Contents of music videos; Believer by Imagine Dragons Girl by Destiny's Child Pompeii by Bastille

1. Music Video Analysis Using Goodwin's Theory
By FrankParnell

2. Believer
By Imagine Dragons
Music Video Analysis Number 1

3. Genre Imagine Dragons is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead vocalist Dan
Reynolds, lead guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist and keyboardist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel
Platzman.
Genres: Alternative rock, Indie rock, Pop rock, Indie pop, Electropop
Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground
of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word "alternative"
refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music.
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United States and the United
Kingdom in the 1980s. Originally "Indie" meant independent record labels and the music they
produced.
Pop rock is rock music with a lighter, smoother approach that is more reminiscent of commercial
pop music. This genre has been involved in popular music culture for years, even dating back to
the 60’s with the Beatles and Fleetwood Mack being a leading example of the genre. Today the
genre is lead by bands such as Kings Of Leon, Maroon 5 and My Chemical romance for a few
examples.
Indie pop is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to
the style and tone of mainstream pop music. Popular examples of bands working today are
Twenty One Pilots, Mumford & Sons and Ed Sheeran.
Electropop is a variant of synth-pop that places more emphasis on a harder, electronic sound. The
genre has seen a revival of popularity and influence since the 2000s. Previously
before this point notable bands of the genre include Kraftwerk and the Pet Shop
Boys since the 1980’s and ELO being involved in the genre before this, today the
genre is built on popular artist like Coldplay, Daft Punk and La Roux. The style of
the genre, even today with the Coldplay cover art design being computer generated
with a high degree of colour is a staple of the genre.

4. Lyricsandvisuals(eitherillustrative,amplifying,
contradicting).
This music video doesn’t play a particular narrative when compared to the visuals being
shown though movement in the video. Some performance based music video style shots
are included with shots of leads drummers/ guitarists and singers being shown. Different
aspects of Goodwins theory are apparent throughout this video.
The relationship between lyrics and visuals in this music video do not serve the purpose of
illustrating or depiction a particular narrative and doesn’t set the scene to what is being
said.
• One use of there being an illustration of what's being shown onscreen is the close up
shot of the lead singers mouth, as the screaming of lyrics come into play, the camera
zooms into the mouth of the singer.
It is however more similar to Goodwin's theory of a music video serving to amplify what is
being shown on screen, this means that how the movement on screen proceeds, the way
the song is being manipulated. The main way this is shown is though the actors fighting
throughout the music video
• Scenes of fighting appear to manipulate the sound and beats of the song, each punch
signifies and creates a beat drop later accompanied a shot of the lead musician.
And finally the use of Goodwin's theory of contradicting music video formats can to
attributed to this video, whilst there are uses of amplifying the visuals or beat of the song,
the song doesn’t particularly play out a particular narrative and the story told though lyrics
is different to the story being told visually.
• The tone of the music video in contrast with the lyrics slowed down at points where
the singer was seated, this was to show that they slowed it down for the purposes of
the audience, and contrasted with the higher level of sound that the video was
previously and works perfectly with Goodwin's theory of Contradicting music videos.

5. Musicandvisuals(eitherillustrative,amplifying,
contradicting).
As said previously in the lyrics to visuals section this music video doesn't have as
many links to create a flowing narrative but does have clear links throughout to make
a cohesive, stylish music video. Though the videos use of editing the music video
works to a fast paced, on screen tone to the visuals compared to the tone of the song
and music with the instruments being used. For example, the punching and fighting
being shown on screen is indirectly effecting (to the audience) the music being
played, each punch is assisted by a shift in the beat of the music is effective to
increase the tension between characters on screen, this worked and created a
relationship between the music and visuals. Goodwin’s theory describes it as
amplifying the imagery, the tone of the music to the movement is the relationship
being portrayed.
The music and the visuals do also create a relationship at points which include either
the lead singer in a star image or displaying a shot of the lead drummer or guitarist
shows the focal member of the group Imagine Dragons at that particular point. The
star image shots, for example, that are regularly used fits to the fast paced nature of
the music video and works to Goodwin's theory that the star power and image fits to
the illustrative music video type.
The indie/ alternative rock genre that Imagine Dragons is most known is
communicated most though the use of bright visuals though lighting and different
styles of colouring. With technical or computer generated imagery being created
though instrumentals.

