Andrew Goodwin’s TheoryCodes and

Conventions of Music Videos

*Seeing the sounds (the relationship between the music and the visuals, which illustrate, amplify or contradict the

music.)*

Slower/sadder song – longer takes/shots, slow-paced editing

Fast/upbeat song – quick takes/shots, fast-paced editing

The structure, speed and beat of the song are represented visually using variation footage over in chorus and verse.Videos also represent the “voice” of the artist-/their particular style.

THOUGHT THROUGH BEAT

NARRATIVE & PERFORMANCE

*Music videos are advertisements, as well as telling the narrative of the song*

A performance element of the video needs to be present, as well as a storyline, in order for the audience to watch over and over again.

Artists typically act as both performer and narrator (main subject of music video) to make the sequence feel more authentic.

*The artist is the main subject “star” of the music video.*

Videos are used to promote artists- their music and fan base. This increases sales and their individual profile.

Can usually clearly show the development of the artist.

Artists are clearly given most screen time. Proliferation of close-ups and long takes on the artist.

Artists typically have a way that they are represented in e.g. Rihanna is typically presented in a sexual manner.

STAR IMAGE

RELATION OF VISUALS TO SONG

*Disjuncture*Meaning of the song is completely ignored. Images and footage do not relate.

*Amplify*The meaning of the song is exaggerated through the use of visuals.

*Illustrate*Meaning of the song is made clear through the video (most common use).

TECHNICAL CODES*Media language (camera angles, movement, lighting, editing & visual effects) added in post production all

work together to create meaning for the video*

Atmosphere, tone and mood can be reflected through the us of colour, speed of editing and variety of transitions.

Editing often follows the rhythm and tempo of the song- cutting to the beat.

Setting is often used to communicate glamour and it is important that the setting looks like what it is meant to look like e.g. beach looks like a beach. This makes the video feel authentic and therefore believable.

Andrew Goodwin’s Theory applied to music videos

Beyonce - CountdownThe thought through beat aspect of Goodwin’s theory is exemplified massively in this music video. The video is 3:32 mins long and there are a total of approximately 158 cuts. This averages out within the length of the video to around a cut every 1.34 seconds- very often.This fast-paced editing amplifies the lyrics and music as the cuts all change to the beat of the music which is the main, most obvious aspect, of the music. Special effects that have been used on the eyeshadow, leotard and wall behind the artist all change colour to the beat too- exaggerated the thought through beat even more. The video represents the voice of the artist, as she is singing throughout the video on each take. This represents Beyoncé as the performer that consumers know her to be and that she is constantly portrayed as.

The performance aspect within the video is very distinct. Throughout the duration of the video, Beyoncé is dancing and singing, wearing different costumes and styles, which gives the video a more unique, contemporary feel as this artist is usually portrayed in a very sexual and glamorous way. On average, most of Beyoncé's costumes worn in her performances and music videos are very revealing and provocative. In Countdown however, there is a reduction in the amount of revealing costumes worn, although some are still present. This may be to add variation to the performance and interest the audience as she is not typically portrayed in this way. Not only this, but the costume variation also slightly illustrates the lyrics and meaning of the song. She sings “Ladies, if you love your man show him you the fliest, grind up on it, girl, show him how you ride it”, suggesting that there is a sexual and loving aspect to the song, based on her lover and her love for him- the video is illustrating the meaning.

The performance aspect is further exaggerated as throughout the whole video, Beyoncé is dancing. The dance routines and setting, as well as technical codes such as speed of editing and overall editing, adds to the performance flare and allows audiences to watch the video repeatedly, whilst it maintains it’s entertainment and amusement.

The speed of editing, along with the thought through beat, exaggerates the beat and promptness of the song. Many editing and transitional techniques have been used such as cutting, to compress the time and increase the rate at which the whole video moves and parallel editing to show more than one clip of Beyoncé (star image). Special effects have also been used, particularly on the eyeshadow, leotard and wall when they change colour to the beat of the song and when there are multiple versions of Beyoncé dancing with a canon effect, in a row. This creates a more interesting and entertaining music video as the editing and effects have created an uplifting and bright setting, creating an energetic atmosphere.

