4 - Andrew Goodwin - Dancing in the Distraction Factory

According to Andrew Goodwin, traditional narrative analyses do not apply to pop videos.
- Pop videos are built around songs - this means they often don't hold a traditional narrative structure that can be recreated in the form of a video.
- Pop videos use the singer as both the narrator and as a character
- The singer often looks directly at the camera - this breaks the forth wall as it appears the artist is trying to make eye connection with the audience.


Furthermore, Andrew Goodwin identified 3 different relations between songs and videos:
ILLUSTRATION - Where the video tells the story of the lyric, dance is often used to express the feelings or moods in the song.
Example of illustration in a music video:


The video for Akon - Locked Up is a good example of the effects of illustration in a music video. The use of base tracks help show everything mentioned in the lyrics, such as the wealthy man "living luxury" and the inmates being "locked up" behind barbed wire. The audience then gain a simple explanation to everything expressed by the artist in the lyrics.


AMPLIFICATION - When the videos introduce new meanings that don't contradict the lyrics but instead add a layer of meaning.
Example of amplification in a music video:



In this video, performed by Mary J Blige, amplification is used successfully, and therefore introduces new meanings to the lyrics by having 3 different narratives running through the song. The audience then begin to understand how the lyrics apply to all three shown situations. This could be argued to widen the audience of the song, by making it relatable to a wider audience, without alienating the core audience.


DISJUNCTURE - Where there is little or no connection between the lyrics and the video or where the video contradicts the lyrics.
Example of disjuncture in a music video:


Disjuncture is very evident in this song by Skrillex, Diplo and Justin Bieber in the sense that the footage the audience see has little to no relation with the theme and concept of the song itself.



Women are presented as objects of male desire however, some artists deliberately present themselves for males to look at but look directly back at the viewers through the camera and therefore cease to be passive.

Videos appeal to as wide an audience as possible without alienating the core target audience