Andrew Goodwins Theory......

Andrew Goodwins theory on music videos is 'traditional narrative analyses don't really apply to pop video', there are three reasons for this: 

   Firstly, he believes pop videos are built without conventional narrative structures (normality, then the problem, then the resolution

1.   Secondly, in pop videos the artists’ role is both the narrator and the character.
2.    Thirdly, the artist directly addresses the audience by looking straight at the camera (also known as ‘breaking the 4^th wall) as an attempt to involve the viewer with the performance.

There are 3 types of relations between songs and videos:

1.       Illustration

When the link between the lyrics and the music video is very clear, the music video almost acts

out the lyrics.

2.      Amplification

When the video add new meanings that do not conflict with the lyrics. Metaphorical objects are used in videos to symbolize certain words in the lyrics. 

3.       Disjuncture

When there is little/no connection between the music video and the lyrics. 

Andrew Goodwin discusses ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’. His main concepts are the way the music videos may be structured in order for the viewers to perceive the video in a particular way. He says that there are different narrative structures such as pop videos are built around songs, pop videos uses the singer as both the narrator and the character and thirdly the singer often looks directly at the camera, commonly big close up’s are used for this. Images throughout the video are usually repeated, this is known as repetition a good example of this type of music video is Outcast-Hey Ya where there were over 23 shots repeated from different angles.

The repetition of music videos can also appeal through listening to the song on the radio, watching the video on Youtube or TV and sometimes there may be advertising for films or TV tie-ins which make the song even more familiar to the listeners or viewers. All music videos have a form of closure where the song comes to an end. They only just last for at least three minutes but it must end and it is therefore sometimes reflected through the structure of the music.