The document discusses Goodwin's theory that music videos should have a relationship between the music and visuals. This is exemplified in Birdy's "Skinny Love" music video, where the melancholic tone of the lone singer playing piano in a run-down room matches the sad lyrics and minor chord. Goodwin also theorizes that record labels want close-ups of the artist to make them recognizable and build intimacy with audiences. These close-ups are used throughout Birdy's videos. Additionally, Goodwin believes visuals should relate to lyrics, which is shown through images of death that coincide with references to death in "Skinny Love's" lyrics.

1. In Goodwin’s book. ‘Dancing in the Distraction Theory’ he
demonstrates several points about music videos. One of which
is having a relationship between the music and visuals. In
Birdy’s ‘Skinny Love’ music video the tone of the music video is
demonstrated through the singer being seated in a runned-
down, desolate room, whilst she sits and plays her song alone,
meanwhile beams of sunlight are trying to break through from
the outside. The mise-en-scene of these shots suit to the
melancholic mood of the song, and reciprocate the dreary
tone. The music appears to be melancholic due to the only
instrument that is used is a piano, the prominent chord of the
song is E minor, a minor chord is used to express usually
sadness, it is not happy nor used in a positive way, therefore
emphasising the meaning and atmosphere of the song.
Another key theory of Goodwin’s is the idea that the
record label with demand to have lots of close-ups of the
artist, this can also develop into a motif when the style is
used throughout the artists music video’s. This is clearly
shown through the extreme close-ups and close ups that
appear throughout Birdy’s ‘Skinny Love’, as well as her
other song ‘Wings’. This style of visuals creates an
intimacy with the audience and the artist, it demands
the audience to look closely at her expressions and
physically draws your eyes closer to her face. A
relationship is created, resulting in the audience to feel
empathy towards her. The record label will want to make
her face recognisable, for the increase in popularity of
the artist, the need for others to recognise her face and
then instantly link the face to the music or vice-versa.

2. Another theory of Goodwin’s is there being a
relationship between the visuals and the lyrics. This
is heavily reinforced within the visuals of the ‘Skinny
Love’ music video. Common visuals representing
death are used throughout, this morbid imagery
coincides with the lyrics. To continue, a lyric from
the song quotes ‘Staring at the sink of blood and
crushed veneer’. The sink of blood is suggesting she
is self-harming in order to deal with her pain,
furthermore the ‘crushed veneer’ is metaphorical
for her fragile state, as veneer is a type of weak
wood. The links between the lyrics and imagery
result in the idea the singer is holding onto the
thought of death and committing suicide. All the
imagery used within the music video, Goodwin
would describe as being amplified, meaning the
director of the video is literally trying to amplify the
lyrics into visuals.
The shot of the statue of the angel represents the artists
longing for death, the mise-en-scene and lighting of the
shot shows the angel peering towards a bright light,
representing heaven. To link with this melancholic
imagery, the shot of the dead spider hanging on a web
against a grey, dirty window almost literally symbolises
death, it shows the artist is weak and feeble as is the
spider, she is a small insignificant creature/being that
feels as if she is living in a world of grey. To continue,
the shot of her stepping over the broken glass suggests
the damaged state she is feeling and the damage she
has caused to the one she loves. Within the lyrics of the
song, she quotes ‘ I tell my love to wreck it all, Cut all the
ropes and let me fall’ which I interpreted her in saying
she wants her lover to leave her and let her go to spare
the pain as he is the only person tying her down to the
world she doesn’t want to stay in. The use of ;lighting
casts shadows of her legs and feet, her literal figure is
almost not visible but as her shadow is clearly casted
over the broken glass it reinforces ghostly ideologies.

3. In Goodwin’s theory he discusses the idea of visuals of a music video linking to the
lyrics, the theory is demonstrated in Lana Del Tay’s music video ‘Love’. This song
highlights ideas about young love and the power that love and affection has towards
young people to drive them forward. Through the visuals, it reciprocates this idea and
suggests that the young in love characters are almost invincible within each other’s
company. This is shown through the special effects which show the couple in a car
within space, starring in awe at the solar system. This suggests ideas about young love
being very idealistic and takes the well-known phrase of “having your head in the
clouds” in a very literal sense. Within the song it quotes ‘It doesn't matter if I'm not
enough for the future or the things to come ‘cause I'm young and in love’ . This refers
to the fact that when being young and in love, nothing else seems to matter, you are
infatuated by one another and nothing else seems to be as important than being
together. To continue, it highlights the idea that being in relationship makes young
people feel euphoric and unstoppable, which links very closely to the visuals as the
visuals are showing a very dream –like state, representing the dreamy head state the
young lovers are in.
Within Lana Del Ray’s music video, ‘Love’ it
provides evidence in proving Goodwin’s
theory of a frequent reference to looking,
screens within screens. This is shown within
this shot of a man taking a photograph of
his girlfriend whilst she effortlessly poses for
the photo. Goodwin also links this point to
voyeurism and especially voyeuristic
treatment towards the female body ,
however this shot does not come across as
voyeuristic, instead it simply shows the
males’ admiration towards the women, he
admires the beauty of her but not
specifically in a sexual way.