Research: Goodwin's Theory

Who was Goodwin and what did he say about the majority of mainstream musicvideos?

Andrew Goodwin is a theorist that identified certain features linked with specific types of music videos that proved to be reliable after testing them out. Goodwin's theory is likely to apply to all mainstream music videos and some niche music videos. He identified seven key features within most mainstream music videos. These features include:

1. Gere characteristics
2. Relationships between lyrics and visuals
3. Relationships between music and visuals
4. Star image motif's
5. Notion of looking
6. Intertextual references
7. Performance, narrative or concept
   

Genre characteristics - Music videos usually reflect their genre through the use of specific characteristics making them conventional. Each genre contains differing conventions including:

• Pop genre - Young people, popular culture, unrealistic, exaggerated.
• Dance - Backing dancers, star performance, extreme and long shots, concept based, edited backgrounds, green screens, don't rely on narrative, happy people, upbeat, colourful undefined genre.
• Rock - Dark, passive aggressive, black leather clothing, male dominated genre.
• Hip-pop - Promiscuous women, fancy cars, mansions, expensive costumes.
• R&B - Topless male artists with tattoos and jewellery, females with minimal clothing, provocative lyrics, dancing.
• Swing - Old fashioned, formalised, classic instruments such as saxophone.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals - There is a connection presented through the visuals relating to the lyrics, it either being illustrative; explaining lyrics visually, amplifying, exaggeration of the lyrics linking to the video and lastly contradicting, being the opposite visual to the lyrics heard.

• An example of a music video showing a relationship between lyrics and visuals could include Katy Perry's - Last Friday Night where her lyrics mirror the visuals we see in the music video about her reminiscing what happened last Friday night. She sings 'Last Friday night, yeah we danced on table tops and we took too many shots, think we kissed but I forgot". The visuals support the lyrics of which is a short narrative of her hosting a party at her house without her parents permission, drinking, dancing and having fun like stereotypical teenagers.

Relationship between music and visuals - The visuals presented in the music video could show a connection to the actual song. If its upbeat, so are the visuals. Whereas a song that's slow and monotone, the visuals would also reflect this.

• An example would be Ed Sheeran's - Thinking Out Loud. This song is slow, mellow and calm and the visuals compliment it by a performance based music video with the artist present. He's slow dancing with a girl which reflect his lyrics that sing 'And darling I, will be loving you, till seventy'.

Star image motifs - The star image motif includes visuals from the artist, mainly close-ups demanded by the record label to make them more popular and identifiable.

• An example of this would be John Legend - All Of Me. The artist has many close-ups of himself that is consistent throughout the music video which allow him to have full control allowing the audience to easily identify him.

Notion of looking - The notion of looking is particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body as they are often treated as a sexual object. There are many music videos out there that use the notion of looking to sell there music and is predominantly used in particular song genres such as R&B and hip-pop.

• Nicki Minaj's - Anaconda present the notion of looking to go with her fast, upbeat and sexual lyrics. A performance based music video with the artist present is very popular as she dances provocatively, shaking her hips with her back up dancers. They also wear minimum clothing which is usually popular.

Intertextual references - Some artists like taking another step in making their music videos and make an effort in trying to make it more entertaining by having links with films, TV programmes or other music videos. The term used to describe this is an intertextual reference.

• For example the music video 'LaLaLa' by Naughty boy had intertextual references to the Wizard of Oz which is shown through the little boy meeting all these strange characters on his adventure.

Performance, narrative or concept based? - There are three different formats that a music video can follow. This is between a performance either dancing or playing an instrument, narrative based or concept based although it is rare to see all three in one video.

• Performance - For example, Ariana Grande's - Side to Side music video is performance based as we're able to see her perform her song by lip syncing to the lyrics and also dancing.

• Narrative - Taylor Swift's - You Belong to Me is narrative based as she stars as the main character playing a girl who is in love with a boy however he is already in a relationship with another girl.

Concept - A concept based music video usually revolves around a single idea that's not clear or obscure and surreal to the audience making them feel engaged throughout. This might leave the audience wanting more. Its also likely for a concept based music video to include special effects too.

• An example would be Sia - Elastic Band which shows to main characters dancing although its not clear what its trying to portray. Because of this, the audience feels engaged to watch more and then try to find out what it actually means.

Analysing music videos

In class we analysed Will Smith's music video 'Miami'.

My research proves that most music videos follow Goodwins theory and can apply to all mainstream music videos even if all features are presented in the music video.

Conclusion

My research on Goodwin's Theory has allowed me to understand the it as it can be applied to all music videos as the features are all useful and make a music video conventional to the music industry. I need to ensure when making my music video that I include Goodwin's theory as I've taken in interest some of the features that come with the theory. Using conventional genre characteristics to help make my music video popular as it follows conventional and mainstream ideas that many people like to see in a music video.
When creating my music video I'd like to use a performance to keep the audience engaged as I feel that its the most popular format in making music videos.