen with a guitar, which gives him a mysterious and exciting quality. Jared Leto in particular has a specific style which suits the genre of their music perfectly. It is like David Bowie and the glam rock years, but far more modern, rebellious and dark. This darkness is highlighted in their clothing, the overall lighting and just their general style.

I don't know whether I want to involve any performance-based material in my music video. It might be ideal because the song "BRAIN DAMAGE" is about a former band member. So the environment of the band may suit the overall meaning of the song.


Narrative Based Videos

A narrative based music video is one that displays a story with the music dubbed over it. This is quite a common basis for music videos because it makes the audience more interested in the video - since it shares a convention of film and TV. A good example of this is the video for "Hysteria" by Muse:

This story follows a man suffering from a mental illness, presumably hysteria, who tries to remember what he did the previous night. He finds out through a video camera which taped his experiences. He has been stalking a woman with this video camera. It is clear that he has been doing this for a while because of the different locations he has filmed this woman in. The film jumps at certain points to a flashback, made clear by the presence and absence of the protagonist's white shirt. It is clear that the protagonist has somehow convinced this woman to spend the night with him. However, we see by random intercuts that he abuses her before any sexual activity can proceed. We can see that she escapes but not at the end. The narrative jumps backwards and forwards in order to bring us to the same level of confusion as the protagonist. It ends with the woman climbing seductively on the bed, just before the abuse from the protagonist takes place. This is the story of the music video.

I chose this one in particular because - apart from the music - the band does not appear in the video at all. There isn't even a logo or shots of them playing their instruments. The video is wholly focused on the narrative and the characters. It also seems that the music is only used to transport the audience into the protagonist's mindset, which is distorted and out-of-control. This is probably why no lip-synching is included either. The makers clearly didn't want any distraction that veers away from the story.

I believe I would want my video to fall under this category because of the subject matter of the song itself. Since "BRAIN DAMAGE" is about Syd Barrett's schizophrenia, I would want to base the video on his experiences. I think I would like lip-synching, unlike "HYSTERIA", because Barrett was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd. So, essentially, music meant a great deal to him.


Concept Based Videos

These music videos are based on an idea or concept, which they stick with through the entire video. There is not usually a narrative, and even if there was one it would be rather enigmatic. This technique isn't usually used for commercial purposes because the band does not appeal to a wider audience. It is for aesthetic purposes but they must suit the style of the band.

Here is the music video for "FAKE PLASTIC TREES" by Radiohead. This definitely follows the concept-based style. The entire video takes place in a futuristic supermarket with Thom Yorke, the singer, being pushed around in a trolley by an unseen person. Yorke is clearly supposed to be portraying a baby or toddler being pushed around a supermarket presumably by his mother. There is also shots of other band members in trolleys - most notably Colin Greenwood who has his guitar with him and doesn't play it. This establishes his position in the band. The trolleys go around colour-co-ordinated canisters filled with an unknown substance. It appears that Yorke's trolley stays in one aisle, even though it is being pushed around. Many unusual characters appear in front of Yorke: the cowboy with two guns, the bald man who attempts to shave his head, and an elderly woman dressed in yellow who decides to sit on a chair in the middle of the aisle.
The director of the video has said that the video is about 'death and reincarnation'. This ideas are clearly seen when everybody has to leave the supermarket. Everyone goes toward a white light, which is indicated as being the exit. Yorke is able to break free of his trolley and exit with the others.

I don't think I want to adopt only this style into my music video. I would want to make semi-clear about what my video was about. But I would want to insert enigmatic elements like in "HYSTERIA". 

Analysing "The Kill (Bury Me)" Music Video

Analysing the

“The Kill (Bury Me)” Music Video

CAMERA

·      Many wide shots: shows the size of the hotel and how empty it is. Gives a sense of mystery and fear.

·      High-angle close-up of Jared Leto singing up at us. It is as if he is singing to a more dominant presence.

·      Quite controlled, no out-of-control handheld shots – sense of normality brings a more ghostly effect.

·      Slow-moving shots, usually going forward, adds to the ghostly effect as well as build up tension.

