Theory of a Music Video

Link to Nirvana - In Bloom : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InQWcq8_VPg

Andrew Goodwin identified 6 key points when analysing a music video. I have observed the music video In Bloom by Nirvana and seen whether this particular music video follows these features. What I did find was that the video didn’t follow as many keys points as I originally figured it would seeing as Goodwin stated that music videos follow these features.

1. Music video demonstrates genre characteristics.

This videos main idea is a performance theme and as they’re a rock/grunge band this is an obvious choice. However whilst these genre characteristics maybe obvious the style in which they’re done is not. The band dress in suits with glasses, wigs and slicked back hair, not very stereotypical of a rock band which suggests that they’re taking the Mick out of cleaner cut bands as it clear that is totally not what the band is about, perhaps implied in the lyrics of this song; ‘Sell the kids for food...Nature is a whore.’

2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.

The lyrics between the video is quite contradicting as there is no link between them. For example, the video theme is 50’s style TV show and the band playing on it. The lyrics; ‘He’s the one, who likes all our pretty songs, and he likes to sing along, and he likes to shoot his gun,’ holds no meaning in the video itself. It’s a completely ‘m concept’ video.

3. There is a relationship between music and visuals.

The music and the video don’t really link until near the end where the band goes a bit crazy smashing up their instruments and such and this fits into the chorus where it livens up a bit. In this small section the band really lives up to its stereotypical rock typecast.

4. The demands of the record label will include lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which reoccur across they’re work.

Nirvana, in this video don’t really develop a certain style as they wear costumes, and create characters almost for themselves so there is no real indication of what the band usually wears or a typical ‘look/motif’ that is obvious, especially in this video. There are no real close-ups, mainly mid-shots of Kurt and then shots of the band playing together, although this is done in many different angles, there are no extreme close-ups just shots, when close, of shoulders and head; in the frame.


5. There is frequent reference to the notion of looking and voyeuristic treatment of women.

There is no voyeuristic treatment of women at all in this video, with no reference to anything that would usually be associated with a music video of this genre. The only bit with female involvement is the mass of adoring fans, but even here there is no degrading visuals or representations of women, unlike what Goodwin had suggested.

6. There is often intertextual reference to films or other music videos.

Again this video doesn’t have many references to any other films or music videos but it’s based in a 1950’s type era so it’s in black and white. The video itself is quite original hence there being no reference to any other film productions apart from the era which it is set in.

Overall, Andrew Goodwin provides good points, ones which seem obvious when beginning to analyse a video however when doing this video it’s clear the band don’t follow the 6 points that were originally made. This in turn means that all music videos cannot follow the same points, because essentially they’d all be very similar because of this.