The narrative of the music video is mostly in complete disjuncture to the lyrics and meaning of the song. Nevertheless, the video still portrays certain aspects of the lyrics without necessarily telling a story, amplifying or exaggerating the meaning behind the song. The clothes and actions of the dancing, do not clearly relate to the lyrics and the meaning of the song, in which she sings repeatedly about (who the audience presume) is her lover – “still the one I need, I will always be with you”. There is also no present lover or partner within the video, adding more disjuncture to the sequence. There is slight illustration with multiple dance moves and winking, pouting and licking her fingers, connoting a slightly sexual performance, despite the reduction of sexual costumes.“My baby is a 10We dressing to the 9He pick me up, we 8Make me feel so lucky 7He kiss me in his 6We be making love in 5Still the one I do this 4I'm trying to make us 3From that 2He still the 1”

The artist, Beyoncé, is clearly the main subject / “star” of the music video. She is present in every single shot of the music video, besides a few such as the establishing shot of the dance studio, a close up of a drum and some very short shots of dancers. All screen time is clearly given to the artist and a proliferation of close ups and number of takes on the artist clearly demonstrates she is the main subject of the video.As mentioned before, the lack of revealing clothing shows another aspect of the artist that the fan base and public had perhaps not been presented before now. In many shots she is covered up, and as many fans may have known, this video was filmed at the beginning of her pregnancy. This is also connoted in one very fast shot where she embraces her bump to the side, just before it cuts to another shot. This is an example of the artist showing their development and promoting not only their music, but also their fan base. Although there was a reduction, there is not a total decrease in sexual costumes. This further promotes Beyoncé's image and how she is typically represented- sexually, but also a strong and talented woman.

Michael Jackson – The Way You Make Me FeelStar image is a clear aspect of Michael Jackson’s music video for ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’. As a huge star, Michael Jackson already had a gigantic fan base and had created a unique individual profile with custom dance moves and sounds that were known worldwide to represent him. Throughout this sequence, Michael Jackson has his classic backing dances and dance routine, choreographed to include his well known dance moves in order to increase his profiles and make the video ‘his own’. As well as being given the majority of the screen time, the length of takes on the artist are typically quite long which focuses the audience’s attention solely on him and makes them focus on him as the main subject. His original ‘look’- the cropped black trousers, and white shoes are also worn in this video in order to portray his original, signature appearance.

The male walks out of an alley and stands in front of the female while she's walking down the street, although she ignores him and keeps walking. He gets her attention by shouting, and then begins singing "The Way You Make Me Feel" to her while also dancing. Uninterested, she walks away. He follows her, having been cheered on by his friends to pursue her. Another dance routine begins, involving the males friends, which leads to the male pursuing the female throughout the neighbourhood. The video ends with the male eventually winning the female over, and embraces her, while a fire hydrant is spraying out water.

This star image also fits in with the performance and narrative aspect of Andrew Goodwin’s theory. “Music videos are advertisements, as well as telling the narrative of the song” is clearly applied to this video. The focus on Michael Jackson as the main subject advertises his character profile and increases his popularity and sales. Not only does the video contain a broad performance element, but also it tells a story. The short version of the video is seven minutes and fifty-four seconds long and the full version is nine minutes and thirty-three seconds long. The video begins with a group of males trying to pick up women, but they don't get any luck. One of the males (Michael Jackson) is told to go home and not to hang around with the other guys anymore. When the male walks home, an elderly man, who is sitting on the steps of his house, tells him to just be himself. Michael Jackson notices a female walking down the streets alone.

Not only does the video follow the narrative of the song, illustrating the lyrics, but it also slightly exaggerates the meaning of the song.This is evident throughout the whole of the music video, as the artists follows a young woman through the streets, attempting to win her over. It is made obvious by facial expressions and body language that Michael Jackson wants to pursue her and is interested in the woman. This exaggerates the lyrics and title of the song “they way you make me feel” and “it really turns me on” – both the main lyrics in the chorus, repeated throughout the song.

As well as this, other lyrics such as “never felt so in love before”, “you’re the one for me” and “your lonely days are gone” (whilst his leg is up at the side of the woman on the car and he makes sexual motions towards her) connote that he is trying to persuade the woman by openly admitting his affections and trying to seduce her. This mirrors the performance aspect further, as a story is being told and the audience are able to watch the video over and over again.

Technical codes within this video play a major part in creating the atmosphere, setting and emphasising the mood. The video made in 1987, released on October 31st, use post-production editing techniques, camera angles, camera movement and lighting to create the specific atmosphere that sets the mood for the video. The setting, alley ways and streets at night, are all dimmed with very little lighting. There is blue lighting and an emphasis on the shadows (especially on the dance routine), as well as fog/smoke present at the start of the video. The colour blue could possible connote the youth of the actors and actresses and the setting they are in being surrounded by youth. The fog also exaggerates the intimacy of the artist and the girl he’s trying to pursue.The technical codes create an eerie, yet intriguing tone for the video, with gangs and young people hanging around on the streets. This adds further to the performance and narrative element, making the video feel more authentic and therefore believable.