·      The Visitors do not have any close-ups until they ‘become one’ with their doubles.

·      Their doubles are given many close-ups, suggesting they are more ‘real’ than the Visitors.

·      Lower angles for the instruments but not for the players’ faces. The instruments dominate them.

·      Low-angle wide of the exterior of the hotel – a scary and superior presence.

·      Shots inside the hotel are often high- or mid-angled for that spectral presence either to be dominant of or to dominate the Visitors.

·      Split-screen cinematography to create the illusion of doubling a character.

EDITING

·      Very rapid cuts of ghosts in-sync with the tempo of the song – the images give off a feeling of overwhelmingness, confusion and fear.

·      Many shot/reverse shots to display the reaction of characters – which brings us to their level.

·      Mirror-image effect to provide a surreal, psychedelic atmosphere suiting the idea of ghostly doubles (which also gives a sense of monstrosity).

·      Fade transitions toward the end – giving a sense of death and conclusion. The music suddenly cuts out and the last fade is extended. DEATH.

·      Title cards to give a sense of plot and narrative – very sudden and unexpected. Brings fear.

·      The sound at the beginning seems to be a loud wind – but connotes a ghostly fear.

·      Typical horror film music to establish the genre of the video.

·      A loud bell synchronising the different shots of the hotel together. Apart from the orchestra, nothing else can be heard within the film. The bell seems rather medieveal in so modern an interior. Gives off the sense of a gothic horror scenario.

·      Edits between the Visitors and the Doubles – we follow both kinds of characters but one is more mysterious than the other.

MISE EN SCENE

·      Location

Empty hotel – a very spooky setting.

Outside the hotel seems smaller than the inside, giving off a sense of the supernatural. It is also far more gothic than the interior.

·      Costume

The Visitors wear black clothing, eyeliner and nail varnish. Their whole image is gothic.

Emoish because of the long, black hair of Jared Leto and Tomo Milicevic.

Doubles wear 1920s tuxedos – reference to the happenings of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.

·      Props

Skateboard – used by Tomo to glide around the hotel, similar to Danny and his tricycle in The Shining. It also gives us the sense that this character is quite rebellious.

Bouncing Ball – used by Jared Leto to throw at the walls. Quite aggressive. The sound of the ball marks a transition in the narrative.

Typewriter used to show madness.

REPRESENTATIONS

·      Women seem to be only good for sexual activities: woman in bath towel kissing a performer, two lesbians kissing each other. Fits in with Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory.

·      Women are the only ones who are brutally killed.

·      Men are dominant in this video – have a superiority over women. Men wear black or dark colours, women wear much lighter colours. This coul connote a difference in strength.

GENRE

·      Post-prog

·      Alternative rock

·      Emo

·      Post-hardcore

INTERTEXTUALITY

This video conforms with Goddwin’s theory of intertextuality with its copying of the The Shining’s plotline as well as the set design, props and actiosn of the characters.

AUDIENCE

·      Teenagers

The gothic and rebellious feel of the video.

The horror film aspect

·      Men

There are only male protagonists in the piece with women taking part in sexual activities.

·      White Americans

No black people or foreigners in the video.

·      The emo culture

Contains the emo look.

Analysing the "HYSTERIA" Music Video

CAMERA

Floating – gives a menacing and fearful feel to the video.

·      Handheld and constantly in motion – representative of the protagonist’s mindset.

·      Moving close-ups of protagonist – world is spinning around him.

·      Close-ups of objects which the protagonist is able to sense?

·      POV shots and rapid movement to continue the feeling of spinning.

·      Wide, empty shots to establish where he is and how alone he is.

·      Unfocus/Focus for moments of realisation.

·      Extreme close-ups to see the detail in his facial expression – mainly anger.

·      Zoom-ins at moments of concentration and perhaps a desire for understanding.

·      High-angle shots in moments of weakness.

·      Low-angle on TV – it dominates him.

EDITING

·      Slow as the protagonist sleeps – his mind is relaxed.

·      Quickens as the protagonist jolts awake to prevent the cleaner from entering his hotel room.

