Intertextuality

Goodwin's theory states that music videos often contain intertextual references. This means that music videos refer to other existing media products, such as film or T.V. This can help to create and build meaning within a music video as the audience is already familiar with the concept that the particular video may be portraying.

For example, viewer's of Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' will be able to easily understand the narrative and themes of forbidden love due to the video referencing the Shakespeare play 'Romeo and Juliet'. These references can be found in the lyrics 'You were Romeo' and 'My daddy said stay away from Juliet', as well as the period costumes worn in certain scenes. The 'Romeo and Juliet' references take place in the artist's imagination, creating two parallel narratives, one set in the past with explicit 'Romeo and Juliet' references and one in the present that modernises the story.



Another example of intertextuality is Madonna's 'Material Girl' that references the film 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', specifically the musical sequence 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend'. Madonna is shown in a very similar pink dress to the one originally worn by Marilyn Monroe, this creates a clear link between the two products. The composition of certain shots is also very similar, with both Madonna and Marilyn Monroe being surrounded by suit-wearing men.

   

This technique could prove to be very useful in making our narrative of being 'hypnotised' and wanting to escape more clear to the audience, providing we find a relevant source. However, it could also be quite limiting for our music video as it would draw comparisons to an existing product, taking away our product's individuality. As our target audience is described as 'individualistic', it would, perhaps, be wiser to create a wholly unique product as this would be more appealing to them.