By Ashley Joseph

1. By Ashley Joseph

2. Andrews theory identifies that music videos
ignore common narrative as they are
essential advertisements. Music is very
ambiguous and as a result, us consumers
make up our own meanings of a song.
However a music video can create the
actual meaning to a song and therefore
companies/artists can use make us think a
certain way.

3. 1. Music Videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g stage
performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band,
aspiration in Hip Hop). (Also known as iconography.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are
represented with images.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone
and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of
close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which
recur across their work (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens
within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particulary voyeuristic
treatment of the female body.
6. There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv
programmes, other music videos, etc).

4. This convention explains how Goodwin noticed
a music videos visuals either had a complete
similarity or direct contrast to the lyrics of the
song.
Illustrative – Where everything in the video is
created on the sole basis of the lyrics
Amplifying – Where the video will add extra
meanings which are not necessarily found in
the lyrics
Contradicting/Disjuncture – Where the images
in the video have no apparent link to the song
lyrics.

5. In music videos, the practice of obtaining
sexual gratification by looking at sexual
objects, acts etc.(voyeuristic treatment).
This can be reinforced through props,
mirrors, binoculars and screens.
Voyeurism is widely used to sell/promote an
artists music through sex appeal.

6. The record label the artist is signed to will
have certain demands which will often
include the need for close ups on artists.
An intertextual reference is
When something like a
film/programme is directly
related to a piece of music.
Visual Style & Intertextual
References