·      Quick cuts to show disturbed mindset and epic confusion.

·      Edits becomes faster as the protagonist becomes more angry.

·      Cuts slowly when the protagonist is attempting to concentrate but echoes of madness are still present when short close-ups are inserted.

·      Edited for a non-linear narrative. This displays his confusion as to what is past, present or imaginary for the Hysteric.

MISE-EN-SCENE

·      Location – Hotel room with a double bed, suggests sexual activity.

·      Costume

In the present time, he only wears a pair of trousers with no shirt. In the flashback, he is seen wearing a white shirt – showing a less aggressive frame of mind. The ‘one night stand’ has different costumes in the home video, demonstrating that the protagonist has been watching her for a long time. During the seducing scenes, she wears a black bra – this follows the overall darkness of the video. The Maid wears an old-fashioned, stereotypical uniform so that the audience can recognise her immediately.

·      Colour

There are mainly dark colours to reflect the darkness in the protagonist’s mind – black, dreary blue and patches of white light to give a blinding effect. This suggests that he is blind with rage. There are also shades of grey to display the dullness of everything around him.

·      Props

A Video Camera – used to help him piece together what happened the previous night. It provides an explanation for his madness.

Many objects scattered on the floor – shows that a struggle took place.

A television to allow the protagonist to watch what he taped in detail.

Flowers – fragile and beautiful, perhaps symbolic of the ‘one night stand’.

·      Facial Expressions

Shock and fear from the maid as she is forced from the door. This begins the aspect of fear involved throughout the video.

Strong anger from the protagonist as he realises what he did. This shows his madness and his lack of control.

Confusion from the protagonist from the protagonist as he tries to piece things together. He gets enraged and upset when he does not know. He gets scared by this confusion.

He is eager and desperate to see this ‘one night stand’. Allows the audience to see what kind of character he is.

REPRESENTATIONS

·      Women seem to be only good for serving men, e.g. the ‘one night stand’ and the maid.

·      Age and social class – the maid’s weight, hair and ugly earrings in contrast with the features of the protagonist and the ‘one night stand’.

·      Mental disability – they are all stalkers that have weak memories and can be aggressive and violent.

GENRE

·      Modern Prog-Rock

·      Radical subject matter

·      Very strange and provocative

·      Deals with living in darkness rather than an attempt to embrace the light.

·      Video suits the originality of Muse’s songs.

INTERTEXTUALITY

·      There is perhaps a reference to American Beauty where one of the characters films the girl next door.

·      This character also has a mental disability but it is more subtle than the protagonist in the “HYSTERIA” music video.

AUDIENCE’S REACTION

·      They would be shocked by the video’s content but will anticipate this because of the tone of the song. It has a dark, weird nature which people are sometimes attracted to.

·      An audience would watch this video because it suits Muse’s style of darkness and peculiarity.

MUSIC VIDEO THEORY

·      Andrew Goodwin’s theory of amplifying the lyrics is accurate in this song. The mentality of hysteria and the desire for someone there is clear in the video – which is the objective of the song.

·      It also follows the idea of iconography in different music genres. Since Muse is known for producing weird and ‘out-of-this-world’ music – the video suits them.

·      There are many close-ups in the video.

·      There is a great deal of voyeurism in the music video. The protagonist views his own video recording of a woman he has been stalking. He filmed his sexual activities as well as his violence towards her.

·      Laura Mulvey’s theory of woman in music videos is present. The ‘one night stand’ has the “sexy whore look”, especially when she climbs on the bed and licks her bottom lip seductively at the protagonist.

·      The maid, however, is not sexualised in any way. The video generalises women as only being good for serving the men.

·      This, in Mulvey’s view, forces the audience to see women as a heterosexual man would.

·      The man is clearly the most dominant in the video.

FOCUS GROUP

I have recently filmed and edited my focus group. It was interesting to hear their views on my ideas and music videos in general. It gives me a clearer understanding as to which direction i should be heading for.

