Applying Andrew Goodwins theory of music videos

The song 'Love the way you lie' By Eminem and Rihanna shows many of the conventions that Andrew Goodwin states in his theory of music videos.

Andrew Goodwin states that there should be a narrative and a performance part to the song. This allows the artist to be involved with the image of the song but also get across and a narrative. It makes the song look more realistic and giving the audience a connection to the song. In 'Love the way you lie' if flips between a narrative of a couple who are arguing and then fine again showing their struggle which you are a part of. Then it flips to performance elements from Eminem rapping or Rihanna singing as then you can feel the connection with the artist and it allows them to be connected to the song too.

This links to Star image being a factor too which means the artist has to be the centre of attention as they make the music video more appealing and they bring their unique style and persona to the video. It helps to show the artists image and this is shown in 'Love the way you lie' by having elements of Eminem showing him looking rugged in a costume that shows where he is from and his sub-culture that he is part of and then shows Rihanna in a different way. She is shown as sexy and a lot of close ups of her biting her lips which show here persona as being flirtatious with the camera to create that image for herself and bring that aspect the the music video.

Another aspect of music videos that Goodwin talks about is the link between the visuals and the music. In 'Love the way you lie' when Rihanna sings the lyrics of 'watch me burn' in the music video the house if on fir and the two people are burning but not in pain. This is to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics. She is talking about watching her burn and she means in a relationship sense which is explained in the video. Goodwin argues that this is to help explain meaning and allow the audience to feel like they have understood the song on a deeper level.  

The video uses many conventions that Goodwin states are in music videos and this shows his theory is relevant to mainstream music as you can see in the 'Love the way you lie' that the conventions are very much used in the whole video.    

Tempesst - Tidal Wave - initial ideas

How do music videos use media language?

Music artists use media language to get the right style and message sent across to their target audience. The music video for Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg - Nuthin' but a 'g' thang.
The music video shows the typical conventions that are used in gangsta rap music videos and is portrayed in the mise-en-scene, the camera work and other factors like lyrics.

Figure 1

The mise-en-scene is used to immediately to show what type of genre this music video is. The way in which there is a luxury car in the hood, which is a run down place in America and the contrast between the luxury car and the run down area shows how this is a rap video as the rappers would come from bad areas but have luxury clothes, cars and other material items and this video demonstrates that straight away. Also the crowd of people that are surrounding the car shows the way in which the media language is used as they are there to be a symbol for gang culture. The people who are crowding around show that they are all together and have a brother like bond and creates the gangsta rap persona they are trying to create.

Figure 2

Costume shows the genre and portrays the media language by allowing you to see the culture that the people in the music video are from. Snoop Dogg is wearing a hoodie and a cap which is the clothes of the rap culture. The man behind him is wearing a gold chain and this also signifies the rap culture by it being an expensive item but belong to a poor culture which is what rap is all about. The girls in the music video are shown as wearing very little clothes and come across very over sexualised. The women are wearing bikini tops and very small shorts and this again is the media language used to show the genre of music.Women are portrayed as weak and just a 'play thing' for a man which is shown in the video.

Figure 3

Camera work is also very important and it shows the who is the important figures in the video and as you can see from the picture above there is a close up shot of Snoop Dogg rapping which is a commonly used theme in rap music videos and this is because it shows you who is in charge and that he is a dominant figure. It is also intimidating and the low angle shot also shows his power and dominance over the people there and the audience and this is a common theme in rap music videos as it shows the culture of dominance that they live by.

The editing shows the media language as it is very quick cut and made to look even more shaky than it is because it shows the fast paced life of a rapper. The way in which it quickly cuts from the rapper to either girls or his mates shows what his life consists of and how the media language is used and the people or things that are cut to are symbols for the rap culture and how it allows you to feel emerged into their culture.

Micheal Eric Dyson stated that political rap didn't get the support that it deserved when it prominent in the 80's and 90's. Therefore it reverted to the flashy, sexualised, criminal rap which we know today and as through display it became more prominent and more mainstream. This shows how the media language is used in Nuthin But a G Thang as the media language came from the rebellious side of the industry and has stuck with it because it became the generic conventions that are used in rap today.