Music Video and Film: Theorists

This will be a visually uninteresting summary of key music video theorists

Joan Lynch

Lynch (1984) stated the three basic music video structures; a music video will contain at least one element of the following:

1. Performance - scenes of the artist(s) performing
2. Narrative - a story within the video/telling of a narrative
3. Concept - often influenced by experimental film, this may contain abstract or/and nostalgic elements with colour and pattern.

Jon Gow

Jon Gow identified six central genres of music videos which are defined in terms of their relationship to the display of the performance of the song.

• The anti-performance piece - no shots of performance of song
• Pseudo-reflexive performance - shots which display the process of video production
• Performance documentary - videos which contain 'verite' documentary footage of onstage performance and/or offstage activity
• The special effects extravaganza - videos in which human performance is over-shadowed by spectacular imagers
• The song and dance number - videos which focus on the physical ability of the dancing performer(s) and the vocal representation of the song, usually through lip-syncing techniques
• The enhanced performance - videos which blend performance elements with other visual elements; associational, narrative or abstract forms of motivation

Andrew Goodwin

Author of 'Dancing in the  Distraction Factory', Goodwin (born 1956) had an interest in visual language and imagery seen in music videos. After studying hundreds of different music videos, Goodwin found some key codes and conventions:

1. Music videos generally contain genre characteristics [e.g. boy bands having a dance routine/rock bands containing shots of performance]. 
2. A relationship between lyrics and visuals [e.g. singing about a breakup and seeing it or the obvious aftermath of it/singing about autumn and an autumnal setting].
3. A relationship between the music and the visuals [e.g. editing in time with beat/flashing lights to rhythm].
4. Demands form record labels on visual shots [e.g. close-up shots of artist]
5. Iconography or motifs from the artist. Artists may develop a specific style over time which is seen in each video [e.g. style of clothing/Michael Jackson's signature dance moves].
6. Often references to voyeurism. This often includes exploiting women for sex appeal and to typically attract heterosexual males [e.g. shots of women's bodies/seductive motions]
7. Sometimes there may also be references to other music videos, films, TV, artists and actors [e.g. in parody videos]

Laura Mulvey

Laura Mulvey, born 1941, made a film theory which is that of a feminist. Mulvey discovered the 'Male Gaze' theory in which film and videos are often shot from the point of view of a heterosexual male. This means women are generally sexualised in a way to please the male audience, but it's important to note that it's only the 'male gaze' if women's bodies are particularly accentuated through specific conventions such as camera movement/shots and slow motion. 

 “woman as object the combined gaze of spectator and all the male protagonists in the film. She is isolated, glamorous, on display, sexualised.”

Women were de-humanised in media through their stereotypical roles, and by having minor roles in film. Women's only roles in films and media was there effect on men and how the man's feelings moved a plot forward. While this is slowly changing, particular films to note are film-noir directors, and those of 'masculine' films aimed at men, such as Transformers, Springbreakers, Charlie's Angels.

I've embedded a video from Youtube below if you want some examples from film footage.