Illustration - Eminem ft. Rihanna "Love The Way You Lie"

Illustration

Illustration in terms of music video's is a key feature identified by Andrew Goodwin when a music video’s visuals are used to represent the lyrics or message of the song. Illustrating a music video exemplifies to the audience what the song is really about. Illustration is often the most commonly used method of linking lyrics with visuals in music videos as it is the most basic and ensures the meaning of the song is not missed through a distracting music video. An example of how illustration can be used within music videos to represent lyrics can be found in the song “Love The Way You Lie” by Eminem ft. Rihanna. He uses illustration in many of his videos as his lyrics are often very narrative driven, therefore they need consistent visuals.

Intertextuality - Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years"

Intertextuality

An example of intertextuality is Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years". This was the soundtrack from the Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 2. The video features scenes from the film, amongst shots of Christina Perri  in a room surrounded by candles. Additionally, the video includes a wedding scene and Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson saying they love each other.

A vast amount of music videos now incorporate cinema in them. The use of synergy when recording the soundtrack for a film not only promotes the film but also advertises the new music video. If this is successful, the artist themselves can become more well-known.

Here are some screenshots that show the mixture of Christina Perri in her own video, but also shots of scenes from the film:

These screenshots show intertextuality as we can see the wedding scene in the movie which is where the song plays in the film and this makes it significant to this film which has promoted it a lot because the Twilight series were all very popular, therefore the song would have then made a lot of money from it.

Amplification - Rihanna "Disturbia"

Amplification

Amplification in terms of music video form is a key feature identified by Andrew Goodwin when the video's visuals are used to enhance the meaning of a song by reinforcing the lyrics or message of the song. Essentially, by amplifying a music video you are taking the lyrics and making them more meaningful by creating visuals that not only support the lyrics but also make them stronger. Amplification is often used within music videos if an artist is trying to get across a new star image to their audience or if they want to make a weaker song more successful. An example of how amplification can be used within music videos to echo an artist’s star image is  “Disturbia” by pop star Rihanna. She uses amplification in many of her videos as her image is constantly changing and therefore needs to stand out to  powerfully presented to her audience.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

I found a couple of slideshares online which really identify the key features of his theory.

Andrew Goodwin has identified a number of key features which distinguish the music video as a form:
- There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.
- There is a relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music.
- Genres are complex and diverse in terms of music video style and iconography
- Record companies will demand a lot of close-ups of the main artist or vocalist. Videos allow artists to present and modify their 'Star Image' to the public.
- Voyeurism is present in many music videos, especially in the treatment of females, but also in terms of systems of looking. Some examples are screens within screens, cameras, mirrors, etc.
- There are likely to be intertextual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts; these provide further gratification and pleasure for the viewers/fans.

Andrew Goodwin uses the term ‘Star Image’ and refers to the ‘image’ an artist will portray themselves as in order to appeal to their target audience.  Goodwin stated ‘the creation of character identities for stars provides a point of identification for the audience, which is especially important when lyrics lack depth.’ This highlights the way in which an artist is represented as being crucial. Furthermore, the star image is the best way for an artist to reinforce their new persona, which is often shown through close ups in their videos. Miley Cyrus is a perfect example of how an artists star image can be radicalised over time and the impact their star image can have on their success. I have divided Miley’s star images into three categories:

Sweet and innocent Miley:

In this video which was released in 2008 whilst Miley was starring in Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, we can see that she is presented as being a better role model to her TV audience. The clothing she wears is a unique style however, it is suitable for the children who idolise her. Therefore, she has to appear to be a sweet young girl so that parents will be happy for their children to be watching her programmes. 
Dancing Miley:



'Party In The USA' was released in 2009 and this is where Miley started to relax and find herself. Her video now included more provocative dancing in comparison to '7 Things' and she now has more dancing girls who are dressed in a more revealing way as is she. It was soon after this that Miley stopped filming Hannah Montana and therefore she didn't feel as though she had to be someone her audience wants her to be. 

Sexual Miley:

My final comparison is this video which was released in 2013. In this video, we can see a drastic difference in her clothing which has turned into not wearing very much as well as her provocative dancing which we can see in this picture where she's on all fours and sticking out her bottom to show her sexual attitude. 

As we can see, there has been a huge change in Miley Cyrus' star image in just 5 years of fame. She has now become more sexual and  provocative which is definitely inappropriate for young children. As Goodwin said that an artist will portray themselves in a way that will appeal to their target audience. In this case, Miley was young herself in 2008 and therefore her target audience was people her age who watched her programme. Recently, her image changed as her target audience changed due to her growing up and maturing as a person. She has developed her image and made herself appeal to people more of her age group now.