Research: Goodwin's Theory

GOODWIN'S THEORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS

Media theorist Goodwin came up with the general principle that most music videos do eight key things.

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1. Genre characteristics

Goodwin argues that depending on the genre, videos undertake particular characteristics to reflect the conventions of that genre.

POP is typically very cliche. The music and video goes hand in hand; with a focus on happy endings. This makes them mainstream too. 

Pop videos are usually performance-based by young, attractive people. Their mise en scene consists of whatever is in 'style'. Thus there is less focus on the raw musical talents of individuals. 

As pop is short for 'popular culture', it has a massive audience, resulting in the means available to enhance their production, e.g. the use of green screens. 

Katy Perry - 'California Girls'

SWING (smilar to jazz) is often shot in black and white. This is to convey a calm, serene atmosphere to match the slow, lazy pace of music. 

Swing videos have a concept style; there is no beginning middle and end but rather a continuous vibe of happiness and relaxation. 

People in the videos look very formal - e.g. women in long dresses and small heels, men in suits. Champagne, associated with mature bars, are enjoyed. The wider focus is on how the genre as a whole makes you feel.

DANCE videos as expected have a dancey feel to it. Controversial aspects may be shown, like sexually suggestive dance moves and drug use. 

Though often concept-based with pure movement and mixtures of high and low key lighting, more recent dance tracks have been complimented by narrative videos. These don't necessarily link to the lyrics, but carry out a plot that looks like a film. 

Taylor Swift- 'Shake'
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2. Relationship between lyrics & visuals

He also states that there is a connection shown through the visuals that relate to the lyrics. There are three types of connections:

a) Illustrative 

Most effective through the use of animation, quite common in niche videos, lyrics are brought to life with literal frames or shots of what the singer or rapper is talking about. 'Psuedologia Fantastica' by Foster The People is an entire animation describing the fantasy war within the lyrics.

b) amplifying

The lyrics are exagerrated on parts that would otherwise go unnoticed through an MP3 or iPod. For example, many rappers talk about money and cars - we get used to it, then see glossy cars and stacks of money in videos which remind us of the lavish lifestyle. Artists with bigger budgets do this more often than less popular artists. In 'Buzzin', Mann talks about girls while they crowd around him in the video.

c) contradictive

Modern dance videos are beginning to follow complicated narratives that don't connect to the lyrics. Sometimes, there aren't many lyrics, which sparks thought over why the video is like that. 'Chandelier' by Sia is followed by a video of a young girl dancing in and out of rooms with no link to the song itself.

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3. Relationship between music & visuals 

A bit more general than the idea of lyrics and visuals, music videos on a wide scale tend to sync the editing with the beat. Alternatively, a party video could show people dancing to the beat of the song. Whereas milder genres, such as country, may have casual editing and a larger emphasis on transitions. This rouses a peaceful feeling. 

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 4. Star image motif

Certain objects or actions of symbolism are a part of many mainstream music videos, to emphasize the artists' popularity and status within society. This can range from close-up shots of their well recognized face, to videos made up of concert footage, to privileges of fame and wealth e.g. attention from women, stylish clothes. This is demanded by record labels to keep generating popularity. Lady Gaga, known for her unusual costumes, stood out from the crowd which made her popular. Image motifs create who we know as idols, role models, stars and legends.

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 5. Notion of looking

The biggest threat to feminism is patriarchy. Male dominance is demonstrated in music videos through the notion of looking. Women experience voyaristic treatment toward their bodies, thus are sexually objectified. This is present in the latter of music videos of a variety of genres. Notion of looking can be achieved through any video elemen - such as mise en scene; women wearing releaving clothing. Or cinematography, perhaps a panning shot focused on her body as she walks. Iggy Azalea, when performing the video for 'Change Your Life', comes out of a pool in slow motion with her breasts fully exposed. 

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6. Intertextual references

Some music videos show hints to a film, a TV show, other artists and anything else that can be easily recognised. Sometimes, the artist is referencing something within current affairs, to share a political opinion. Other times, messages can  be conveyed in more humorous ways - such as 'Pretty Girl Rock' by Keri Hilson, in which she dresses up as different famous women from a feminist perspective. Other references are extremely controversial like the burning crosses in Madonna's 'Like a Prayer'. Despite it being a clever technique, it may not always work so is the least common one on this list.

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 7. Video style

 Every video has a style which is influenced by a range of factors, the most obvious being the song itself. There are three main styles:

a) Performance

The artist or band performs their song as they would during a concert. They're usually accompanied by backup dancers, or instruments for bands. This is an opportunity to show the emotion or meaning in their words through facial expressions and body language.

b) Narrative

There is a story attached that relate to the lyrics. The artist may take on a persona, acting out a day in somebody elses life that the singing describes. Or, band members may not be see at all, instead an actual actor or actress is paid to perform the storyline. It works particularly well if the song progresses like Todorov's theory - equlibirum, disequilibirum and newequilibirum. 

c) Concept

These videos have no distinct connection to the song. They are typically abstract, made using special effects and programmes. It's more difficult to find two similar concept videos than two similar performance videos because concept videos are common amongst niche artists who demonstarte new, unique ideas. Mainstream artists have larger audience, so tend to not experiment as much as an upcoming artist would. Concept videos are usually low-budget and work well with songs that have no lyrics, such as the ambient genre. 

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8. Cinematography  

Wrapping up all of Goodwin's ideas is the way they are all shown. Shots, angles and movements determine how audiences recieve ideas being distributed. For example, a close-up of a woman may seem more like a demonstration of notion of looking than a medium-shot of her. 

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APPLYING GOODWIN'S THEORY: CLASS CASE STUDY

'Miami' - Will Smith

 

INDEPENDENT CASE STUDY

'Xen' - Arca 

 

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Evaluation 

There are positive and negative aspects of Goodwin's theory. On the bright side, it is easy to apply to any video, as shown above. However, not every video has all eight elements - there was no intertextual reference in 'Xen'. Furthermore, the notion of looking can be interpreted as artistic rather than sexual. But the theory allows us to breakdown media content and give it a lot of analysis. The media content seems to be reliant on mainstream music, as my niche video didn't fit perfectly with the theory. Lastly, as Goodwin's ideas are fairly general, there's a possibility that he should not be credited, but rather the people who carry them out, such as producers. 

In my music video, I will use all eight ideas but through my interpretation of them. For example, I don't believe that the notion of looking should be narrowed down to merely a sexual perspective. If so, Goodwin focused on the objectification of womens' bodies, which disregards a vast amount of sexualities among all types of audiences, anyway. There should be an acknowledgment of looking at art, which I look to show, as the body shouldn't be purely seen as sexual. Therefore I want to challenge the definitions of his conventions.