Andrew Goodwin identified 6 key features of a music video. These features were:
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band)
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)
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
5. There is frequent reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body
6. There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos, etc.)
I believe these key features to be somewhat correct and could be useful as a guideline for my own music video. Not every artist has all of these things incorporated in just one of their music videos, for example, I feel the amount of intertextual reference in music videos in this day and age is limited where as the “voyeuristic treatment of the female body” is incredibly increasing recently, especially in the noughties (2000 onwards). I feel this because a majority of videos have at least 1 woman wearing next to nothing where as a minority take inspiration from films/TV programmes, etc, one example of a music video with intertextual reference would be Geri Halliwell’s “Raining Men” as it’s based on Fame with the dancing act.
There are also 3 types of music videos: performance-based; narrative-based; concept-based. Performance-based music videos are when there are stage performances or the band/singer is videoed singing and/or dancing. These are becoming increasingly popular, like Beyoncé with “Single Ladies”. Narrative-based music videos are when the video has a story to it, for example a music video like Taylor Swift's "Mine" video as it is going through the process of her life with her boyfriend/fiance/husband. Concept-based is a music video that has lots of special effects like Red Hot Chilli Pepper's "Californication".