In China music videos were simply known as 'MTVs' because the network was responsible for the popularity of music videos in the country.
Music videos contain a range of different film-making techniques including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as absract film. Some videos combine all these different elements and blend styles such as animation or visual effects with live action.
It is also common for music videos not to interpret images from the song's lyrics, making it less literal than expected.
Goodwin's Theory
University Lecturer and theorist Andrew Goodwin identified a number of key features in music videos. They are:
- A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.
- A relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music.
- Genre-related style and iconography present.
- Multiple close-ups of the main artist or vocalist.
- Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation to females.
- Intertextual references to other media texts may be present.
He says that music videos are often constructed by the link between the visuals and the song as well as the artist. These common links create relationships with one another in music videos. The reason for close-ups of the artists gives them the representation and publicity they require, be it a 'bad boy' image like many rappers or an uncaring individualistic attitude given to independent artists. Voyeurism is used to increase the video’s attractiveness, and particularly catch the attention of males with female images reflecting sexual or seductive attitudes. A common use of Voyeurism is the use of the 'direct gaze'. He also stated that intertextuality is often employed in humorous videos, to reference other media texts and draw comparisons between them.
An example of a famous music video director would be:
Michel Gondry:
Born in France Gondry has gone on to direct videos for The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Beck, The White Stripes, and many other cutting edge artists. His capability of adapting new technologies in editing, animation, motion graphics, and storytelling by continually creating new visual media that stimulates the eyes, ears, and brain has made him one of the world's most influential screenwriter, film, commercial, and music video director.
An example of Gondry's Work:
Music Video Analysis
"Zombie" is a protest by the Irish band The Cranberries.
This particular music video defies some aspects of Goodwin’s theory. The song features a much heavier style of music which is uncharacteristic of the band’s usual sound, more like the grunge/alternative metal sound that was popular at the time than their usual alternative rock style.
However there are some conventions such as the relationship between lyrics and visuals, as throughout the video we are met with images linking to the themes of war and terrorism. We see soldiers walking through bombed streets, linking to the lyrics “They are fighting, with their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns”. Also the constant link to children within the video, as one of the main themes to the song laments the troubles in Northern Ireland and in particular the killing of two children in an IRA bombing in Warrington England.
The use of black and white images links to the dark nature and messages of the music. Being quite unique in its style, the mix of the singer’s Irish voice on a heavy metal song acts on the visuals within the video as we see unusual religious references of the golden singer standing with her back to a cross surrounded again by golden children, expressing the innocence of the children lost to terrorism.
This information was a result of researching through Wikipedia and Michel Gondry blogs
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