6. Closeupsoftheartistandmotifs
Imagine Dragos is not an artist which relies on its visual output in order to receive listeners or
fans, it is not like a rock group or a boy band or anything that relies heavily on public image
however as the groups success has thickened within the recent years so it does mean that the
need to include more close ups and star image shots has increased.
This video in comparison to earlier videos like Radioactive and It’s Time means that there is a
clear push in the need to include star image shots and close ups. As well as just close ups a
consistent use of lip synching has been used in this video to uphold the pretence and create
and image of the ‘man behind the voice’. Thus conforming to Andrew Goodwin’s need of there
to be a visual representation of the group or the music being created. The use of star image
shots in this video is almost extensive and every other shot if not each shot synchronously.
The shots are accompanied by immense lighting as well as featuring other members of the
group but not as frequently as the lead singer Dan Reynolds. This could be due to the fact that
he is the lead singer or he has reached the most amount of popularity in the band because he
is the most attractive member.
It’s Time
Radioactive
An example of not just the lead singer
becoming the star image because of his
looks could be given in the band Fall out
Boy where the guitarist Pete Wentz was
considered the most attractive member
and therefore became a very important
visual for the group.
However in this case for Imagine
Dragons it is clear that the group
needed to put a face to the voice and
use the fact that Dan Reynolds had
received an amount of popularity
within fans in the past and their early
days.

7. Motifs extended
Age- Throughout the video an idea of age
becomes apparent when a character of the
music video appears to look like the lead singer
and star image of the video, Dan Reynolds. It is
clear that because of the way these two
characters look similar they are supposed to
share the same identity as each other. The same
goes when a younger boy is introduced, again
sharing physical similarities as the star image
and lead singer Dan Reynolds.
Fighting- The Video constantly references to fighting
as a motif. Whether it is shattering glass at the
beginning of the video of the constant view of
bowing gloves it is visible predominantly between
the old version of Dan Reynolds and the current. It
appears to be metaphorically representing the idea
of Dan Reynolds fighting old age and throughout the
video he appears to be loosing to the action of
getting older. All the while the younger version of
Dan Reynolds appears to be doing something
creative on a notepad and therefore could be
interpreted as following a more creative and
dreamlike pathway into his future- this is later
revealed to be an icon which has also appeared as a
constant motif on Dan Reynold’s chest. During the
end of the video a sudden turn to Dan Reynold’s
personal actions when he begins to defeat or fairly
fight his older version of himself however no one
officially wins of the two. This could be interpreted
that he will grow older but not by the hands of
another version of himself maybe just the way he
wants to.

8. Whattheaudienceis
manipulatedtosee.
Lighting:
Backgrounds: The sky (what can this represent?)- The sky could be an element used in this
music video to reinforce this idea of fighting for your own free choice. The video contains the
motif of fighting and so the sky could be considered as something which could represent the
freedom which is being fought for. The motif of age can be linked to by the use of the sky
because the sky does not age at all and therefore contradicts to the events of there being a
massive relevance to age in the video.
Silhouettes: Each of the members are showcased through the means of silhouettes and this
allows for the band to have their own feature in the video and attract to the audience. It also
allows the convention of the band actually being a band to stay alive- they are still a group
although Dan Reynolds is presented more often than the rest of the group. By having the rest
of the group appear it means that certain fans who favour that certain member are able to
maintain interest in the video. Although the video does mainly link to Dan and his star shots it
is excusable because of the hidden meaning of the video which has been made clear, fans
who have kept up would understand.
Cutting: The music video follows the conventional techniques of an ‘Indie’ video. Notably the
things visually shown on screen is cut to the beat of the song, as the song reaches the chorus
it then shows the fighting working with the beats of the music such as one of the band
members hitting against a drum to the timing of the beat in the song. This all fits well and
makes the video look professional which helps with the genre and attracts the audience of
fans already familiar with the genre more importantly.