Their ideas of how the song should begin were interesting, since some of them were similar to my own. Ryan described a basement full of mad people without even knowing that the song was about schizophrenia. This suggests to me that SPEAK TO ME has that 'mad' effect on most people. Ryan's idea does give me an image of many versions of the LUNATIC (my protagonist) all doing different actions in one large, dark room. Owen put forward the idea of loneliness, which I believe is almost key to the LUNATIC's character. Schizophrenia does have that essence of feeling alone. No one can understand what he does because they defy logical understanding. So, in this way, he is alone.

When asking about when the song ended, Jack described 'rainbows' as being a possibility. In spite of this probably being a joke, it gave me a good idea as to how approach the LUNATIC. He could be happy in parts, but it could all be delusion. Perhaps I can make a division between a dark reality and a colourful fiction through altering the colours of the piece. Perhaps the more upsetting scenes would be in dull and darker colours whilst the happy delusions' colours would be saturated.
Owen also described the song as not being happy. Which I suppose is true in the reality of the scenario, but it can be altered in the delusions that the LUNATIC is seeing.

In terms of the locations, Ryan had a detailed description. He described a person walking a forest path (which was one of my options on my Survey) and the weather gradually turns from heavy rain to bright sunlight. This was interesting because it suggests to me either a hopefulness for the character - in that he is able to break free of the depressing aspects of the illness - or a hopelessness because the bright sunlight could be a delusion (following the 'rainbow' idea).
Owen said the LUNATIC could be walking through town on his own and looking about himself. He recommended the town of Sevenoaks as a possibility. This fits in with a previous idea which I had where the LUNATIC walks through town and every person appears to be looking at him - which brings forward the topic of paranoia, often a by-product of schizophrenia. I also thought he could be in a dressing-gown, pushing a pram around with biscuits and LSD in the seat. This gives off the impression that he is very unaware of his surroundings.

On approaching them with my idea, they seemed positive and supportive of it - which is a good sign. Ryan in particular thought the idea was brilliant... if it was 'handled carefully'.

On discussing music videos, Jack and Owen were eager for me to watch the one for 'Californiacation'. That may be the next video I analyse. Jack believed that it was the video itself that made the song - I thought that was interesting seeing as it is usually the other way round. Owen preferred music videos which had a recognisable narrative, which I'll probably provide. Later on, Ryan rants about the use of the band in certain music videos. He did not approve of them appearing a large amount in the video. He  and Owen said how he was more interested in the story rather than the band. I will stick to this, as I was confused as to how much I should include the band in my video. Music videos like "The Kill" by 30 Seconds To Mars feature the band a lot of the time - however, they are characters in the story. I perhaps also should have asked whether they prefer people to lip-sync to the lyrics, like "The Kill", or just have the music dubbed over a short film like "Hysteria" by Muse.

The whole group were against videos which do not fit the tone of the song. Jack disapproved of 'pointless stuff' in music videos, which are not relevant to the meaning of the song. I have been attempting to avoid this since I began with "BRAIN DAMAGE". Since the song is about Syd Barrett's schizophrenia, I want to try and hold true to that.

In asking about their preference in narrative, Ryan and Owen believed that both clear and unclear can work as long as its 'done right'. My narrative structure is set out to be non-linear and confusing but I'll make it clear that the video is from a schizophrenic's mindset. This brings clarity and makes it easier to watch.

SPEAK TO ME - Shot List

I have compiled a shot list together for the first part of the video, which will be SPEAK TO ME. It will be immediately followed by BRAIN DAMAGE. I thought BRAIN DAMAGE was too immediate, and so I thought it would be good to have a build up to this song. This allows the audience to recognise at once what kind of song this is. The shot list is pictured below.

I have tried to keep true to the structure of the song. Since most of the sounds in this particular song conjure up specific images, I thought it wise to follow this in the visuals. The use of a Therapist's Office is to make it clear to the audience that the protagonist, the LUNATIC, is mentally unstable. I also want to enter into the LUNATIC's mind in the video, so the rapid intercutting would be useful here. 

The use of a triangular frame at the beginning is an allusion to the cover of the DARK SIDE OF THE MOON album. I've used it here to give a sense of seclusion, claustrophobia and loneliness for the protagonist.