Evaluation Task 1- Forms and Conventions of Music Videos

Forms and Conventions of Music Videos

Andrew Goodwin identified a number of key features, which help to distinguish the music video as a form. These include:

• A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, where the visuals either illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics
• A relationship between the music and the visuals, again where the visuals either illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics. 
• Particular music genres having their own music video style and iconography. An example of this would be with live stage performance in heavy rock. 
• A demand on the part of the record company for lots of close-ups of the main artist/vocalist. This links to Dyer's theory of star image. 
• The artist developing their own star iconography, as a result of their videos, which contribute to their star image. 
• A reference to voyeurism, especially in the treatment of women, and also in terms of systems of looking. 
• Intertextual references, particularly to other forms of media, for example, film or TV.