9. IntertextualityAs far as intertextuality is developed in this music video there are no clear
connections to different films, TV channels, books or even other music
videos. The only clear link that an audience member could make is the use
of the symbol of the two capital Es inverted on one another (very much like
the ABBA logo). The use of this correlates to the title of the album the track
‘Believer’ is situated. Its possible that the group decided to not explore the
ideas of intertextuality because they wanted to tackle more personal
problems within the narrative video. For example Dan Reynolds told People
that the song was inspired by his experiences with ankylosing spondylitis in
2015. He said that, "The meaning of the song is really reflecting on specific
things in my life that were painful, whether it was anxiety and dealing with
crowds, feeling overwhelmed by that or the success of the band, disease,
going through depression—anything that was a source of pain in my life.
And just rising above that, finding a place of perspective where I could be
appreciative of the pain in my life and make it my greatest strength."
Therefore Dan Reynolds defined the video as something that could be
encouraging and more focused on the idea of tackling that issue and then
linking back to its origination through a narrative function.
Why do people include intertextuality?
Intertextuality would mean to shape a type of text/ creation (be it a book,
essay, song, video, film..etc anything which could be considered a product)
through the means of another text. Therefore it would merely be from
inspiration of another artist who came up with an original idea. There are
only so many times someone can be original and therefore an artist must
use another artists work to influence them. It aids the audience to make
connections and allow them to feel like they have discovered something for
themselves if they are ell in touch with other influences.

10. Girl
By Destiny’s Child
Music Video Analysis Number 2

11. Genre Destiny’s Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final and best-known line-up comprised
Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. Destiny’s Child is labelled to this day as a
group which fits into the genre of R&B. In 2002, they announced a hiatus at which point Beyoncé
and Rowland managed to set up their careers in show business.
Other girl groups which fit under R&B
TLC
B*witched
R&B is a music genre that combines elements of pop, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, hip hop,
gospel, and electronic dance music. Stereotypically it is seen as a black person’s genre. R&B
originated at the end of the disco era, in the late 1970s, when Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
added more electronics elements to the black music sound of the time to create a smoother
dancefloor-friendly sound.

12. Lyricsandvisuals(eitherillustrative,amplifying,
contradicting).
‘Take a minuet girl come sit down’ Is
an illustrative lyric in terms of the
image in the video as the group of
girls in the clip are in fact about to sit
down and reunite as a girl’s day out
or get together to talk things over.
Therefore the image of screen
mimics the lyrics.
‘you don’t let him walk over your
heart’ is amplified in this image since it
is acting as something which textually
forms in time with the music and the
lyric as they are sung and presented in
the video.
The Lyrics of ‘We’re your girls’ Is
amplified and illustrated through the
image of all the girls standing as a
collective (we) and looking at the
camera so that the synthetic
personalisation used in the lyric
‘your’ allows the audience to feel
personally treated by the group.
The lyric ‘I need my man, I
don’t think y’all
understand’ is contradicted
here as it is a lie that the
character Rowland is
playing is telling her friends
in the video however the
truth is revealed through a
flash to her real life where
Rowland is clearly seen
walking away from her
‘man’ who she so
desperately ‘needs’.The lyric ‘I can tell he been lying’ is
illustrated and amplified through
the means of one of the other girls
in the video/ character played by
Michelle Williams discovering
Rowlands man in the arms of
another. This also mocks the film
sex in city through the setting and
the storyline.

13. Musicandvisuals(eitherillustrative,amplifying,
contradicting).
This shot has been edited in the post production
stage to fit the beat of the music- most of the cutting
and filters such as fast forward or slow motion
(example this particular shot) has been in putted
carefully to match the pace and tempo of the beat.
As far as a song goes the visuals match perfectly as
the lyrics and the beat are mimics to a crisis like
event and so the setting and surroundings offer a
piece of the action and a piece of staged mind. Even
simple actions like this are edited with filters such as
slow motion so that they match the beat and tempo
of the music and flow nicely. This acts and
something which is aesthetically pleasing to a viewer
as it means that their ears and eyes will be pleased
simultaneously.

14. Closeupsoftheartistandmotifs
Beyoncé
Kelly Rowland
Michelle Williams
Beyoncé, who is possibly the most well
known artist within the group, opens
the video with a shot of her thus she
becomes an example of a star image.
This would be considered a good idea
as she can attract more of an audience
because her wide base of fans and her
popularity. However because the group
is small the other girls also have their
moments to shine just as equally for
example Kelly has the whole story
gravitating around her and Michelle has
he shots when she provides the
discovery of Kelly’s cheating boyfriend
(within the storyline). It is only natural
that this occurs because they must each
have their close ups as they do visually
represent the group and their music.
Each of the girls has their own verse to
sing and when this moment comes they
each have their own shots which consist
of them also lip synching.

