Andrew Goodwin's Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin’s theory states that there are five main key aspects to a music video, which are:

·         Thought through beat (seeing what the lyrics mean in your head).
·         The relationship between the song and the visuals.
·         The narrative and performance of the song.
·         The technical aspect of the music video.
·         The star’s image (protagonist), including camera shots which make him/her the centre of attention.

Thought Through Beat

The first step of this process is to analyse the music structure in order to understand the chorus and the verses.

The second step is determining that the voice of the artist would be unique compared to others and will give the person a form of identification that can be related to that particular singer’s image.

The third step would be the story of an artist which they are trying to tell within their song, this can also be used to establish them as a storyteller. The music video will then aid this by showing us the video through the vocals of the song.

Relationship Between Music and Visuals
There are three main ways visuals are used to promote a song:

·         Illustrate- music videos use certain images and shots to illustrate or explain the meaning of the lyrics to their song and the genre.

·         Disjuncture- this is when the meaning of the song is completely ignored in the music video.

·         Amplify- this is mainly done through repetition, which is when the images and camera shots are manipulated and shown repeatedly throughout the music video and it is ingrained in our vision.

Goodwin believed that a music video can promote a song by the way it analyses the lyrics. This is shown when the actor in the music video does exactly as the song says.

Narrative and Performance of the Song

Goodwin believed that it was important for an artist to be involved in the music video by performing or acting out a role as the main character or the singer. This helps to make a music video/song seem more realistic, giving the audience a connection and an understanding of the song.

The Star’s Image

Goodwin referred to the star’s image as a vital aspect of the music video, as the star will make the music video look more appealing to their audience, whilst bringing up a unique style to the video in the way they are portrayed to the audience. The start image of the music video also remains unique to the artist in the way they are presented in the costume, their moves or appearance. This then all helps to promote the artist’s image in public and also helps to promote the video while creating a public reputation for the artist.

Technical Aspect of a Music Video

Goodwin states that the technical aspect of a music video helps to hold a music video together, through the use of mis-en-scene, special effects, sound and editing. Lighting and colour helps to set the mood for a music video and create emphasis on significant parts of the song to create a dramatic effect and thrill the audience. Mis-en-scene is also very vital to the production of the music video, it can help the artist gain authentication and also make their work appear more professional. The beats of the song are also very useful as they can help to create effective cuts that go with the rhythm of the song to make the music video look more entertaining.