Textual analysis year 13 media

1. Textual Analysis
Shauna Penfold

2. Andrew Goodwin's Rules
• 1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
(e.g. stage performance in rock video, dance routine in hip hop etc).
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (the words are interpreted visually either
through a narrative, or figuratively through signs and symbols)
NB. Narrative in songs – this is often incomplete and fragmentary. Music promos often
suggest storylines or offer complex fragments in a non-linear order, leaving the viewer with
the desire to see them again.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (the editing of the visuals is closely
linked to the rhythms of the music)
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and
the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes,
mirrors etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programme, other music videos etc).

3. Little Mix- Black Magic
This music video genre comes under spectacle
because it is a video that relies on clever
imagery, performance, content, effects or
references to cultural intertextuality to reach an
audience.

4. There is a relationship between lyrics and
visuals
The lyrics in the song refer
to “black magic” and these
visuals show that in the
music video throughout, so
showing to the audience
what magic they have to
make it clearer to the
audience.

5. There is a relationship between music and visuals
(the editing of the visuals is closely linked to the
rhythms of the music)
The first sound that the audience hears in a school
bell and the first image is a school so straight away
the lyrics and the music links. The camera
movement is slow and so is the bell so the tempo
and the sounds fit together.
As the sound picks up, which is
the sound of people talking, the
visuals shows people talking and
people riding there bikes fast so
as the music picks up so does the
people riding their bikes.

6. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots
of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs
which recur across their work (a visual style).
These screenshots show a close-up of all of the members of
the band, showing that even though they are a band they still
are important individually. Also they all have different powers
in the music video making the focus on them as individuals
rather than as a band, however there are aspects of the music
video which show thy are a band.

7. Wiz Khalifa- See you again ft.
Charlie Puth
“See You Again” is a tribute to the
late Furious actor Paul Walker who died
tragically in November of 2013 after
his car crashed and burst into flames in
Valencia, CA.
This music video genre comes under
spectacle because it is a video that
relies on clever imagery,
performance, content, effects or
references to cultural intertextuality to
reach an audience.

8. There is a relationship between lyrics and
visuals
As this song is about an actor Paul Walker
who passed, the lyrics are amplifying the
friendship that him and the other actors had
and when they are going to see each other
again, so the lyrics establish a cold feeling
and the video enhances this sad mood.
‘When I see you again’ is part of the
lyrics and at this point in the music
video near the end the two cars depart
different ways so they do not know
when they are going to see each other
again so that is why they are going
different ways on the road. (Screenshot
shows above)

9. There is a relationship between music and visuals
(the editing of the visuals is closely linked to the
rhythms of the music)
The tempo of the song is very slow and so
the visuals on the screen show that as the
artist is singing and playing the piano so the
mood is very mellow and slow.
When the song starts to pick up the tempo
the visuals link to this as they are showing
fast cars, racing and this emphases the
song getting a little faster, and the fast cars
link into Paul Walkers acting career.

10. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots
of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs
which recur across their work (a visual style).
These screenshots show
the close-ups of the main
actor in this music video,
as the song was
dedicated to Paul and
was used in fast and
furious 7.
The transition from
the screenshot on
the left too the right
shows the close-up
of the two friends,
emphasising the
lyrics of friendship
on the music video.

11. OMI- Cheerleader
This music video genre comes under spectacle
because it is a video that relies on clever
imagery, performance, content, effects or
references to cultural intertextuality to reach an
audience.

12. There is a relationship between lyrics and
visuals
When the artist is talking about that he
found his cheerleader, the female is in
the background showing to the
audience who his cheerleader is.
The lyrics in one section are
“Mama loves me too” and his
mother comes up in the music
video again showing to the
audience who his mother is and
emphasising this by using a
picture.

13. There is a relationship between music and
visuals (the editing of the visuals is closely
linked to the rhythms of the music)
There is an instrumental part in the
song which is a trombone which is a
slow mellow instrument, and the
visuals are cross cuttings of images
and they are all in slow-motion and
the tempo of the music fits in with
the visuals.
As the instrumental, of the
trombone, gets faster so does the
editing which show different
images of the artist and they are
both dancing, showing to the
audience what it seems like is
they are dancing to the music
without it being obvious.

14. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots
of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs
which recur across their work (a visual style).

15. There is frequently reference to notion of looking
(screens within screens, telescopes, mirrors etc) and
particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
These screenshots show the treatment of the female body, particularly in the top left corner there is a close-
up of the females bum, exploiting her assets and what males see first. The bottom picture is a close-up of
the female and the lyrics when this visual is are “do you think I am pretty” showing that its all about looks for
men and women, that men what females to look good and females want to look pretty.