Andrew Goodwin's Theory
Andrew Goodwin feels that traditional narrative analyses don't apply to pop music videos. It is just that they approach narrative from a different angle to novels and films. Some of the reasons for the different narrative structures:
- The singer often looks directly at the camera trying to involve the viewer at home with the performance
- Pop videos use the singer both as a character and as narrator
- Pop videos are created around songs, and most of the time songs do not pose traditional narrative structures
Pop videos rely on repetition. Images in a video are mostly repeated when choruses or lines are repeated. Also the repetition in songs of parts or rhythms of other songs means that we become familiar with the genre and have certain expectations. The visualisation of a song may go beyond the original meaning. Sometimes the video provides a visual pleasure that encourages repeated viewing which therefore promotes the music. A video might be considered to be 1 of 3 types depending on how it relates to the song's lyrics. The 3 types are:
1. Disjuncture - In this type the video has little connection with the lyrics or contradicts the lyrics. An example would be Michael Jacksno's Man in the Mirror song:
2. Amplification - This means that a video adds another meaning or layer to the lyrics. An example would be Evanescence - Bring Me To Life:
3. Illustration - This is where the video represents the story and mood of the lyrics. An example would be Madonna's Papa Don't Peach song:
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