Initial Ideas In Relation to the Narrative of the Song

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin (1992) argues that in music video "narrative relations are highly complex" and meaning can be created from the individual audio-viewer's musical personal musical taste to sophisticated intertextuality that uses multidiscursive phenomena of Western culture. Many are dominated by advertising references, film pastiche and reinforce the postmodern 're-use' tradition.

Multidiscursive phenomena of Western culture = history of Western culture is accessible to use through media/the Internet. Now not just Western culture is accessible to us but world culture is too. We create meanings from our knowledge and experience of culture.

Sophisticated intertextuality = referring to other media texts withing media texts. An example of this is the Family Guy Star Wars episodes.

Conventions of Genre

I would say that the genre of my music video is probably rock-pop because it is quite fun and upbeat although it is also quite serious as is it talking about a topic very meaningful to the artists which makes it not a typical pop song, as it has an element of rock within it. This can be backed up by the black and white effect used in the original music video.


The conventions of the pop genre are:

• bright colours
• bold outfits
• smiling
• lyrics are normally based around love or relationships
• typically young artists within this genre 
• appeal mainly towards the younger audience/teenagers
• catchy song to stick in the audience's mind 
• partying
• dance routines
• pretty artists/actors
• high-key lighting

The conventions of the rock genre are: 

• leather jackets
• studded clothing
• piercings
• tattoos
• low-key lighting
• instruments
• performance element within recording studio or garage for example
• dominance of the colour black
• tartan
• big boots
• heavy make-up
• scruffy hair

Michael Shore

Michael Shore argues that music videos are:

• recycled styles
• surface without substance
• simulated experience
• information overload
• image and style scavengers
• ambivalence (don't care)
• decadence (want luxury)
• immediate gratification
• image assaults and outre folks
• the death of content
• anesthetization of violence through chic
• adolescent make fantasies
• speed, power, girls and wealth
• classical storytelling's motifs

Claude Levi-Strauss - Binary Oppositions

Levi-Stauss' theory commented on the narrative of music videos and films and states that all stories are operated to certain clear binary oppositions.

Examples of these are:

• good vs evil
• black vs white
• heroes vs villains
• men vs women
• light vs dark
• young vs old

Essentially a complicated world is reduced to a simple eithe/or structure. Things are either right or wrong, good or bad. There is no in between. 

Tessa Perkins - StereotypesTheory

Sven Carlsson, Pam Cook and Tzvetan Todorov's Theories

Sven Carlsson (1999) said that in one type of performance, the performer is not a performer anymore, he or she is a materialization of the commercial exhibitionist.