An overview of ways to analyse music videos.

1. MUSIC VIDEOS
Technical Codes and Intertextuality

2. Technical Codes
• Camerawork
As with any moving image text, how the camera
is used and how images are sequenced will have
a significant impact upon meaning.

3. Technical Codes
• Camerawork
• Camera movement, angle and shot distance all
need to be analysed.
• Camera movement may accompany movement
of performers (walking, dancing, etc) but it may
also be used to create a more dynamic feel to
stage performance, by for instance constantly
circling the band as they perform on stage.

4. Technical Codes
• Camerawork
• The close up does predominate, as in most TV,
partly because of the size of the screen and partly
because of the desire to create a sense of
intimacy for the viewer. It also emphasises half
of the commodity on sale (not just the song, but
the artist, and particularly the voice)

5. Camerawork and Editing
• What do you notice about this video in terms of
editing?

6. Camerawork and Editing
• If you watch it closely you will see that the video
has no cuts whatsoever.
• The entire video was done with a hand held
camera (steadicam) and some very clever
choreography in terms of camera position and
singers movement around the flat.
• It took over 8 hours to get it right.

7. Development of Technical Codes
In the 1990s, a number of technical codes became
common:
• Most common form of editing associated with the
music promo is fast cut montage
• Many images impossible to grasp on first viewing
thus ensuring multiple viewing
• Split screens, colourisation are also commonly
used effects
• Non-representational techniques, in which the
musical artist is never shown, become more
common
• Lack of edits, Long take/steadicam also a
common experimentation

8. Development of Technical Codes

9. Goodwin’s Music Video Analysis
• Andrew Goodwin writing in ‘Dancing in the
Distraction Factory’ (Routledge 1992)
1. Music videos demonstrate genre
characteristics
(e.g. stage performance in rock video, dance routine.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and
visuals
3. There is a relationship between music and
visuals

10. Goodwin’s Music Video Analysis
• 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, telescopes, etc)
and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the
female body.
6. There is often intertextual reference (to
films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).

11. Applying Goodwin’s Analysis

12. Applying Goodwin’s Analysis

13. Applying Goodwin’s Analysis

14. Intertextuality
• It is perhaps not surprising that so many music
videos draw upon cinema as a starting point,
since their directors are often film school
graduates looking to move on eventually to the
film industry itself.

15. Intertextuality
• From Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ (Mary Lambert
1985, drawing on ‘Diamonds are a Girl’s Best
Friend’) to 2Pac and Dr Dre’s ‘California Love’
(Hype Williams 1996, drawing on ‘Mad Max’)
there are many examples of cinematic references
which dominate music video.

16. Intertextuality

17. Intertextuality

18. Intertextuality
• The influence of video games will predominate
for the younger audience with the more
plasticised look of characters emerging (as seen
for example in Robbie Williams’ ‘Let Love be
your Energy’ dir. Olly Reed 2001 and The Red
Hot Chilli Peppers ‘Californication’ dir.Jonathan
Dayton and Valerie Faris 2000)

19. Intertextuality
Robbie Williams Let Love
Be Your Energy ( 2001)
Linkin Park Breaking
The Habit (2003)
Red Hot Chili
Peppers
Californication 1999

20. Intertextuality
• John Stuarts description of the music video
“incorporating, raiding and reconstructing” is
essentially the essence of intertextuality.
• Using something with which the audience may
be familiar to generate both potentially nostalgic
associations and new meanings. It is perhaps
more explicitly evident in the music video than
in any other media form, with the possible
exception of advertising.

21. Crossing Disciplines