Wednesday 27 July 2011

Andrew Goodwin

Conventions of Music Videos

He stated that music videos started to focus on the main artist, via close ups. This can be se
en in the video 'Its Raining Men', in which Geri Halliwell is highly sexualised. The video also includes extreme close ups of Geri, she is often pictured touching her body as highlighted by these screen grabs taken from the video. All these shots contribute to the explicit nature of the video this places all the foucs on the artist in an attempt to promote the artist and raise their profile.

Goodwin also stated that key to most videos was voyeurism. This the 'notion of looking', this is created in videos by people looking through windows, but in many videos showing an establishing shot of a window and then a zoom into the house. The video that I have previously analysed 'Stan' has many examples of voyeurism, whether that be the numerous posters on the wall of Eminem or the first shot in the video of the window, so it makes the audience feel as if they are looking in.
Goodwin stated that in most videos there is voyeuristic treatment of the female body as seen in 'Its Raining Men'.

Other Conventions


1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band).
genre characteristics


2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).


4. There is often intertextual reference

(to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
E.g 'Jump' Girls Aloud is linked with Love Actually. (See right) the video for this song has many reference to the film, here is one.

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