15. What the audience is
manipulated to see.
Though the narrative of the music video it is presented to the
audience in a television programme form, and plays out the lives of
the celebrities whilst the singers (also the celebrities in the TV
show) watch.
The use of yellow taxis and the showing of
all business, higher class working building
such as the empire state building suggests
and points to the setting being based in the
US in New York
The use of the table with wine and candles
suggests a calm, romantic environment for
the characters, this contrast to the words
being spoken that suggest the relationship in
speaking isn’t a good one. Also the style of
the apartment suggests that she’s wealthy
and well off.
When the woman begins
to cry it enforces the
narrative that the
relationship is negative
this is to inform the
audience of how she
really feels instead of
making them make their
own assumptions.
The fact that they are all sat round a café
table suggest to the audience that they’re
good friends and where the story if mainly
told out. The café is more stylish so gives
an impression that these ladies are
wealthy.
With the low
angle shot it
suggest that the
Kelly Rowland
character has
more power over
the man and the
situation and in
turn the
audience is
backing her and
is on her side.

16. Intertextuality
In this video it mimics the story line, set up and some of the shots from the
film and series Sex and the city. Destiny’s child will have used this as
inspiration because the story line of the film fits with the story that is
hidden within the lyrics of Girl.
The opening credits mimic the same font to introduce the characters of the
series in the intro and the characters within the music video. This
intertextuality allows it to be a clear link and therefore it is obvious that
song was either used towards the production of the films. By creating a
homage of the sex in the city sit com it allowed for a narrative to form and
for the girls to be remembered and for the song to make sense.
There are some shots of the empire states building which are used in the
introduction of the video and in the intro of both the sex and city film and
sit com. Thus extending this idea or concept of homage and inspiration to
link the two texts.
Even the HBO introduction is mocked and edited.
From the film

17. Music video Analysis Number 3
Pompeii
By Bastille

18. Genre
Genre: indie pop/ indie rock/ Synth-pop
Pompeii is a song by English indie rock band Bastille. It is the fourth single from their
debut album of 2013 Bad Blood and the first to get major record hit. The song was
released as the album's fourth single on 12 January 2013. It reached number 2 in
the UK Singles Chart and number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on
the Alternative Songs chart. Furthermore, according to the Official Charts Company,
it was the UK's most streamed song up to June 2014. Over the time of the indie
pop/rock genre becoming more focused on by audiences its entered more of a
mainstream genre with this song for example topping the charts in the UK.
The genre of Indie Rock and other groups that fall into it-
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock developed in the 1980s. Originally "Indie"
meant independent record labels and the music they produced. Indie was often
used interchangeably with alternative rock. Bands of the genre include Arcade Fire,
Artic Monkeys and The Killers all leading the genre since 2001-02.
Indie Pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom
in the mid 1980s, a break off from the Indie Rock genre the Indie Pop appealed to a
more mainstream audience type. Bands of the genre include Florence And The
Machine, The Smiths and newer band Vampire Weekend.
Synth-Pop quite simply refers to a genre of music that uses the synthesizer as a
dominant instrument which is a more electropop or technopop version of a
keyboard. Bands of the genre include Pet Shop Boys, La Roux and Erasure.

19. Lyricsandvisuals(eitherillustrative,amplifying,
contradicting).
‘I was left to my own devices’ Amplified and
illustrated by the way Dan Smith can be seen
and is presented as on his own in the video.
‘The walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love’ Is a
contradicted lyric as it shows shots fro a city of a town
which clearly has all of its walls left standing however the
city is deserted and run down which leads us to question
the surroundings Dan Smith finds himself in.
‘Clouds all over the hills brining darkness from above’
These lyrics find themselves being both contradicted by
the video and illustrated as Dan Smith is riding a bike
through a DARK town but there is no sign of hills with
clouds on them.
‘In your pose as the dust settles around us’
This lyric is illustrated in this video as they
take a freeze frame like position at the end
of their shot.
The constant reference to eyes in the lyrics ( so if you close your eyes) makes
us think as an audience about this supposedly not good change happening to
other characters in the video and their eyes. We are lead to believe that this
is not a good thing from the fact that Dan Smith is running away from people
with this dysfunction at any given moment.

