Theorists - (Carol Vernallis, Andrew Goodwin)

"Music videos are simply an extension of the lyrics"

- Andrew Goodwin

How could you prove/disprove this?

Music videos tend to vary greatly between music genres. A lot of the time, bands and musicians use the music videos to express their interpretation of their songs, and by watching the music videos, the viewers get an idea of what the artist wanted them to see. Alternatively, people will have their own ideas of the meaning of songs that can be influenced by the music videos.

Music videos also provide an interpretation that may not be immediately recognisable from the song alone. Much of the time, they are used to explain and explore the metaphors mentioned in the lyrics. By listening to the song alone, and with the video, it is easy to compare how each impacts your interpretation.

What does it mean?

The video relies heavily on the lyrics and the song to portray the correct meaning. Whilst the video might have many different meanings, the music generally gives one impression. Videos can however, add narrative to the music that might not necessarily be interpreted otherwise.

What is the main idea behind this?

The main idea of this theory, is that the video should accurately represent the theme of the song. It can be a literal or metaphorical representation of the theme, but it should be clear to the viewer. Without following a theme, the video can seem confusing and somewhat pointless.

How significant is this?

The effect of the music video is clear in most circumstances. The viewers should immediately have their own interpretations of the video, but it should compliment the theme of the song. It might portray a narrative, or just make a statement to the audience, but it should have a recognisable effect.

What evidence can you present for this?

Michael Jackson's 'Bad' is a great example of a deeper representation in music videos. The video itself is almost 20 minutes, all for a 4 minute song. This really allows for the artist to tell a story that might not be apparent in just the song.

Do you agree with this?

I agree with the quote, especially after creating my own brief music video. With the performers singing alone, the video seems to add very little to the song, however after adding narrative it gives it an extended meaning. I also believe that it applies vice versa, if not more so. If the video is created without considering the theme of the song, when the song is added, it completely changes the interpretation. As a result, the narrative should be considered a great deal, before producing the video.

Carol Vernallis

The four key concepts of Carol Vernallis' music video theory are Narrative, Editing, Camera & Framing.

Narrative

Vernallis states that the narrative of a music video almost always relates directly to the lyrics. Whilst this is the case, she also suggests that it is rare for a music video to have a complete narrative, instead only appearing in fragments. The video always has something to move it forward however, whether this is the narrative, the song or something else entirely.

Editing
According to Vernallis, editing is a key part of what sets music videos apart from film. Continuity editing is nowhere near as important in a music video, meaning that in most cases the editing is very clear and obvious, adding excitement to the video. Edits are also far more frequent in music videos, often to keep up with the pace of the music and shortness of the entire piece.

Camera
Vernallis suggests that the camera movements are very heavily influenced by the music. By having the camera move with the rhythm/beat of the song it can be more effectively portrayed to the viewer.
As well as the movements of the camera, the framing and composition varies greatly depending on the genre of the music. The changes often reflect the mood of the song.

Framing & Angles
Vernallis noticed that the two most common shot types in music videos are establishing shots, and close ups. In addition to this, extreme shots are much more common in music videos than in film. This adds to the engagement of the video and amplifies the editing effects and camera movements.

How will these theories influence my project?

Based on Andrew Goodwin's theory, I will have to make sure that I understand the theme of the song and the message that the lyrics are trying to address before creating my video. The video must compliment the song and the song's message in a way that is clear to the viewer, but that might not be immediately apparent in the song alone.

This is also