Styles and Conventions of music videos

Andrew Goodwin's music theory

 Andrew Goodwin has identified a number of key features in music videos. He created 6 rules for making music videos. These 6 were taking from "Dancing in the distraction factory"

1) The first is that there is often a link between the visuals and the music
Visuals can be used to promote a song. Music videos can use certain images/shots to illustrate their song. The visuals can either illustrate, amplify or contradict the song.

E.g 3:59 In Katy Perry's Part of me, she tells a story of how she joins the army after a breakup and becomes a stronger female as a result. As the story progresses, and Katy grows in confidence the beat gets louder and the tempo of the music increases as well as her actual singing getting louder and more passionate. This conforms to the first rule in Godwin's theory.

2) The second is that there is often a link between the lyrics and the visual
  Godwin suggests that lyrics will make constant references to the visuals on screen. The visuals help us to understand the story that the artist is potentially trying to depict through the lyrics. Visuals will reinforce what the lyrics say.

For example in the music video Barking by Ramz. At 1:15, There is a screenshot denoted of a rail station with 'Barking' denoted in blue writing. This relates to the lyrics because the song is about a girl the artist met in barking "I might link my ting from barking". 

3) The third is that music videos tend to include a demonstration of typical genre characteristics
For example a grime song would probably include a video with lots of young people, most likely boys with hoods or on bikes. The mise-en-scence, location, setting etc of the video with often be typical of the song's genre.

4) The fourth is that there is frequent reference to the notion of looking and voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
Godwin identified that a typical feature of music videos is that women are portrayed as sexual objects and are merely present of the pleasure of the men in the video. They are often seen being seductive or voyeurism is used as an attempt to use sex appeal to sell the song.

For example at 1.31 of Katy Perrry's Bon Apetit. She is seen lying on a table with chef's in white
hats placing vegetables on her. She is wearing minimal clothing and she is in a bodysuit which is camouflages with her skin tone, making her appear as if she is naked. This again, relates to Godwin's theory as she appears promiscuous and her being prepared as if she is a meal connotes that she has little to no value as an individual.  

5) The fifth is that the record label demands frequent close-ups and a continous visual style

It is a common feature for record labels to use close ups of the artist and lots of shots in order to promote the artist. The artist will often have a visual style. The artist will often have a visual style which recurs across their work.

E.g at 0:45 in Shape of You by Yxng Bane he is denoted up close in a close up shot, the effect it has is that it makes the audience feel closer to the audience as they can clearly read facial expressions and/or body language also, it lets them know he is the main artist and focal point in the video.

6) The sixth is that the music video often contains intertextual references.
The visuals or lyrics are often a direct reference to another media text.
 

For example at 00.1 and 2:42 in Katy Perry's Roar, her behavior, her costume and the typography and setting are all constant references to the popular comic "Jungle Girl".

   She is dressed in a tiger print bralet, and a skirt made of leaves with black long hair. This can be likened to the girl Jungle girl comic cover as she also has black long hair and is wearing tiger print.