Goodwin's Theory Analysis

To help me understand how Goodwin’s theory is applied to music videos, I decided to do real text research into how the aspects are integrated. Goodwin’s theory suggests there are seven key aspects within music videos. These are:

There are often intertextual references to other media texts.
This is often seen within Lana Del Rey’s music videos. She often refers to other famous people/significant figures in history or historic events. This is seen in ‘Young and Beautiful’ inn which Lana represents herself as Marylyn Monroe. This is done through use of costume as she was often seen wearing white. Also the red lipstick and iconic hairstyle Lana is wearing again conforms to Monroe’s iconic style. Not only this but the filter used to make the screen narrower and to appear of a more vintage quality, makes the viewer feel like they are watching something from the 1950s; when Monroe was alive. Practicing this theory is beneficial to an artist as it allows them to target pre-existing target audiences. For example, Marylyn Monroe’s target audience are more likely to watch this video, creating a mass audience for Lana Del Ray.

Voyeurism often is a major aspect of a music video, especially in relation to females.
This is more common within the R&B and pop genres. This can be seen in Rhianna’s ‘stay’. For example, throughout the video, there are two characters however the majority of the camera time is focussed on the female. Also, when Rhianna is undressing, slow motion is used to emphasise the act which can have sexual connotation. There are also a series of close-ups or her body which also have sexual connotations eg. Her neck and lips. However, this is not the case for the male. This can be beneficial to an artist as it makes them seem desirable to an audience. Also, because they are seen as ‘stars’, the audience aspire to be like them and the artist becomes a role model. However, in male artist’s videos, females are often still sexualised for the benefit of the male artist. Stereotypically, females are seen to be ‘chasing’ the male characters and the sexualised women are seen through point of view shots of the male characters. It allows the male artist to display and conform to ‘lad’ behaviour, so again their male audience aspire to be like them. It also creates pleasure for the male audience.

There are characteristics that artists portray through consistent iconography and style throughout their videos.

An example of this would be Amy Winehouse; throughout all the music videos, the iconography is consistent.  For example, the iconography of the consistent makeup and styling of Winehouse is the same creating a unique and iconic style that is recognisable instantly to her brand identity. Also, the dark tones she creates throughout the music videos is also consistent. This is done by using low key lighting and multiple close ups to create shadows across her face. This creates a dark theme and makes Winehouse seem more ‘damaged’ and mysterious. The enigma codes creates through this create intrigue from her audience into her life. This also makes her instantly recognisable and means her brand identity becomes widely known.  

The star character (protagonist) is shown through lots of camera movements, shots and angles etc. to give them more camera time making them the centre of attention

An example of this would be in Arctic Monkey’s ‘R U mine?’. Throughout the whole music video, the artists are the only people featured. They are shown through a variety of shots and take up the vast majority of the camera time. This would appeal to their target audience as avid fans want to see them and invest in their lifestyle. This type of music video maximises this. 

There is a performance that supports the narrative of the song.

This aspect of the theory is typically more prominent within pop videos. There is usually a dance routine accompanying the narrative which often doesn’t relate to the narrative. Instead, in pop videos, the performances used to make the artist the commercial exhibitionist to appeal to their fans whose main appeal is the artist themselves. However, in indie music videos, the performance is typically a narrative that also features the artist themselves, but the focus is more on the narrative as opposed to them. This is because indie music videos often feature symbolic and semiotic meanings to appeal to psychographics of enjoying finding hidden meanings. This can be seen in Hozier’s ‘Someone New’.Throughout the music video, the performance is a mixture of live performance and narrative performance intercut into each other. The narrative of the song is about Hozier’s opinions on falling in love. He says ‘there is no right way’ and that he ‘falls in love everyday with someone new’. He addresses the song to someone who fell in love with him but he warned her that ‘she knew who he was’ and that he isn’t the type of person to stay with one person. Therefore, the narrative performance throughout the video is of the female he addresses, showing the behaviour the narrative explains. She is shown through a series of quick cuts to be in intimate situations with numerous people. This allows the narrative to be explained in more detail.

The consistencies between the sound and the visuals helps to create a relationship between the two.
An example of this would be when cuts are accompanied by a beat. This can help to emphasise certain aspects of the audio or the visuals. It builds tension and create drama when leading up to the climax. This is often more frequent closer to the main chorus; the instruments used are more layered and become louder/faster. This can be seen in The Arctic Monkeys 'Snap Out of It'. When the song begins, a dominant drum beat is introduced before the lyrics begin. This helps to establish a strong presence and create a dark tone. This also conforms to the Arctic Monkeys brand identity as they are consistently represented as strong and rebellious male characters and this conforms to this as it sound intimidating. Throughout the video, there is also a strong drum beat which is used to emphasise the cuts surrounding the female in the narrative. She is represented as ‘crazy’ and ‘emotional’ conforming to the female stereotypes. The series of cuts is emphasising by the drum beat to make her seem unstable and all over the place. There is also a piano introduced in some parts of the music video. This is used to help emphasise that she is ‘hypnotised’ as explained by the lyrics. The piano helps to create a different tone to the rest of the video, suggesting she is different and away from the normal. It creates a disorientating effect to the listener.  This appeals to the Arctie Monkeys target audience as the males are represented as being normal and the desired gender which would appeal to the male audience who enjoy the idea of being dominant.

There is a relationship between the lyrics and visual aspects of the video.
Similar to the performance theory, the lyrics also help to explain the narrative within the music video; they narrate the events. An example of this would be in the Lumineers ‘Sleep on The Floor’. At the start of the music video, there is a minute of narrative unaccompanied by lyrics. The narrative uses establishing shots to introduce two characters that appear to be unhappy through the use of facial expressions. When the lyrics begin, they begin to narrate the story of the couple moving away. The lyrics say ‘pack your favourite blouse’.  This is accompanied by a two person long shot of the two characters buying tops from a shop. The lyrics continue to say ‘if we don’t leave this town’ as an over the shoulder shot shows the two characters in a car with a clear sky and open road in the background to suggest they are leaving. This can appeal to audience who have psychographics of simple narratives as the events are explained to them; there is little symbolic meaning throughout. 

How can this help me?
This research into Goodwin's theory has helped me understand that there are consistencies throughout music videos. It has also helped me begin to understand the generic codes and conventions which will allow me to challenge and conform to them when I decide what genre and music video I want to produce.