Andrew Goodwin developed a useful way to analyse music videos, which has proved to be a useful reference point for our own music video analyses. (while writing in "Dancing in the Distraction Factory" - Routledge 1992)
Genre Characteristics
The video should demonstrate genre characteristics, so visual aspects that are suitable to what sort of music that is going with it. For example, a stage performance for a rock video, but then a dance routine with singing for a boy/girl band.
Lyric & Visual Relationship
There is usually a relationship between the two, either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting, to strengthen the song and the music video (so maybe audiences remember/like it more).
Music & Visual Relationship
Similar to the genre characteristics, as visuals connect with the music, and also similar to above, as they can be illustrative (guitar with a guitar solo), amplifying or again, contradicting (for example, Blink 182 is a rock band but made a music video that looked like a boy band, for contradicting humor).
Visual styles
For example, bands and their record labels will need close ups of the artist to sell the artist, or the artist may develop motifs which can recur across their other music videos and other work.
Notion of Looking
Reference to this notion of looking, for example, screens within screens/telescopes, etc.
Voyeuristic Treatment of the Female Body
Nowadays this is obvious in R'n'B music videos or rapping music videos, to demonstrate their wealth/luck and how women want them because of their musical skills.
Intertextual Reference
These references could be to films or even TV programmes with which the music is associated, for example music videos showing film clips are usually in the soundtrack to the film, so the two medias can advertise each other simultaneously.
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