In his book Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992) Andrew Goodwin points out 6 characteristics and features that can be found in music videos.
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop).
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
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 particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
(From Andrew Goodwin, DANCING IN THE DISTRACTION FACTORY, 1992.)
1) The music video ‘Burning beaches’ agrees with the first
point of Andrew Goodwin point, the first fact shows a lot of features in urban music. For
example set in urban locations where it’s on the street or in big houses set in
urban locations. The main guy is a black male which is often seen in urban
music compared to white males.
2. There is defiantly
a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. The images show this because
the lighting is dark all throughout the video and that gives it a dull mood. ‘This fighting beneath the stars’ this is used
while he is with the girl.
3. The music video
gives us an insight as in the video is dark all throughout and gives it a dull
and mood to it, this is due to the colour of the lighting and visuals that were
used.
4. The start of the
music video there is a close up of the main guy in the music video but throughout
the music video there isn’t many close up of the charter, when there are close
ups its of objects in the video.
5. The start of the
music video the man looks at the female for a second as he can’t look at her in
the eyes, then it goes to the female but we don’t see her body we see her eyes
in the mirror and this shows particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female
body.
6.
