Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin theorizes that music videos must follow a set of rules to be successful. These rules are;

Links between lyrics and visuals:
Music videos often use visuals in the form of narratives to tell the story of the lyrics.

Links between music and visuals:
Artists often use dancers dancing to the beat of their music, or shots change on beats of the music to link the music with the visuals.

Genre characteristics:
The genre of music will be reflected in the video - for example pop music videos will be fun and upbeat, whereas rock videos often use elements of horror. Occasionally artists stray away from stereotypical conventions to create controversy, but usually they stick to this rule.

Intertextual reference:
Sometimes music videos reference other videos, films, TV shows etc. to make an audience who has seen the other material feel as if they are part of an inside joke/ know the artist on a more personal level.

Emphasis of looking /Voyeurism:
There is often an emphasis on how individuals look in a music video. This includes whether they are making direct eye contact with their audience, how they dress and how they behave. Women are often over-sexualised in music videos, even in their own music videos (e.g. Miley Cyrus), because of the idea that 'sex sells' and the fact that the more controversial a video is, the more people will talk about it.

Demands of record label:
Many popular artists are signed to major record labels who insist the artists include certain things in their music videos. Labels often ask for close up shots of an artist and a motif to be used across the videos to establish a clear brand for the artist. A good example of this is the artist Sia who uses the same dancer in a blonde wig throughout her music videos.

Performance based, concept based or narrative based videos:
Music videos are often based on a performance by the artist - this tells the audience that the video is about their music and is usually used to suggest the artist takes their music seriously. Narratives are often added in to link the visuals with the songs as are concept videos.