20. Musicandvisuals(eitherillustrative,amplifying,
contradicting).
The introduction of Pompeii sounds like wind and so the
visuals which are involved mimic this because the lead singer
Dan Smith is positioned on a tall building and his hair is
blowing with the wind. Therefore this video both illustrates
the tone and amplifies it by making it more apparent. The
transition from wind to music is then made smother by the
changing visuals.
The shots cut between three different scenarios but fit well with the beat of the
music changing every ‘oh oh oh oh oh’. The cutting is therefore fast paced and
conforms to the normal stereotypes of I indie music videos by being quite artistic.
As the pace of the music quickens and the chorus
builds in Dan Smith begins to run and his actions begin
to mimic the beat and correlate with the ton of the
music. This helps to entice the audience as it involves
their eyes and ears to work together.
The music tones down once we reach the end of our narrative
music video. The tempo changes to become less upbeat and more
sympathetic implying something bad has happened. Because the
audience have kept up with the narrative of the video they will
realise the eyes turning black is not a good thing to happen so when
that happens to our ‘protagonistic’ figure we reach a sense of
despair when the same happens to him thus mimicking and being
illustrative the music.

21. Closeupsoftheartistandmotifs
The band Bastille started with just solo singer Dan Smith and later
expanded to make up four different people including keyboardist Kyle
Simmons, bassist and guitarist Will Farquarson, and drummer Chris Wood
who were all involved in the creation of Pompeii. Unlike other music bands
and artist there isn’t any shared video time in the music video for each
member of the group, usually audiences would come to expect members to
make an appearance in this genre of music in a group shot or individual
shots showcasing their talents but in this video it is made up of a narrative
only including the main singer Dan Smith.
The main motif of the video is the use of the black eyes being shown on
screen on several different people and could resemble and have many
different meanings, the main one to be the comparisons the songs make
between Pompeii and the volcano to humans and how we destroy the earth
by littering and pollution with increasing global warming. The black eyes
signify the demon we all are to the planet, and the reason he becomes one
at the end because we’re all responsible. Also the fact that we as society is
crumbling and losing ourselves as a result, linking to the line "how I’m going
to be an optimist about this" which helps to reasoning with the fact he
hasn’t got black eyes till the end, he is the one looking to the bright side
and not till the end when he loses faith in the desert with own personal
demons he must run from, but towards the end he discovers he has also
helped towards pollution and the destruction of the planet which the song
and uses the metaphor of Pompeii to amplify, and is the reason he also
turning into a demon.

22. Whattheaudienceis
manipulatedtosee.
In terms of a setting for the audience to look into it is very minimal with mostly
empty streets set at night. The establishing shot the video starts with is
panning over our location, Los Angeles, this video is striking because it shows a
city completely abandoned and empty the audience shown that this is part of
the narrative at the point of the focus characters panic and worry. The
audience is also shown the characters with pitch black eyes in prolonged shots,
this creates focus and tension out of the situation, making this well known city
seem supernatural or a place to fear. At points of the tracking shots of singer
Dan Smiths feet running from these people it increases the panic and fear for
the audience further, and the scene with the car and bike that is used
throughout isn’t a nice nor higher end looking, amplifying a contrast to the
usual depiction of the city of LA which makes this world being shown in a lot
less attractive way as we may see it though different types of media or other
music videos but something that makes it seem degraded. This idea of it
degrading also comes down to the bit where the car breaks down in the desert
and he wonders deeper, making the area and the world being created as a
wasteland and deserted, the audience is made to see this because of how the
song is about the destruction of our planet because of global warming and
pollution.

23. Intertextuality
The video follows Bastille front man Dan Smith, as he wanders about an
empty-looking Los Angeles. The story is an allegory for the eruption of
Vesuvius in Pompeii, this is especially apparent with the words "and the walls
kept tumbling down in the city that we love, great clouds roll over the hills
bringing darkness from above" describing the destruction the city Pompeii
and its citizens experienced. The lines “great clouds roll over the hills bringing
darkness from above" is the direct reference to ash from the volcano above
the city. The songs main metaphor links to the historic event that happened at
Pompeii. The idea that this links to the events in Pompeii is reinforced by the
setting of the building that Dan smith starts in. The stairs are in a building
which contains a lot of pillars- very much like the buildings you would find
there at the time of the event.
There is another reference to another text. A certain shot could be a
reference to the film ‘The Shining’. The use of two identical girls mimics the
use of the twins in the horror film The Shining and because the scenario is
rather odd and worrying it indicates the suggestion of the scenario to be
fearful.