Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin is a popular culture acdemic who wrote ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ in 1992. His work on music videos is useful for the understanding of how to construct a product that follows the codes and 'conventions'. He said that music video should have all or some of these features:

1. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).
2. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
3. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
4. There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
5. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band)

Analysing a music video using Andrew Goodwins theory:

Telephone is a song performed by recording artists Lady Gaga and Beyonce. It was released in March 2010 and went straight to the number 1 spot in many different countries. This music (could also be said to be a short film) raised alot of contreversy when it was released but I chose this music video to analyse because I think that it a very good example of what Andrew Goodwin's theory is meaning when it comes to music videos.

1. There isn't much relationship between the music video and the lyrics apart from when the chorus is being sung, Lady Gaga and Beyonce make phone shapes with their hands alot of the time. At the very beginning of the music video when the song begins, Lady Gaga is singing into the prison telephone which goes with the lyrics which sound like a telephone call. During this phone call Lady Gaga says 'w-w-w-hat did you say oh your breaking up on me' and at this point the screen jutters aswell as Lady Gaga's actions juttering aswell (like the camera is breaking up). Also, towards the end when Beyonce is dancing in the room alone, she is also holding a telephone while singing the words 'my telephone' meanwhile, Lady Gaga is in the middle of dancing kitchen scene but when the music slows down she is on the phone at the part when it sounds like something she would be saying on the phone to someone again. Another part of this video which show a relationship between the lyrics and visual is when Beyonce is in the room and she says 'Tonight I'm not taking no calls cus I'll be dancing' it shows her hanging up the phone she was talking on and bursting into a dance routine.


2. Throughout this video it is obvious that Lady Gaga is the star. Even though at times it focuses on other character like the dancers and extras, the main focus is always on Lady Gaga. It involves alot of close ups, Lady Gaga often using this technique of blending into the extras in her music videos; however, there are always alot of focus on her. She does this well by wearing similar costumes and make up to her extras. Also, even though the song is Lady Gaga and Beyonce, when they are in the same room as one another, there always seem to be a focus on Lady Gaga the majority of the time. There are alot of the same close ups alot of the time which are exteme close ups of Lady Gaga's face.

But then it soon becomes obvious that she is
the main focus in this scene by using a close up
of her face while she's singing.

In this shot you would not be able to see who
the main focus is in this video




This is just one of many examples of Lady
Gaga using sexual behaviour in her
music video.

3. Voyuerism is when there is someone, often the women of video, performing sexual behaviour (e.g. undressing themselves or dancing). Goodwin said that women are used as sexual objects to emphasis the sexuality in a music video. This is very relevant to this music video. In many parts of this performance Lady Gaga uses sexual behaviour which is mainly shown through dancing and posing. This dancing does not particularly go with the lyrics of the song so she is just, like in her other music videos, exagerating her sexuality and she knows that hr fans and other people see her as a sexualised star so she used this to her advantage. She is always pushing boundaries when it comes to the costumes that she wear and in this video she wears alot of provocative clothing to compliment her dancing/acting.  

4. There is alot of intertexuality in this music but it is mainly towards the end. The car which Lady Gaga and Beyonce are riding in is from the movie Kill Bill and the scenes they perform in this car are much alike a modern 'Thelma and Louise'. They have tried to create this sort of scenario with a more glamourous approach which is what Lady Gaga does in alot of her music videos. This is specifically evident in the part when the characters are running away from the police.There are also some pulp fiction references in this music video when Lady Gaga and Beyonce are feeding eachother a product called 'Honey Bun'. The inspiration for alot of the scenes in the video have seemed to emerge from pop art artists (specifically Andy Warhol). This is shown in specifically the kitchen scene when there are alot of bright eyecatching colours but also the costumes that Lady Gaga and Beyonce are wearing show this aswell.

These costumes could also be refered to
as 'Wonder Woman' costumes, just
the modern day version.


5. As far as demonstrating genre characteristics, this video doesn't really seem to show 'pop' aspects apart from the dance routines. Lady GaGa is a very controversial artist and doesn't tend to stick to conventions of pop music videos even though her genre is most definitely pop. However, the main thing that is demonstrating the characteristics of a pop music video it the bright colours and the massive amounts of dance routines which the video consist of. There are alot of girl dancers wearing exagerated costumes which also applies to Lady Gaga and Beyonce which often occurs in pop music videos.

Product placement within music videos:
There are also alot of suttle product placements within this music video. The first is Lady Gaga's range of headphones 'heart beats' which are shown in some of the prisoners ears in the yard scene. Also, at a point where the screen of her phone is being show it clearly shows the 'Virgin mobile' logo and name for about a 3 second period of time. Next there is the 'Plenty of Fish' data website shown on one of the guards 'dre' laptop when Gaga is leaving the prison. Lastly, there is WonderBread which is the bread that Gaga is using to prepare the sandwiches in the resteraunt.