Theories 3

Andrew Goodwin
'Dancing in the Distraction Factory'
There are three different ways Andrew Goodwin says that a music video can be edited.

Using ILLUSTRATION:

• The music will always be cut on the beat
• Lyrics will illustrate the literal meaning or feeling of the lyrics, often just with the band singing and dancing
• The band image is band setup, (singing/dancing/playing instruments) and dressed as you would expect a band to be dressed of that genre.

Using AMPLIFICATION:

• Film cuts on the beat but sometimes off the beat also to emphasise certain features.
• The lyrics are amplified by images, a specific narrative may be used, that would not necessarily be picked up from reading the lyrics alone.
• The bands image takes the fictional roles in the narrative.

Using DISJUNCTURE:

• Film cuts off the beat and sometimes can create the effect of a bad music video rather than an abstract one.
• Images which do not relate to lyrics used, sometimes used by bands who are already very well established who can afford to take this sort of risk
• The band take on an image that's completely opposite of their expected image, e.g the lead singer of Texas dressed up as Elvis.
• Another example of disjuncture is the well known electro pop band Daft Punk with the song Da Funk, which has the main character dressed as a dog which is completely random and not relative to the song but they are a well known established band who can afford to take this risk.

This music video is by Lady Gaga and in this she is dressed as a male character which is risky, and is only successful because she is a well known artist and she can afford to take these sorts of risks.