goodwin's music video theory

1. GOODWIN’S MUSIC
VIDEO THEORY
Mary Medrana

2. Goodwin’s theory in relation to
music videos states that there
are 5 key aspects to a music
video

3. THOUGHT THROUGH BEAT
Means seeing what the music video means or represents in the
audience’s head
First step
To analyse the music structure understanding the chorus and verses
Second step
The voice of the artist would be very unique compared to others and
will give the person a form of identification that can be related to the
star image or singer.
Third step
Would be the story of an artist which is trying to tell within the song.
It can establish the artist as a story teller. The music video can aid
this by showing us the video through the vocals of the song.

4. RELATION BETWEEN THE
MUSIC AND VISUALS
There are 3 ways visuals are used to promote a song
Illustrate
Music videos use certain images & shots to illustrate and explain the
meaning of the lyrics to the song and the genre
Disjuncture
The meaning of the song is completely ignored in the music video
Amplify
Repeatability – this is when the images and camera shots are
manipulated and shown repeatedly throughout the music video and is
drummed into our vision.

5. RELATION BETWEEN THE
MUSIC AND VISUALS
Goodwin believed that a music video can promote a
song by the way it analysis the lyrics.
This is shown in many music videos when a character
does exactly what the song says.

6. 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 singer.
It helps to make the song look more realistic and also giving
the audience a special connecting and good understanding of
the song.

7. STAR IMAGE LOTS OF
CAMERA SHOTS MAKING THE
PROTAGONIST THE CENTRE
OF ATTENTIONGoodwin referred to the star image as a vital aspect of the music
video. The protagonist makes the music video look more appealing to
the audiences while bringing a unique style to the video in the way
the protagonist is portrayed to the audience.
The star image is always very unique in a way they are being
presented. E.g. the costume and appearance.
This helps to promote the artist’s image in public and also helps to
promote the video while creating a public reputation for the artist.

8. TECHNICAL ASPECT OF A
MUSIC VIDEO
Goodwin says that the technical aspect helps to hold the music video
together through the use of mise-en-scene, special effects, sound and
editing.
Lightening and colour helps to set the mood for the music video and create
emphasis on significant parts of the song to create a dramatic effect and
thrill the audience.
Mise-en-scene is also very vital to the production of the music video, it can
help the artist gain authentication and also makes 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.