Andrew Goodwin

Andrew Goodwin

'Dancing in the distraction factory' 1992

Theory 1. Illustration

Illustration is the most basic yet vastly used technique for music videos, this means that the pictures seen during the song link directly to the lyrics in a very straight forward and literal way. This is usual for many modern songs as they usually contain plots that the artists what to present, some almost like short films. An example of this is 'Stay High', this is illustration as we are seeing exactly what she is singing about, there is no hidden meaning. 

 

Another factor for illustration videos is that they will always cut on the beat to create smooth transitions and this also helps to make the video seem more professional and well made. In addition to this, the band is usually shot singing/dancing or playing the instruments that feature in the song. In general, this is a very typical format for music videos, especially pop. 

Below is an example of the pictures being similar to the lyrics and the on beat cuts - as you can see in the example below;
 

Theory 2. Amplification

For this theory, the main factor of it is that the video 'amplifies' what the lyrics are saying. This can be in a literal way to exaggerate the lyrics and show the theme/mood of the song. As you can see below, the pictures that we are seeing directly link to what she is singing about, which helps the audience to understand the plot of the lyrics or it can be in a less literal way, in order to show the audience a new meaning or theme to the song that may of not been as obvious whilst listening to the song, intriguing the audience and giving them a deeper understand such as;
 

 

In addition to this, videos which follow this structure will usually cut on the beat, however this will not be as controlled as illustration. This allows more freedom and can create interesting contrasts to the music, but as most of the cuts are on beat; it still keeps the video in sync with the beat of the song. Also, the band (or artist) will take on fictional roles to 'play a part' in the narrative of the song, which helps to amplify the plot even further and keeps the attention on the artists. As you can see below, the shots are still in time with the music, however do not always cut directly on the beat.

 

 

Theory 3. Disjuncture
 Disjuncture is generally the rarer theory for music videos to follow, as it is a risky move and if carried out, it is by professional and well known bands / artists. The main idea of this is that the pictures don't relate to the lyrics or even the theme of the song, what we see does not correlate at all. The beats are all off cut, almost like a different video with the song in the background. This is used mostly in dance tracks as they do not necessarily have any main plots, such as;

In this example, the only correlation between the song and the video is that he is playing it through speakers, and we understand this more when we see shots through glass as the sound becomes muffled. The cuts are not in sync with the beat, which separates sound to picture very clearly, this can help to emphasise the plot of the video or to make the viewer see the song in a new light. Additionally, the band/artist take on a completely new role to what they would have been expected to do, in general, Disjuncture videos go against any of the general conventions for music videos.
 

As you can see in the example above and below, the band members have all taken new 'identities' as such, by being in the elephant costumes. This is generally unconventional for music videos as a huge part of them is introducing the artists and showing them singing. The beats are also (mostly) off the beat, however it could also be argued that this is a Amplification video as the video almost correlates with what the song is saying.