Music Video Theory
The Music Video Theory, produced by Andrew Goodwin, is simply a set of ‘rules’ that make up a successful music video. This link mentions and briefly explains these rules; https://www.slideshare.net/mrshmedia/andrew-goodwin-music-video-theory-63564120
1. ‘A relationship between the visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics’
This rule basically states that there has to be some sort of relation between the lyrics of the song and what is happening visually on the screen. For example, in Katy Perry’ song ‘Firework’, we can see fireworks which match up with the lyrics.
2. ‘A relationship between the music and the visuals again either illustrating, amplifying and contradicting the music’
This rule states that there has to be coherence between the song style and the visual images. If a song is slow, there should be a slow dance or something that is coherent to the beat. For example, in Billie Eilish’s song ‘Happier Than Ever’ is coherent to the beat, as at the beginning, when the beat is slower, there is not much going on visually as we see Billie more relaxed and on the phone.
3. ‘Music genres have their own music video style and iconography’
This rule states that each music genre has its own conventions and certain types of elements they use to distinguish them from other genres. For example, Ozuna’s music video ‘Se Preparó’ includes distinguished elements from the reggaeton genre, such as bright and vibrant colors, neon lights and the hypersexualisation of women.
4. ‘There is likely to be voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, and close-ups of the main artist or vocalist’
Voyeurism refers to the pleasure in seeing women naked or in a sexual act, basically hypersexualising them. This happens mostly, if not all the time, in reggaeton videos in particular. The close-up shots of the artist are also used constantly, mostly when showing them lip syncing, which happens in the majority of music videos. For example, in the song ‘Loca’ by Khea, we can see the music video takes turns showing the artists lip syncing the song, followed by clips of a woman half-naked touching herself and smoking.
5. ‘There is likely to be inter-textual references either to other music videos or to films or TV texts’
Intertextual references mean when a song makes reference to another media product, meaning they mention another song’s lyrics, include another artist or celebrity from a different media product, or recreate a storyline from a different narrative. This helps the song gain a wider audience and attract people who know the product referred to. For example, in Taylor Swift’s song, ‘Love Story’, the narrative of the music video is based on the storyline of the famous novel ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Through the visual images and the lyrics, the audience captures the reference right away and helps the song reach a wider range of audience.