GOODWIN & MULVEY THEORIESGrace Walker

GOODWIN AND MULVEY CAME UP WITH THEORIES TO APPLY TO MUSIC VIDEOS.

GOODWIN’S THEORYThe main principles are:

There is a relationship between lyrics & visuals

There is a relationship between music & visuals

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics

Intertextual references to other media texts are often used

Notions of looking and voyerism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females

A recognisable brand image is often presented by lots of close-ups of the main artist

THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LYRICS & VISUALS

Again, Goodwin said the visuals can be either amplifying, conceptual or illustrating of the music in the same way the visuals can relate to the lyrics.

Goodwin stated the visuals are either amplifying, conceptual or illustrating the lyrics in music videos.

To amplify the lyrics, the visuals will use the same ideas and themes and develop them in more detail.

If the visuals are conceptual, they present a different idea entirely to the lyrics.

When the visuals illustrate the lyrics, they attempt to create the same ideas as the lyrics.

THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

MUSIC & VISUALS

MUSIC VIDEOS DEMONSTRATE GENRE CHARACTERISTICS

Other media texts are often referenced in music videos.

They can be used to engage audiences further, for promotion or just to add to the narrative.

For example, someone checking social media or Metromony’s video for She Wants where a QR code is used.

Music videos represent styles and traits which are stereotyped with certain genres.

For example, love songs will often have narrative based videos showing a couple where as rock songs will often have performance based videos.

INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES TO OTHER

MEDIA TEXTS ARE OFTEN USED

NOTIONS OF LOOKING & VOYERISM OFTEN PLAYED A MAJOR PART, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO FEMALES

A common trend in music videos is to include shots of the artist or a celebrity to promote the song such as Ed Sheeran’s Lego House which includes himself and Rupert Grint.

Product placement can also be done in music videos by using close up shots of products such as Coca Cola in Lady Gaga’s music video.

Goodwin stated that many music videos show women in voyeuristic angles in order to sexualise them and attract male interest in the artist or song.

Ways of doing this are not showing a woman’s face, only their body, different camera angles and eye contact with the camera.

A RECOGNISABLE BRAND IMAGE IS OFTEN PRESENTED

BY LOTS OF CLOSE-UP OF THE MAIN ARTIST

MULVEY’S THEORYMulvey stated the camera in music videos almost always has the point of view of a man, the ‘Male Gaze’ which therefore sexualises women and gay men.

Mulvey said there were 3 looks:

• The perspective of the male character and how he views the female.

• The perspective of the spectator and how they view the female character.

• The two previous looks join together and the male audience member views the male character and relates to him, making the female his own sex object.