Learning Objective:

• Understand Goodwin’s theory of analysis.

• Consider how to apply Goodwin’s theory to music videos.

• Understand Mulvey’s theory of ‘the male gaze’.

Music videos contain different storylines and meanings, which are portrayed through various ways:Performance-where the band or the music artist is playing the song throughout the video.

Narrative-where the song involves a narrative and so, the words and meaning of the song is acted out in some way.

Mixture-Where there is the musician playing as well as a narrative storyline occurring and the camera cross cuts to each scene.

Cameo-where the musician features in the narrative but is not actually part of the storyline and does not perform in it.

Animation-Some music videos have a mixture involving animation that is edited in, this creates creativity and entertainment to the video.

Andrew Goodwin’s forms and conventions of music videos.

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics.

Andrew Goodwin’s forms and conventions of music videos.

2. There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This can be amplified, illustrating or disjunctive.

e.g. Beyoncé-single ladies

- the Visuals reinforce what the lyrics say.

Andrew Goodwin’s forms and conventions of music videos.

3. There is a relationship between the music and visuals. This can also be amplified, illustrating or disjunctive.

Andrew Goodwin’s forms and conventions of music videos.

4.The demands of the record company: lots of close-ups of the main artist/vocalist. The artist may develop a visual style (motifs) that recurs throughout their work.

Andrew Goodwin’s forms and conventions of music videos.

5.There is likely to be reference to voyeurism. Notions of looking are not just restricted to women, it may also represent of men as; gangsters, cheats etc.

Andrew Goodwin’s forms and conventions of music videos.

6. There are likely to be intertextual references to either other music videos or to films and TV texts.

Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’Diamonds are a girl’s best friend

Dr Dre’s ‘California Love’Mad Max

Voyeurism

• Pleasure gained from watching (ideally when the object is unaware of being watched).

Laura Mulvey “The Male Gaze”

Mainstream Hollywood adopts the position of the male’s gaze – the camera lingers on legs, lips and breasts. Men are not objectified in the same way: they are active. Women are presented as passive.

Laura Mulvey “The Male Gaze”

Critics point out that most women don’t seem to have a problem with such patriarchal texts.

Also, women can gaze at each other for comparison, not for sexual reasons.

Laura Mulvey “The Male Gaze”

Critics also give examples of mainstream texts where women are active and not objectified – e.g. the ‘Aliens’ films.

Laura Mulvey “The Male Gaze”

But even then …

Examples in music video …Duran Duran:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3W6yf6c-FA

Kylie Minogue:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1DWBKk5xHQ

Beyonce:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViwtNLUqkMY

Cry Me A River

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksSPZTZES0

Complete your Goodwin’s analysis chart as wewatch.

Plenary

• Bearing in mind what we have covered today, how important would you say the artist’s role is?