Goodwins Theory

In 1992, Andrew Goodwin publiched a book called 'dancing in the distraction factory'  after years of research into music videos. Goodwin took it upon himself to find out more about music videos and what they are about. In this book he came up with a number of codes and conventions for music videos. He worked out a range of elements in whcih music videos all have in common. finalising with 7 rules of music videos in which were;

1. Music videos demonstrate certain genre characteristics
2. there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
3. there is a relationship between music and visuals.
4. the demand of the record label will incluide the need for lots of close-ups of the artist.
5. the artist may develop motifs or iconography that reocur across their work (a visual style.)
6. There is fequent reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, filming, cameras) and particularly voyeristic (pleasure through looking) treatment of the feamle body.
7. there are often intertextual references- mostly to film, television and popular culture.