Thought through beat is a less obvious aspect of this music video. The video, being quite old now in regards to when it was made, does not follow many stereotypes regarding fast-paced editing with a fast or upbeat song. The body language and dance moves of all actors and actresses in the video are all to the beat of the song. This gives the video an authentic, believable feel. Nevertheless, although the takes are quite long, this adds to the performance aspect as it tells a story. The long takes allow the audience to observe the surroundings but also focus on the male and female character dancing and moving through the streets. The long takes also help the video to represent the ‘voice’ of Michael Jackson and his portfolio as he is the one singing throughout the video. It allows the audience to watch the dance choreography, full movement and the artist’s signature moves and costume.

Distinct features are also included on this music video to give it individuality. Both long and short versions of the video begin with an intro, without the song playing. You can hear men swooning over the woman as she walks down the street, to a pop-style backing track. This music ends when we see Michael Jackson come from out of the shadows and be ignored by the woman. He shouts ‘HEY’ in order to attract the woman’s attention. There is silence for 44 seconds, creating tension and setting the mood. He goes on to sing ‘you knock me off my feet now baby’ without any accompaniment and then music begins to finally play, 1:07 into the video. This long intro creates the mood for the rest of the video, and entertains the audience.

Close up camera shots and an over the shoulder shot of the main 2 characters at the beginning of the music video also allow the audience to see them close up and in detail, as these shots are a couple of the very few that occur through the sequence. By allowing the audience to see them up close at the start, it applies narrative to the music video as they are able to see the characters in detail. The close up of the woman emphasises her beauty, connoting glamour and attraction of pretty, slim women.

London Grammar - StrongThis music video features a man who literally turns himself into a human firework display,

for the benefit of his beloved daughter. This idea promotes the performance and narrative behind the video, both being exaggerated elements within the video.At the start of the video, we see a car driving into a city (establishing shot) and a man proceed to set out lots of equipment (birds eye shot) and go on to make himself into a ‘firework man’. The video leaves a lot to interpretation of the audience, suggesting this video is just a section of a much longer, deeper narrative. As a result , the audience are open to analyse the video however they want.In this video, unlike many others, the artist is not the main subject or performer, despite still appearing in the video. This makes the audience focus more on the storyline within the video, rather than the band, adding to the interpretation of the whole sequence.

‘Strong’ is quite a slow, calm song. The video demonstrates thought through beat as the takes are generally longer and the video as a whole has fewer cuts than fast songs. The video represents the voice of the artist, as although they do not appear in each take, the singer Hannah Reid, sings throughout the video and the band are also shown standing on the bridge in the setting of the video. Slow-paced editing is used which demonstrates their particular style and the song itself, including many clips being edited with slow motion.This relates to technical codes of Andrew Goodwin’s theory, as post production editing, lighting, visual effects and movement all work together to work toward creating an alternative video with deeper meaning and atmosphere. The setting, LA, is alsoused to communicate the divide between what is happening in the video and the busy city as this emphasises the actions of the actor (making himself into a human firework) and the stereotypical bustling city, which appears to be empty besides the man and his daughter. The clear lighting at the beginning of the video allows the audience to see detail

In regards to relation of visuals to the song, the music video is very open to interpretation, giving it disjuncture as the meaning of the song is not overly clear on emphasised through the use of visuals. However, there is slight illustration of some lyrics, connoting that the music video is intended as a simple allegory for parenthood. The lyrics ‘if a child cries what would you not give them?’ are illustrated. The video represents that parents do everything for their children, selflessly and without question, with the unspoken understanding that one day their children will do the same for them. This is illustrated in the video- the man looks after the girl, and then right at the very end the girl looks after the man.

There is no general ‘star image’ within this video as the artist/band, London Grammar, do appear in it, yet they do not take on a role or part in the video and appear more as to promote their music and profile. Fans will want to see the band and this will also increase their fan base as a whole due to an appearance in their own video.Not only this, but the lack of star image also portrays the band’s whole style as very alternative and unique. They are featured, yet the image is quite blurry or unfocused, emphasising the idea that they do not wish to appear as the star, or main subject of the music video.