Andrew Goodwin analysis

1. The Sound – The 1975
Music Video Analysis

2. Andrew Goodwin
This video is one of their most recent videos, which is slightly more pop than indie. It is a performance video, with virtually no
narrative due to the fact that we only see the band and a few extra people that play the roles of spectators. According to
Andrew Goodwin's theory, I believe that this video is an example of amplification, because there is no narrative, just the band,
so the whole video is quite repetitive in the sense that we only see the band perform and some of the camera shots are
repeated in order to create effect.
●
In the video there are no voyeuristic views of women, and the women in the video are not portrayed in a sexual way which
challenges a lot of other music videos of other genres.
●
The lyrics are illustrative to the music video, as the visuals emphasize what we hear through the diegetic words being sung.
The lyrics are about society and the use of the band as well as extra people within the video represent the society and the
social “norm”. The music is upbeat which amplifies the visuals, for example the lighting which at times is bright and
colourful.
●
The close ups are also part of Goodwin's theory on music videos, as it's a technique that record labels use to put the artist
into the spotlight so we can see them and relate to them. Most of the close ups are of the different band members but of
course the lead singer gets more screen time and we can relate to him the most because we see him the most.
●
One example of intertextuality used is "They're essentially making robotic Huey Lewis tunes" which is an intertextual
reference to a pop rock band from the 80s. I feel like this reference would only be gotten relevant if the audience knew of
this band, liked 80s bands or were from that era. Again, this makes them quite edgy and they don't care if people get their
references but they just want people to know about them. These intervals of writing are pale pink and cover the whole
screen, and I think it's a quirky idea for a music video to have because each piece of text adds a cross media convergence
idea and a sense of individuality.
●
The band do adhere to typical genre conventions, from their black, 'scruffy' appearances to the 'careless/different' attitude
created through the lyrics and visuals. I think that as a band they reinforce the indie/alternative conventions as overall I
would give the band connotations of 'carefree' and 'relaxed' but also they signify a certain edge that the audience would
probably aspire to be like.

3. Narrative theories
Strauss:
I think that due to the message of the video being about how we as individuals
should not conform to society's standards, some binary opposites, Strauss'
theory, are relevant, such as Media V Public, because the lyrics, as well as the
video, illustrate that we are controlled by the media and we are all the same
which shouldn't be the case and Good V Bad, because the media can make false
pretences against innocent people.
Todrov:
As this video is mainly performance based, there is virtually no narrative due to
the fact that we only see the band and a few extra people that play the roles of
spectators.
Prop:
Like mentioned before, as there is no narrative, there aren’t really any key roles
within the video. I have noticed that if there were clear roles then the band would
probably be the heros, trying to save everyone from being infiltrated by society
and the extras are the villains, trying to persuade everyone to be the same.

4. Technical elements
Throughout the video I found that there were quite a few different camera shots, such as at the
beginning when we get an establishing shot of the band and the overall scene. We can see
them in a clear box, trapped, walking around or sitting with their instruments. The setting is
quite hard to make out, as it just looks like a room, lit up with deep pink/purple lights. The lights
add to the cool and edgy atmosphere, casting dark shadows whilst illuminating, at times, the
band, so we know that we have to focus on them but they are not the most important thing (the
dark shadows hide them but not the music being made), so we know that this band is 'all about
the music', another genre convention. The band are wearing dark clothes, with jeans, scuffed
shoes and messy hair, creating a 'laddish' and 'careless' attitude/style, which fans would
probably copy. The length of the camera shot could represent that they feel that they want to
be far from society, to distance themselves and be different within their music and socially. The
camera movement is quite still, and then the band name comes up and the camera starts to
get closer, zooming in on the band and giving us a better view of what they look like. The band
name is on a light pink background, which of course is challenging the stereotype that pink is a
colour for girls, again another attribute to them being different.

5. Technical elements
Another camera shot used quite a lot is a variety of close ups, from extreme close ups to medium close ups.
Some extreme close ups are of the band members of course, of their facial features (their mouths, eyes) so
we focus on them, on the words that they are singing, to get the message across and into the audience's
heads. From these angles we can also see that the main singer, Matt Healey, wears make up, like eye liner
and nail polish, suggesting that he is trying to challenge society and this would be a unique selling point for
him because he's different and people may look up to him. I think that this also tells us about some of the
themes that the band hold, themes about sexuality and sexual identity, and it shows that the band want their
audience to feel like they can be who they want to be, the band are role models for anyone who needs help
standing out. When the camera shots are like this, sometimes the movements are quick and brief, sweeping
over the band members hastily, again reinforcing the idea that we should be focusing on the music rather than
the band members. There isn't much range of editing in the video, keeping it simple in that sense, mainly
using lots of quick straight cuts from different shots or pans to show the band at different angles. I think the
use of text adds some flare to the video, with things that have been said to the band or ideals that critics may
associate with them which go against what they stand for. Of course this is where one of Goodwin's theories
is relevant, explicitly showing us obvious close ups in order to get us as the audience to pay attention to the
band.

6. Technical elements
Halfway through the music video, the extras are introduced
gradually, all dressed the same and observing the band as
they sing. One shot, an over the shoulder shot, lets us see
the band from the observer's point of view. I think that the
extras are supposed to represent 'society' as a whole, and
how we all try to conform rather than be individuals, hence
why all of the extras are wearing the same dull white
clothing. The over the shoulder shot lets us see the band
in the box, and the box represents how the band could feel
trapped by society, or that they don't want to leave the box
because inside it is their choices and ideas whereas the
reality is outside of the box. I've always liked this band
because they sing about personal and public messages,
making them quite different to other bands. In this
particular video, they are represented as 'different', which
is a stereotype of the indie/alternative genre. The
atmosphere created is 'cool' and 'edgy' by the little use of
props and simplicity of the video, which would probably
attract the audience because it would give them the idea
that if they listened to this music then they, too, would be
cool and edgy and different because they don't listen to
the typical boy band, whose videos are packed with bright
colours and dancing, with coordinated outfits and lots of
props.

7. Technical elements
Halfway through the music video, the extras are introduced
gradually, all dressed the same and observing the band as
they sing. One shot, an over the shoulder shot, lets us see
the band from the observer's point of view. I think that the
extras are supposed to represent 'society' as a whole, and
how we all try to conform rather than be individuals, hence
why all of the extras are wearing the same dull white
clothing. The over the shoulder shot lets us see the band
in the box, and the box represents how the band could feel
trapped by society, or that they don't want to leave the box
because inside it is their choices and ideas whereas the
reality is outside of the box. I've always liked this band
because they sing about personal and public messages,
making them quite different to other bands. In this
particular video, they are represented as 'different', which
is a stereotype of the indie/alternative genre. The
atmosphere created is 'cool' and 'edgy' by the little use of
props and simplicity of the video, which would probably
attract the audience because it would give them the idea
that if they listened to this music then they, too, would be
cool and edgy and different because they don't listen to
the typical boy band, whose videos are packed with bright
colours and dancing, with coordinated outfits and lots of
props.