Andrew Goodwin key features of music video

Andrew Goodwin in dancing in the distraction factory has identified numerous key features within modern music videos. Within this post I will analyse each of these features and determine whether they hold true in today's society.

Music videos often demonstrate specific characteristics within their specific genre ( For example, Metal videos often display the band performing on stage.)

The first example I will use, displayed below is by Iron maiden, performing "The number of the beast" Followed by  Korean group performing their hit song, " I GOT A BOY"

To expand on what I have said above, Iron maiden can be seen dressed in the stereotypical Metal band attire, rather than normal clothing that you'd see on an average person, they have instead opted for leather jackets, and clothing that makes them seem more "Metal" Their theme is generally quite dark to work in contrast to the song, which is rather upbeat, rather than dark and depressing.

Girls Generation on the other hand are displaying very severe characteristics for their genre, wearing very colourful clothing that works well with the song, whilst also using the females natural sex appeal.

There is generally always a contrast between the lyrics and the music video, which can be seen within the above examples.

My next example is Daniel Powters "Bad Day"
This video is generally more story driven, showing a man and woman getting on with their boring 9-5 work day, whilst powter pops in every so often. The video works well with the lyrics as the story is made specifically to suit what is being sung at the time. The video displays the male character taking the lead, however the song does try to promote industry equality, there are some bias' that can be seen.




The next example is Adele-Rolling in the Deep.

The demands of the record label at this point will often include the desire for a multitude of camera angles, mostly close-ups of the artist. This can be seen clearly with Michael Jackson and Katy Perry, which will be mentioned in other posts.

As seen with the earlier example of the korean pop, which is a clear example of voyeuristic choreography. This is seen as the dance is often put together in a way that attracts the male gaze.

there is often inter sexual reference within most music videos. This is when a video by a specific group or artist references different texts. This is generally other music video's, It is not always limited to music video's, as video games and films are often sometimes used.

Above is an example of this, as the Red Hot Chili Peppers use a video game as their reference.