Andrew Goodwin, an american theorist, wrote 7 key characteristics of music videos in his 1992 book. Today I'll be trying to apply these theories to the 3 videos I chose to analyse when outlining video styles.
1. His first key characteristic states that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals; whether illustrating,amplifying or contradicting the lyrics. In Thundercat's 'Them Changes' music video this is visible, with the gruesome visuals emphasising the lyrics showing the artist's take on heartbreak.
2.The second key characteristic outlines a relationship between the instrumentals and the visuals, this could involve cutting the clips to the beat (usually focussing on a certain instrument,) or matching the pace of the editing to the pace of the video. This is also seen in the Thundercat video where the cutting of clips matching some beats and the hits of the swords at the start also matches the instrumental.
3.Andrew said that genres typically have their own video style and iconography. This could mean signs of wealth and success(usualy modern hip-hop,) or it could mean conforming to video styles like concept. Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' fits into the Trip-hop and downtempo genres and the concept style video mirrors this genre, being very abstract and unique.
4.Apparently there is usually a demand from the record-company for lots of close-ups of the artist/s. The three music videos I analysed for my music video styles post don't demonstrate this. However this is seen excessively in Pop music videos like this one from Ariana Grande.
5. Goodwin also outlined that typically we see artists developing their own iconography inside and outside of the music video. This can help artists to form a strong relationship with their fanbase as fans like having a consistent idol as well as it making it easier for them to represent their favourite artist. One extreme example of iconography within music is MF DOOM,who always wears an iconic and individual mask, often sending decoys to live performances and interviews. This is because MF DOOM (one of Dumile's many artists,) is based off of a cartoon supervillian, so Dumile plays this part. We see this anonymity in this video.
6. The sixth key characteristic Goodwin specified was that there is a reference the voyeurism. This is where we are looking through a frame within a screen,binoculars,camera...) This can be a really good way to diversify a music video or get creative with editing techniques as well as possibly giving an insight into the artist's psyche. A really good example of this can be seen in a$ap rocky's 'A$ap Forever'.
7. The seventh and final key characteristic Andrew Goodwin lists is Intertextuality. This is where the producer either directly or indirectly references another piece of work. Indirect references are inevitable as ultimately all work is inspired by what you have seen in the past, here is an example of an indirect intertextual reference which could be inspired by the film 'Up'.
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