Media Theory – Goodwin (1993)
v He
looks at music videos as a category of media product, not a genre.
v Believes
the authorage implies that the artist literally stamps his/her visual style on
the video, making it recognisable to audiences. Therefore the producer does not
have authorage according to Goodwin. Can authorage change? Yes
v Goodwin’s
suggestions regarding analysing and considering in relation to music video and
its relationship with the audience:
v The
mood of the video (how the music, lyrics and visuals combine to produce a
feeling)
v The
narrative structure (the extent to which the video tells a clear time-sequenced
story or is non-linear with flashbacks etc.)
v The
level of realism/fantasy of the settings/environments
v Standard
themes .e.g. love and sex, loss of innocence, political or social agendas
v Importance
of performance – do certain genres of music use performance more than others?
v Modes
of sexuality – the female as mother or whore, androgyny and the blurring of
dress codes, representations of homosexuality
v Nature
of music videos as an ‘authored’ text – do what degree is the music video about
the performer/artist
v The
music – what do we hear and how does it relate?
Structuralist Narrative Theory – Claude Levi-Strauss
-
Narrative theories help us to look
for common structures or patterns in music videos.
-
Interested in binary oppositions.
He noted how many narratives involve a tension between two opposing
ideas/characters. Good V Evil, Civilisation V Wilderness, Wisdom of age V impulsiveness
of youth, Masculinity V Femininity. Such oppositions help to drive a narrative
forward and maintain audience interest.
-
Opposition is deeply ingrained in
our culture.
Roland
Barthes’ Codes
-
We code-break when we watch things.
Narrative works with different codes which activate the reader to make sense of
it. Action codes (things easily understood, give information) and enigma
codes (mystery, withholds information) involve the sequencing of
narratives. The audience gets pleasure from information and the withdrawal of
information.
